7 Best Long Head Tricep Exercises for Bigger, Stronger Arm

Let’s get real for a second. Most people chase big arms by hammering curls. Indeed, a well-defined set of biceps is attractive. The solution isn’t additional curls, though, if you’ve ever questioned why your arms still don’t appear as strong or thick as you’d like. It’s your triceps, or more precisely, the triceps’ long head. This muscle, which extends from your shoulder blade to your elbow, is located on the rear of your arm. It is large, powerful, and mostly responsible for the mass that is visible when someone flexes. You should prioritize long head tricep exercises if you desire arms that fill out a T-shirt.

Now let’s dissect it: why the long head is important, which workouts are really effective, and how to combine everything into a routine that increases growth and strength.

Why the Long Head of the Triceps Deserves Your Attention

The triceps are made up of three parts:

• Lateral head – the outer “horseshoe” shape you see in lean arms.
• Medial head – smaller, but important for stability.
• The largest of the three and the one that most individuals undertrain is the long head.

Because it fastens to your shoulder blade, the long head is unique. This indicates that it affects shoulder mobility and stability in addition to elbow extension, or straightening your arm.

What does that mean for you?

• Greater arm size: Your upper arm thickness is largely composed of the lengthy head.
• Better pressing strength: Bench, overhead press, and dips are all stronger with a developed long head.
• Shoulder health: A strong, long head helps stabilize the joint during heavy lifts.

Skip long head tricep exercises, and you’re literally cutting your arm gains in half.

Best Long Head Tricep Exercises

Now that you understand the importance of it, let’s move on to the greatest long head tricep exercises. Bodybuilders, athletes, and strength trainers have been doing these tried-and-true exercises for decades.

1. Overhead Dumbbell Extension

If you only pick one move, make it this one.

How to do it:

• Sit on a bench with back support.
• Grab a dumbbell with both hands and press it overhead.
• Lower it behind your head slowly, elbows tight.
• Extend back up until arms are straight.

Why it works:
The overhead position stretches the long head fully, and that stretch under load is exactly what drives growth.

This mix of long head tricep exercises combines heavy compound lifts and high-rep isolation work, a recipe for size and definition

2. Close Grip Bench Press

This one builds both size and pressing strength.

How to do it:

• Lie on a bench with a barbell.
• Grip just inside shoulder width.
• Lower the bar to mid-chest.
• Press back up, keeping elbows tucked.

Why it works:
You can change the focus from your chest to your triceps by tightening your hold. The long head gets a major share of the workload, especially in the lockout.

Pro tip: Don’t go too narrow wrists hate that. Shoulder-width is usually perfect.

3. Overhead Cable Extension

Consider this to be a more fluid, continuous-tension variation of the dumbbell extension.

How to do it:

• Attach a rope to the low setting on a cable stack.
• Face away, grab the rope, and raise it overhead.
• Extend arms forward until straight.
• Return under control.

Why it works:
Cables don’t let the long head “rest.” It’s under tension the entire time, which makes it brutal in the best way.

Variation: Try one arm at a time, great for fixing strength imbalances.

4. Skull Crushers (a.k.a. Lying Tricep Extensions)

A bodybuilding classic and still one of the best.

How to do it:

• Lie flat with an EZ bar or dumbbells.
• Start with arms locked out above the chest.
• Lower weight behind your head (not your forehead).
• Extend back up with control.

Why it works:
The long head gets stretched under load, then fully contracted at lockout. It’s one of the most complete long head tricep exercises you can do.

Pro tip: Going behind the head instead of directly to the forehead spares your elbows and increases stretch.

5. Tricep Pushdowns

Yes, they’re everywhere, and yes, they work.

How to do it:

• Attach a high pulley to a rope or bar.
• Grip it with elbows glued to your sides.
• Push straight down, locking out fully.
• Return slowly and controlled.

Why it works:
Pushdowns aren’t the best for stretch, but they isolate the triceps well. Using a rope and spreading at the bottom helps squeeze the long head harder.

Best use: End-of-workout pump work.

6. Tricep Kickbacks

Often dismissed as “lightweight,” but when done properly, they can be effective.

How to do it:

• Hold dumbbells and hinge forward at the hips.
• Elbows tight to your torso.
• Extend arms back until straight, pause, then return slowly.

Why it works:
The peak contraction at lockout lights up the long head. It’s more about detail and definition than raw mass.

Pro tip: Keep weights lighter and form strict; otherwise, it turns into a swing, not a tricep exercise.

7. Dips

Bodyweight mastery that scales with strength.

How to do it:

• Grab parallel bars.
• Lower until elbows hit 90 degrees.
• Push back up hard.

Why it works:
Dips hit chest, shoulders, and triceps, but keep your torso upright, and you’ll torch the long head. Add a dip belt with plates once bodyweight feels easy.

A Long Head Tricep Exercises You Can Try

Here’s a solid routine to put theory into practice:

• Overhead Dumbbell Extension – 4 sets of 10–12
• Close Grip Bench Press – 4 sets of 8–10
• Overhead Cable Extension – 3 sets of 12–15
• Skull Crushers – 3 sets of 10–12
• Tricep Pushdowns – 3 sets of 12–15
• Dips – 3 sets to failure

This mix hits the long head with both heavy compound lifts and high-rep isolation work, a recipe for size and definition.

Common Mistakes That Kill Tricep Growth

• Skipping overhead work ? Without it, you’re barely training the long head.
• Going too heavy ? Leads to sloppy reps and sore elbows.
• Elbows flaring out ? Shifts tension off the triceps and onto the shoulders.
• Only doing pushdowns ? Variety matters. Don’t rely on one exercise.

Final Thoughts

Big arms aren’t built on curls alone. If you want that thick, powerful look, the kind that makes a T-shirt stretch tight around your sleeves, you need to prioritize the long head tricep exercises we covered.

Skull crushers, close-grip bench presses, and overhead dumbbell extensions are not only optional extras; they ought to be a part of every routine. Perform them frequently, train wisely by getting adequate sets and repetitions, and gradually increase the weight. Arms with size, power, and true stability can be constructed in this way.

Bottom line: train smart, train consistently, and never forget the long head tricep exercises. That’s the difference between “nice arms” and arms that actually turn heads.