Does a tricep extension machine hit all 3 heads?

[colonelbleep]

I'm currently just doing one exercise for triceps using a Life Fitness tricep extension machine. I'm unable at this time to post links (as I just registered) but it's the machine where you are seated at an angle like a scott curl bench slighty bent forward, elbows in front of you, grabbing 2 handle bars at chin level with a neutral grip and then extending your arms fully forward-down.

I find it works pretty well and not bothering my elbows one bit, however does it hit all three heads of the triceps or should I add another exercise in order to work the whole triceps?

I've got access to a hammer strength dip machine but I don't know if that's just more of the same or if it will complement the first exercise.

Thanks guys.

[Heisman2]

Nice video on triceps anatomy:



Thus the medial and lateral heads will fully engage with any elbow extension movement. The long head will also contribute heavily with any elbow extension movement. As the long head also contributes to shoulder extension and shoulder adduction, the long head can be placed at a greater stretch with movements that start with your upper arm above our head (as this places the shoulder in flexion and abduction, degree). There is some research indicating training muscles in the more stretched position leads to greater hypertrophy. Doing tricep movements where your arm finishes behind but directly next to your body will maximally engage the long head in its shoulder extension and shoulder adduction functions.

So if you want to fully hit the long head from all angles doing an overhead tricep extension and also doing a tricep pushdown of sorts where your arm ends behind your body (generally with one arm at a time or two arms using a dual-rope set-up) is the way to go. Whether this will make any significant difference in the long run is debatable. If doing one exercise only as you are fits much better in your program I think you can still make great progress with it alone.

[TheShadowMan]

If I could only do one movement for tris, dips all the way - weighted if possible. The combination of the challenge of calisthenics with the loading of free weights, pushes you to places you couldn't go before. Easier on the elbows than freeweighted versions of extensions which is nice, but you have to be careful not to go down so far that you wreck your shoulders. If you can manage that, nothin beats it.

[GeneralSerpant]

You can get the long head to help if you engage the full arm properly. All heads are working, but that machine is stressing the lateral head the hardest as the movement resembles one big lockout. Since the elbows are raised out in front of you though it stretches the longhead so it's not bad at all imo if you take advantage of that stretch. The medial head I think is at a disadvantage because your wrists are not supinated and the starting position doesn't stretch them much.

[Heisman2]

You can get the long head to help if you engage the full arm properly. All heads are working, but that machine is stressing the lateral head the hardest as the movement resembles one big lockout. Since the elbows are raised out in front of you though it stretches the longhead so it's not bad at all imo if you take advantage of that stretch. The medial head I think is at a disadvantage because your wrists are not supinated and the starting position doesn't stretch them much.

Why would supination impact any of the heads? Maybe I am missing something but the triceps are not involved with supination so I do not see why that would matter.

[GeneralSerpant]

Why would supination impact any of the heads? Maybe I am missing something but the triceps are not involved with supination so I do not see why that would matter.

Supinated puts the lateral head at a disadvantage making the arm rely on the medial head's more precise movement control pattern along with its stabilization at the elbow which seems more out of the biceps' grasp in such position.

I'm actually not trying to mean that you are engaging the muscles for supination, but simply that your wrist is turned in such position.

[Heisman2]

Supinated puts the lateral head at a disadvantage making the arm rely on the medial head's more precise movement control pattern along with its stabilization at the elbow which seems more out of the biceps' grasp in such position.

I'm actually not trying to mean that you are engaging the muscles for supination, but simply that your wrist is turned in such position.

That is interesting and completely new to me. Do you recall where you learned that? If not no worries, just curious.

[Garage Rat]

You cannot eliminate all tricep heads being used with a tricep exercise they all will be used from one degree to another.
What you can do is direct stress more to one area than another with what exercise you choose.

[GeneralSerpant]

That is interesting and completely new to me. Do you recall where you learned that? If not no worries, just curious.

Some time ago I read that locking out is specifically a lateral head function. I then noticed that when trying to lock out the elbows with palms facing up (with same general arm strength signals), it muddles the entire connection with the forearm when the whole arm is fully extended. You can sure hold it there, but it is not by any means secure or very comfortable when extended fully.

I induced that, if the specific function of the lateral head is for triceps strength when the hands are far away, then perhaps the medial is useful for when the hands are close. Sure enough, facing your palms up against your upper body puts you in a more advantageous hand position to move resistance away from your body with the triceps. It's not as much high-force as when locking out, but it's more intimate in control and allows for more articulation in movement and finger coordination.

Wikipedia says the medial head is for more precise movements as I've been describing, but sadly it is the most prominent piece of fragmented takes on triceps head function that I can find -- the rest having to do with exercises articles or rather vague references to what the medial head does in particular beyond it assisting in all overlapping triceps extensions specific to either the long or lateral head.

[jademonkey]

What I do is just pick a different shoulder and hand position every now and then, and hope it works. Easier than digging into the biology lol!
Overhead extension
Overhead reverse grip extension
Cable press down
Reverse grip press down with the "W" bar
And of course pressing - dips, bench, overhead press

I wonder if there is a benefit to free weight variations though. I tend to avoid free weights for tricep isolations because I feel like the resistance curve is always wonky. I do like how dumbbell pullovers work the triceps isometrically though.

Supinated puts the lateral head at a disadvantage making the arm rely on the medial head's more precise movement control pattern along with its stabilization at the elbow which seems more out of the biceps' grasp in such position.

I'm actually not trying to mean that you are engaging the muscles for supination, but simply that your wrist is turned in such position.

Wondering what this means. I feel like reverse grip makes the lateral head work harder, but I have no idea what's happening in there. Just how it feels.

[TheShadowMan]

Extensions with a supinated grip don't activate anything better, can't use as much weight as with neutral or pronated, and make the forearm the weak point. I never saw the point in the grip aside from making it easier to get elbows closer to the shoulder. The lift becomes a pain in the butt to control too. It's like why? The tricep is gonna be the last thing of anything to fatigue this way, and it's supposed to be the primary target. It doesn't seem like a real efficient way to hit the target to me.

[GeneralSerpant]

Wondering what this means. I feel like reverse grip makes the lateral head work harder, but I have no idea what's happening in there. Just how it feels.

Could be. I could be conflating forearm strength for lateral head strength, while you may be right that lateral head is being appropriately stressed more. I think that it feels somewhat weird to try to lock out to, and that maybe controlled and discrete force training might be a better approach for such tension.

Either way, I see it as the neutral or pronated grip rope pushdown being much more advantageous for pushing more weight down, particularly with force and for definite lockout -- while pulling weight away from close to the body (wrists at chest palms facing away) is not as practical as with supinated. From that position I also doubt that the outer side of the triceps is the instigating factor in moving the hand away from the body, or that it is benefiting the stress much. I know that's beyond your assessment, just saying.