The Best Way to Do the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Instructions

  1. Sit up straight on a flat bench or with your back pressed against an upright bench with a low backrest. Grip one end of a dumbbell using both palms and lift it overhead so that your arms are straight.
  2. While keeping your upper arms pointing straight up and down, lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending your elbows.
  3. Push the dumbbell toward the ceiling by straightening your elbows and return to the starting position.

Expert Tips

  • Let the weight travel as far behind your head as you comfortably can, and try to keep your upper arms mostly still during the exercise. This ensures the exercise optimally targets the long head of your triceps, which is the main reason for doing it.
  • Keep your torso as still as possible. If you find yourself leaning forward or backward to finish your reps, use a lighter weight.
  • Maneuver your palms so that they’re flat against the end of the dumbbell and facing toward the ceiling. Try different hand positions until you find what’s most comfortable for you.
  • Use the maximum range of motion you can—many people cut their reps short at top and bottom.

Workout Programming

The most common way to program the dumbbell overhead triceps extension is toward the end of a push workout, chest day, or upper-body session after your compound pressing.

Or, if you’re specifically trying to develop your triceps, it can also make sense to program it as one of the first exercises in your workout.

A good default for this exercise is 3 sets of 8–10 reps, taking each set 1–2 reps shy of failure and resting 1–2 minutes between sets. Failure is the point where you can’t move the weight with good form despite giving your maximum effort.

Mike’s Take

The dumbbell overhead triceps extension is an effective triceps isolation exercise, especially for targeting the long head of your triceps. It’s safe and easy to learn, allows you to add weight in small increments, and allows you to train the triceps through a long range of motion. And since you only need a dumbbell, you can do it in basically any gym in the world.

This is why I include it in both of my fitness programs for men and women, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger.

Like any exercise, though, it has pros and cons.

First the pros:

  • It effectively isolates your triceps, and generally isn’t limited by the strength of other supporting muscle groups.
  • Because it positions your elbows above your head, it’s a particularly useful exercise for emphasizing the long head of your triceps.
  • It allows you to add weight in small increments, which makes progressive overload more practical.
  • It’s safe and easy to learn, and you can do it in most any gym that has dumbbells.

Now the cons:

  • As you get stronger, getting the dumbbell into position and maintaining a firm grip on it throughout a heavy set can become very awkward. The dumbbell can start to slip out of your palms, forcing you to re-adjust midset, and it can irritate your wrists.
  • To keep your torso stable, you have to work hard to brace your back and core, which becomes increasingly difficult and distracting with heavier weights.
  • Because of this, it can become impractical and even unsafe to take this exercise close or all of the way to failure.
  • If your gym’s dumbbells only go up in large increments (generally 5-to-10 pounds), or the heaviest ones top out at a weight that’s no longer challenging for you, progressive overload becomes impractical or even impossible.
  • It often has a very inconsistent resistance curve. That is, it can feel much harder at the bottom of each rep and significantly easier at the top of each rep.

In the balance, I typically favor the cable overhead triceps extension. It gives you all of the benefits of the dumbbell overhead triceps extension with none of the downsides.

That said, it’s still a great exercise, especially when you’re relatively new to weightlifting and aren’t using very heavy dumbbells.

Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension Alternatives

  • Cable Overhead Triceps Extension. This is the same movement pattern, but it’s easier to get into position and perform, has a smoother resistance curve, and is generally more comfortable for your wrists.
  • Lying EZ-Bar Skullover. This looks like a very different exercise, but it trains the same muscles in a similar range of motion, and is generally more stable, comfortable, and easier to overload.
  • Seated French Press. The same basic overhead extension performed with an EZ-bar, which lets you add weight in smaller increments than most dumbbells. Still awkward to get into the proper position, though.
  • Single-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension. This works the same way, but you train one arm at a time instead of both simultaneously.

3 Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension Workouts

Here are three sample workouts incorporating the dumbbell overhead triceps extension.

Arm Workout with the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest
Incline Dumbbell Curl: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest
Seated Dip Machine: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 1–2 min rest
Machine Biceps Curl: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 1–2 min rest

Alternate between the exercises in each pair: do a set of dumbbell overhead triceps extensions, rest 1–2 minutes, do a set of incline dumbbell curls, rest 1–2 minutes, and repeat until you’ve done three sets of each. Then alternate between the seated dip machine and machine biceps curl in the same manner.

I don’t typically recommend dedicating an entire day just to training your arms, but if you prefer to train this way, this workout is a time-efficient and effective way to do it.

Push Workout with the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Cable Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest

Upper Body Workout with the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
Chest-Supported Machine Row: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Lat Pulldown: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest
Dumbbell Curl: 3 sets | 8–12 reps | 1–2 min rest

To progress these workouts, use double progression: use a weight that allows you to work within the given rep range, take each set 1–2 reps shy of failure, and once you hit the top of the range for your first set, add weight.

Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps anatomy showing the long, lateral, and medial heads

Triceps anatomy image

The dumbbell overhead triceps extension primarily trains the long, lateral, and medial heads of your triceps (triceps brachii), which straighten your elbows (elbow extension).

Your delts (deltoids) and rotator cuff help hold your upper arms in place, while your traps and upper-back muscles stabilize your shoulder blades. Your forearms help you keep a firm grip on the dumbbell, and your abs and lower-back muscles keep your torso stable.

More Triceps Exercises

The post The Best Way to Do the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension appeared first on Legion Athletics.

https://ift.tt/FLtcphH October 23, 2026 at 06:00PM Legion Athletics

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