How do you emphasize each triceps head?

[Fluoresce]

I'd like to know how to emphasize each of the three heads of the triceps.

I used to think that triceps exercises in which your elbows are held by your sides and you use an overhand or neutral grip (e.g. rope pushdown) put emphasis on your lateral head, but this seems to be contradicted by an old study by ACE, which you can find on Google by searching for "Terrific Triceps American Council on Exercise".

Does anyone know confirmed ways of emphasizing each of the three heads of the triceps?

[stevscrila]

If you want to emphasize a head, you just pick specific exercises in your routine.

Lateral head:
Weighted dips as main compound
tricep pushdowns as accessory

Medial head:
reverse grip bench as main compound
underhand pushdowns as accessory

Long head:
Overhead press as main compound
tricep extensions as accessory

[Garage Rat]

All tricep heads will be involved there is no way to eliminate this.
As your post say "emphasize"the area or as i like to say direct as much stress to the target area as possible.
For me any tricep movements with elbows flared as much as possible will hit the outer head (horse shoe).

Triceps held close to the sides hit the inner medial head such as dips and close grip BP.
Long head, stretching the triceps is important here,overhead one and two arm movements although i think one arm will allow you to get in a better position,using DB's and cables and even lying tricep extensions where the arms are angled behind the head not pointed to the ceiling and letting the bar come down past the head and back up stopping at the same angle.
One important thing is to "feel the area"where you are trying to target and notice which movement you feel the most.That will probably be the best one for you.

[christos_swc]

Supinated grip: Lateral head.
Pronated grip:Long head.

Stress at start of extension:Elbow
Stress at lockout: Top insertion.

The last variable can be basically eliminated by using cables that keep tension constant throughout.

Example:Overhead French presses use a pronated grip and target the long head.
Because it's a free weight exercise and your arm is vertical to the ground most of the stress is placed on the elbow while lockout is easy and you will immeiately feel that, you are not working the triceps near the shoulder as hard.
One arm cable extensions with a supinated grip (palm facing up) will hit the lateral head,start to finish.
Triceps pushdowns with a rope mostly develop the long head.

So a good exercise combo to hit both the lateral and long head of the triceps from top to bottom and save time and effort would be triceps pushdowns with a rope followed by one arm cable extensions with a supinated grip.

I used to do push ups with my palms facing forward as is the norm and that mostly hits the long head but I have lately switched to doing them on my knuckles with palms facing in which provides a more balanced triceps workout.

The long head is what makes your arms look athletic from the front together with some nicely developed side delts but the lateral head will add size to your arms so you have to work it.

[Fluoresce]

Lateral head:
Weighted dips as main compound
tricep pushdowns as accessory

Thanks, but that's what I mean. According to the study that I mentioned, pushdowns emphasize the long head. Like you, I thought that they emphasized the lateral head. Please take a look at the study. It includes a simple table of results that's easy to understand.

[Puloma]

These exercises help to emphasize each tricep head- skulls/lying triceps extensions, french press, overhead extension (reverse grip too), pushdown using straight bar with a narrow grip, close-grip bench press, dips and so on.

[chazzy1864]

If you want to emphasize a head, you just pick specific exercises in your routine.

Lateral head:
Weighted dips as main compound
tricep pushdowns as accessory

Medial head:
reverse grip bench as main compound
underhand pushdowns as accessory

Long head:
Overhead press as main compound
tricep extensions as accessory

^ This.

Also, I'd take stuff that ACE puts out with a grain of salt, personally.Not to mention, EMG based things should also be taken with a grain of salt. Numbers can be skewed by so many variables, to include water levels in the person, body fat, placement of the pads, etc. EMGs are good to figure out what muscles activate during a lift, not necessarily how well it activates them.

Knowing how the muscles work, you'll follow what stevscrila and Garage rat said. To elicit growth in the long head, you need to stretch it, which overhead movements do. Reason underhand exercises work the medial head more is due to the weakened position / leverage it puts the other two heads, forcing the medial head to work more on its own.

FTR, EMG studies have shown that leg extension is the best exercise for quads.