Triceps brachii

long head: infraglenoid tubercle of scapula

lateral head: posterior humerus

medial head: posterior humerus

Olecranon process of ulna

The triceps is an extensor muscle of the elbow joint, and is an antagonist of the biceps and brachialis muscles. It can also fixate the elbow joint when the forearm and hand are used for fine movements, e.g., when writing.

The triceps accounts for approximately 60 percent of the upper arm’s muscle mass.

Radial nerve

Deep brachial artery

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The triceps can be worked through either isolation or compound elbow extension movements, and can contract statically to keep the arm straightened against resistance.

Isolation movements include cable push-downs, "skull-crushers", French curls, and arm extensions behind the back. Examples of compound elbow extension include pressing movements like the push up, bench press (flat, incline or decline), military press and dips. A closer grip targets the triceps more than wider grip movements.

Static contraction movements include pullovers, straight-arm pulldowns, and bent-over lateral raises, which are also used to build the deltoids and latissimus dorsi.

Elbow extension is important to many athletic activities. As the biceps is often worked more for aesthetic purposes, this is usually a mistake for fitness training. While it is important to maintain a balance between the biceps and triceps for postural and effective movement purposes, what the balance should be and how to measure it is a conflicted area. Pushing and pulling movements on the same plane are often used to measure this ratio.