Why Most Tricep Training Misses the Long Head
Last updated: March 2026
The long head is the largest of the three tricep heads. It’s also the most commonly undertrained — not because people skip tricep work, but because the most popular tricep exercises don’t actually reach it.
The reason comes down to anatomy. The long head is the only part of the triceps that crosses the shoulder joint — it originates from the scapula rather than the humerus. That gives it a second job beyond elbow extension: it assists in pulling the arm back and stabilising the shoulder.
This creates a problem with pressing movements. When you bench press or do close-grip press variations, the long head pulls your shoulder back — which interferes with the pressing motion and prevents full engagement. Research comparing skull crushers to the bench press found that extensions produced roughly twice the tricep growth, with most of that extra growth coming from the long head. Pressing builds the medial and lateral heads. The long head needs something different.
Two movement patterns reach it effectively:
- Overhead (stretch): Arm raised overhead, placing the long head under maximal stretch
- Arm back (contraction): Arm extended behind the body, taking the long head through full shortening
The 5 exercises below use both patterns.
The 5 Best Long Head Tricep Exercises
1. Overhead Cable or Dumbbell Triceps Extension
The overhead extension is the single best exercise for the long head. Research has found it produces approximately 40% more tricep growth than pushdowns, with the majority of that difference coming from the long head — because the overhead position places it under the deepest stretch available in any tricep exercise.
The cable version provides constant tension throughout the range of motion. The dumbbell version allows more freedom in arm path. Both work well.
Key cues:
- For cables: set the pulley at or above head height with a rope attachment, step forward, hinge slightly at the hips
- Keep upper arms completely fixed — only forearms move
- Lower the weight as far behind your head as shoulder mobility allows, then press to full extension
Sets and reps: 3–4 sets of 10–12 reps. This is your primary long head movement — treat it like a main lift.
2. Skull Crushers (EZ Bar Lying Extension)
Skull crushers are the most overloadable overhead-pattern exercise for the long head. The EZ bar reduces wrist strain compared to a straight barbell. Most people perform these incorrectly — angling the upper arms slightly back toward the bench (rather than straight up) keeps constant tension on the long head throughout the movement.
Key cues:
- Don’t lower the bar straight down to your forehead — angle your upper arms slightly back. This maintains long head tension at the top of the rep.
- Lower the bar in an arc, not straight down
- Retract and depress your shoulder blades — no movement at the shoulder joint during the rep
Sets and reps: 3–4 sets of 8–10 reps. Use this as your strength-focused long head movement and track your working weight over time.
3. Incline Dumbbell Overhead Extension
The slight incline angle (20–35 degrees) tilts your torso back, increasing the stretch on the long head beyond what a seated overhead extension achieves. A 2022 study in the European Journal of Sport Science found significantly greater triceps hypertrophy when extensions were performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position — the stretch at the bottom is where the stimulus comes from.
Key cues:
- Set the bench to a slight incline — steeper angles are not necessary and can cause shoulder discomfort
- Hold dumbbells in a neutral grip (palms facing each other) overhead
- Lower behind your head by bending only at the elbows — upper arms stay fixed
- Keep abs and glutes engaged to avoid arching through the lower back
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10–12 reps.
4. Incline Dumbbell Kickback
The kickback targets the long head in its fully contracted position — the opposite end of the range from overhead extensions. Research by Boeckh-Behrens and Buskies found incline dumbbell kickbacks produced the highest long head activation of any exercise tested. The incline bench setup removes lower back involvement entirely, improving isolation.
Key cues:
- Lie chest-down on an incline bench, arms hanging straight down
- Extend both arms back until parallel to your torso
- Keep elbows locked in at your sides throughout — they do not move
- Full elbow extension at the top is where long head activation peaks — don’t cut it short
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 12–15 reps. Use lighter weight — the quality of contraction matters more than the load here.
5. Weighted Dips
Dips are the only compound movement in this list. They’re less specific to the long head than overhead extensions, but they allow heavy loading that drives overall tricep size and carries over to pressing strength. A slight forward lean (not fully upright) recruits more of the long head than strict vertical dips.
Key cues:
- Lower until elbows reach 90 degrees
- Keep elbows tracking straight back — not flaring wide
- Drive to full arm extension at the top
- Add a weight belt once bodyweight reps exceed 12 with clean form
Sets and reps: 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps.
How Many Sets Per Week Does the Long Head Actually Need?
This is the question every long head guide skips. The exercise list is only half the answer.
For hypertrophy, research supports 10–20 working sets per muscle group per week. For the long head specifically, the distribution between movement patterns matters — you need both overhead and arm-back patterns represented each week.
| Movement pattern | Weekly sets | Example exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead (stretch) | 6–10 sets | Overhead extension, skull crushers, incline overhead |
| Arm back (contraction) | 4–6 sets | Incline kickbacks, drag pushdowns |
| Total | 10–16 sets | Across 2–3 sessions per week |
If you’re already doing pressing work (bench press, weighted dips) regularly, count roughly half those sets as indirect tricep volume — they’re building the medial and lateral heads primarily, with limited long head contribution.
Check your total weekly tricep volume
See how many sets your long head is actually getting — before deciding what to add.
How to Find Your Working Weight
Progressive overload on skull crushers and overhead extensions is the primary driver of long head growth over time. The goal is to add load or reps every 1–2 weeks on these two movements.
Working weight targets by exercise:
- Skull crushers and overhead extensions: 65–75% of 1RM for 8–12 rep work
- Incline overhead extension: 60–70% of 1RM — the stretch position reduces the load you can handle
- Incline kickbacks: 50–60% of 1RM — load is not the goal; full contraction is
Use the 1RM calculator to establish your baseline for skull crushers and set your training weights precisely:
Set your working weight for tricep extensions
Find your 1RM and calculate the right load for each rep range.
For dumbbell exercises specifically, use the dumbbell weight calculator to find the right increment based on your current strength level:
Find your working weight for dumbbell tricep work
Match your current strength level to the right dumbbell increment for extensions and kickbacks.
How to Fit This Into Your Training Week
The long head recovers at the same rate as other muscle groups — 48–72 hours between sessions. Two sessions per week of direct tricep work is the effective minimum for growth; three sessions works well during a prioritization block.
Sample distribution on a push/pull/legs split:
| Session | Long head work | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| Push day 1 | Skull crushers + weighted dips | 4 + 3 = 7 sets |
| Push day 2 / arms day | Overhead cable extension + incline kickbacks | 3 + 3 = 6 sets |
| Weekly total | 13 sets |
One important sequencing note: always do your pressing movements (bench press, overhead press) before tricep isolation work. If your triceps are fatigued going into a bench press, your chest becomes the limiting factor — not because your chest is failing, but because your triceps gave out first.
The Bottom Line
The 5 best long head tricep exercises work because they use the two movement patterns the long head is built for:
- Overhead cable or dumbbell extension — best single exercise for long head stretch and growth
- Skull crushers (EZ bar) — most overloadable overhead pattern, best for progressive loading
- Incline dumbbell overhead extension — maximum stretch angle, high activation
- Incline dumbbell kickback — long head contraction at full shortening
- Weighted dips — compound loading for overall tricep size
Program them at 10–16 sets per week, split across overhead and arm-back patterns, across 2–3 sessions. Progress the load on skull crushers and overhead extensions as your primary overloading movements — those two exercises are where long head growth comes from.