Summary
Jeff Cavaliere explains why most people fail to fully engage their triceps during training and how one simple anatomical fix — keeping the elbows pinned to the sides — can dramatically increase the effectiveness of any tricep exercise. The key insight is rooted in the anatomy of the long head of the triceps and its origin point on the shoulder blade.
Key Points
- Humans naturally seek compensation during exercise, drifting away from uncomfortable positions that are often the most effective.
- The most common mistake in tricep training is allowing the elbows to flare outward, which reduces muscle activation.
- The long head of the triceps is unique because it originates on the scapula (shoulder blade), not the upper arm bone.
- Because of this origin point, the long head is most fully contracted when the arm is in adduction — squeezed tightly against the body.
- Forcibly keeping the elbows pinned to the sides during tricep exercises maximally engages the long head, increasing the effectiveness of the movement.
- This adjustment applies across all tricep exercises, not just one specific movement.
- The tweak is subtle in appearance but produces significant gains in muscle development over time.
Exercise Details
- Target Muscle: Long head of the triceps (the largest of the three tricep heads)
- Key Form Cue: Pin the elbows tightly against the sides of the body throughout the entire movement — do not allow them to drift outward.
- Common Mistake: Letting the elbows flare away from the body to reduce discomfort, which shifts load away from the long head and reduces overall tricep activation.
- Sets/Reps: Not specified in this video — the tip is a universal form correction applicable to any tricep exercise.