People who come to the gym often really want to “pump up” their big hands. In this regard, they begin to do biceps exercises - the biceps of the shoulder.
Novice athletes do not even suspect that the main volume for the hands is often given by another mulcule structure - triceps or triceps muscle of the shoulder.
Anatomy
Musculus triceps brachii consists of several basic structures. They represent three muscular bundles (heads), which is reflected, in fact, in the name. The triceps muscle of the shoulder extends completely along the back of the humerus.
Three muscle heads have their own names, reflecting their structural arrangement: lateral, long and medial.
- The first of these ( caput laterale) is attached muscularly and tendon to the surface of the humerus (outside).
- The middle position is occupied by caput longum , it is the longest, attached to the scapula (subarticular tubercle).
- The third - caput mediale , is attached one third below the head of the humerus, behind, has a fleshy upper part.
All three of these heads are combined into one muscle, which below passes into a tendon formation attached to the ulna.
Triceps work
The function of the triceps muscle, or rather, the most important of them is the extension of the forearm. This is the same movement of the hand when, when the elbow is extended, the whole arm is straightened. But its medial part is responsible for this. The main antagonist is the biceps muscle.
The long head of the biceps is responsible for the extension of the shoulder (leading to the body). The antagonists for her are the deltoid, thoracic and part of the biceps. The medial head is usually not easy to palpate, as it lies deeper, under a long one.
It is biceps that acts as opposed to triceps during flexion and extension of the arm in the elbow joint. This is worth remembering when injecting muscles in the gym. Some athletes have “bloated” hands that look funny when triceps dominate.
Triceps in sports
The triceps muscle of the shoulder, the functions of which are diverse, can be most important in some sports, where forearm extension at the moment of dynamic loading is paramount. Here are some examples:
- javelin-throwing;
- shot put;
- volleyball, handball, basketball;
- boxing;
- fencing and other sports.
Also, in some cases, triceps performs the task of "holding the load", for example:
- cycling
- archery;
- Weightlifting.
As a muscle that performs active extension of the shoulder (and leading to the body), triceps is important in the following sports:
- rowing;
- swimming (all its types);
- kayaking.
Aesthetics
Many people have a question: "Why train triceps?". From the above material, it becomes clear that this is, first of all, necessary for athletes. Do ordinary people need to "pump" this muscle?
The answer to this question lies in the desire of a person to work on himself. The shape of the forearm mainly depends on the state in which the triceps is located.
Saggy skin often occurs in women who are overweight or have suddenly lost weight. By pulling up the triceps, you can aesthetically improve the look of your shoulders and start wearing beautiful dresses with short sleeves.
Training Features
The triceps muscle of the shoulder usually lends itself well to study with special exercises. But in some people it refers to the "lagging behind." Then it is necessary to pay special attention to the triceps muscle, to "punch" it purposefully, in isolation.
Although trainers advise starting classes with basic (multi-joint exercises), in the event of triceps lag, you can “start” differently. There are many techniques for this: preliminary muscle fatigue, isolation training, and others. Only an experienced instructor will tell you how to act in each case.
The triceps muscle of the shoulder is often involved in the development of the pectoral muscles, so this should be borne in mind. But it is recommended to load no more than twice a week to avoid overtraining of muscle fibers.
The exercises themselves are easy to find in bodybuilding aids or online sites. Many training complexes are uploaded to the network on video channels.
About muscle pain
Unfortunately, the triceps muscle of the shoulder can experience unpleasant sensations, the functions of which lead to overstrain and spasm. Pain can occur when pushing weights, abruptly straightening the arm.
Trigger points and muscle cords can also cause problems. In the first case, the pain can radiate to other areas, in the second - they will be very painful on palpation.
In such cases, stretching the heads of the triceps muscle is required. A masseur can do this very well.
Finally
It is not necessary to train the triceps muscle heads separately, it is pointless. Any triceps exercise will use it fully.
It is worth remembering that all people differ genetically. Differences in growth, size of cats, muscle shape, length of tendon heads of muscles - all this must be taken into account when forming your "ideal" body. You should not be equal to models of bodybuilding competitions.
Information for women and girls! It is not necessary to go to the gym to form triceps. It is enough to perform exercises with your own weight. This is push-ups from the floor (from the knees); push-ups from the bench (bench), sitting with his back to it.