Which head or heads of the triceps are responsible for mass nearest the elbow? I really need to target this area, as an old nerve injury caused a lot of atrophy there on my right side.
Thanks in advance.
Long head.
Dips will help strengthen the area around the elbow.
Weighted dips have added a lot of mass on my arms, including near the elbow area.
Anatomically, the muscle closest to the elbow joint is the anconeus.
[quote]Five wrote:
Anatomically, the muscle closest to the elbow joint is the anconeus.[/quote]
The lack of mass is higher than this, I believe.
Regarding dips, that’d be fine, but I need unilateral exercises, as I’m trying to fix an asymmetry.
So, are others in agreement that the long head is the primary target here?
It depends what you mean by closest to the elbow. Most people would say the medial head, which you can find by finding your elbow, then going inside about an inch until you find a bony knob (medial epicondyle of the humerus). From there move your fingers up your arm about 2-3 inches and that is your medial head, it will really spring to life if you forcefully lock out your arm. In addition if you did a biceps pose the muscle closest to the elbow that you would see in your triceps would be your medial head.
However, if you were looking at your arm from the back or side you can’t really see your medial head then so it might be your long head, but that has often turned into a tendon by the time you get close to the elbow.
Okay. Looking at an anatomy chart, I would’ve guessed it was the medial head, but I think the long head is probably the right diagnosis here, as I have a distinct strength deficit adducting my arm, and there doesn’t appear to be a difference in size between my lats.