Dumbbell Tricep Overhead Extension

Muscles Worked

How to Perform

1. 1

   Position yourself for the exercise — lying, standing, or seated depending on the variation.

2. 2

   Hold the dumbbell(s) with your upper arm fixed in position. Only your forearm should move.

3. 3

   Extend your arm fully, squeezing your triceps at lockout. Focus on the contraction, not the weight.

4. 4

   Lower under a 2-3 second controlled eccentric. Keep your elbow pointing in the same direction throughout.

Common Mistakes

• Flaring the elbows out wide, which shifts the load off the triceps and onto the shoulders.

• Using momentum or swinging the upper arm. Keep the upper arm fixed and move only from the elbow.

• Not fully locking out the arm, which is where the triceps work hardest. Complete the range of motion.

Pro Tips

• Squeeze at full lockout for a full second. The triceps are strongest at full extension, so that is exactly where you should hold the contraction.

• Experiment with different grips — overhand, underhand, rope, and V-bar all hit slightly different heads of the triceps.

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