Triceps brachii muscle

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Triceps brachii

Triceps brachii

Biceps and triceps
Latin	musculus triceps brachii
Gray's	subject #124 444
Origin:	long head: scapula lateral head: posterior humerus medial head: posterior humerus
Insertion:	olecranon process of ulna
Blood:	deep brachial artery
Nerve:	radial nerve
Action:	extends forearm
Antagonist:	Biceps brachii muscle
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_22/12551300

The triceps brachii muscle is a large three-headed skeletal muscle found in humans. It runs along the back of the upper arm.

The triceps brachii muscle is often simply called the triceps. However, the term triceps (Latin for "three heads") can mean any skeletal muscle having three origins.

The three heads are called:

The Long Head
The Lateral Head
The Medial Head

The long head is attached to the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula. The lateral and medial heads are attached to the posterior shaft of the humerus, attached to the lateral and medial sides of the spiral groove of the humerus respectively. The lateral head is also superior to the medial head. The fibres converge to a single tendon to insert onto the olecranon process of the ulna.

The triceps account for approximately 60 percent of the arm's mass, but people who exercise the arms with weights often neglect this group of muscles in favour of the biceps brachii.

[edit] Exercises that build the triceps

The triceps are worked mainly through pressing movements, (ie. bench presses, push-ups, or shoulder presses) but can be more effectively isolated through cable push downs and skull crushers. Many bodybuilders argue that the best exercises for building mass of the triceps is weighted dips or close grip bench presses. In sports such as (american) football, the triceps are a far superior muscle group than the biceps and should be exercised in much greater detail.

[edit] References

Madsen M, Marx R, Millett P, Rodeo S, Sperling J, Warren R (2006). "Surgical anatomy of the triceps brachii tendon: anatomical study and clinical correlation.". Am J Sports Med 34 (11): 1839-43. PMID 16735585.