What has three heads and is usually behind you, unless rotated? Give up? It’s that often forgotten muscle, the tricep.

Although our tricep muscles are often overshadowed by our biceps, the muscles on the top of the arm iconically flexed to prove how strong we are, they are just as, if not more important to keep long and strong as well.

Why? Mainly because imbalances in the body is one of the major factors that cause injury. But also, because having equally long and strong muscles maximizes the use of other parts of the body.

Muscles work together in groups or pairs to contract causing the body to move. For example, in the leg, your hamstrings relax so the quadriceps can flex to help bend the knee and lift the leg. It works in a similar fashion in the arm. The triceps has to relax so the bicep can contract and flex. This action is known as antagonistic muscles and each muscle in the body has one. However, there are also more complex movements, where these opposing muscles actually work together to twist or rotate the body. This concept is one of the things that makes the body so amazing, it all works together to move about in what seem like such simple movements that are made possible by such complex and amazing structures.

So what exactly is the tricep? With out going in to a lot of detail, the tricep brachii, the anatomical name, has, as the muscle’s name describes, three heads. One attaches at the outer edge of the shoulder blade, another at the back, inner part of the humerus (the large bone of the upper arm) and the last head connects at the back, lower part of the humerus near the elbow. Our triceps help with flexing, extension, rotation and side to side movements of the arms.

There are many poses, from beginner to advanced, that can help stretch and strengthen your triceps. After you read about some of them below, you can also click on the video to see how to adjust some of these poses to get the most out of your triceps in your asana practice.  However, before you begin any practice, we encourage you to relax the body and do passive poses to restore the triceps before you get more physical. Using the BackMitra ® is a great way to start.

Cakravakasana (Cat/Cow): A great warm up for any practice from gentle to advanced is Cakravakasana, also known as Cat/Cow or Not Cat/Cow. These two poses done with breath not only warm up the spine, but also the hips. Through out our practice our hips are either in the lift from Cow or slightly tucked as in Cat. By rotating the arms internally so the inner elbows face one another helps to bring a little more of the pose to our triceps and out of the shoulders so we also achieve better arm alignment.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog): One of the most recognized yoga poses is so popular for a reason; it works so many muscles in the body and is very beneficial. By pressing the palms and fingers into the ground, the muscles in the back of the arm works to help stabilize the body as the hips move back and upward at an angle.

Plank Pose: Whether you do plank on or off the knees, your arms equally support your body in this pose. Like in Adho Mukha Svanasana, the press through the palms into the floor help really engage the triceps, however, in this pose you create what is called an isometric stretch, meaning the resistance of the floor as you press those palms down, engages both the triceps and biceps.

Utkatasana (Chair Pose or Strong Pose): Yes, this is primarily a pose for work in the legs, but because we really feel that leg and abdominal work here, we forget that we do engage our arms when we lift them next to our ears extending them up and at an angle.

Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose): Just like Utkatasana, we feel this pose mainly in the legs, but that extended arm next to the ear really stretches the back of the arm, especially because of the rotation of the arm so the palm faces the floor.

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose): This is where that total relaxation and added mobility in the arms could be used. Gomukhasana really stretches the back of the arm with both the raised arm and the one rotating to the back. The clasping of the fingers also adds an element of stretch to the triceps in the pose.

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward- Facing Dog): In both these poses the relaxation of the legs and glutes helps the arms really work. However, note that you still need to work the abdominal muscles.

Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose): Like Plank, this pose can be modified by taking the knees to the floor, as well. However, the body is really supported by the arms here and is one of the best poses to help build the triceps, especially when you hold the pose.

Dolphin Pose and Dolphin Plank: Like Plank, these bent elbow versions of Adho Mukha Svanasana and Plank, engage the triceps with the isometric stretch mentioned earlier.