We admit it: Some of our “Top 10” body part exercise rankings have been easier to compile than others. After all, it’s not that controversial to tell you that the bench press is the premier chest exercise or the standing barbell curl is the best thing to come along for biceps since the open car window.
Triceps, however? That has proven more difficult. From the 10th pick to the first, debate echoed through the halls of Muscle & Performance (or at least electronically via a frenetic email exchange). Perhaps it’s due to the rather complex nature of the triceps: It’s made up of three heads — the lateral (outer), long (inner) and medial that splits those two down the center — that all share a common tendon at the elbow but attach individually around the shoulder area. While the lateral and medial heads attach to the humerus bone, the long head attaches to the scapula.