Month: October 2024

While machines and barbells have their appeal, there’s no denying the benefits of training with dumbbells. For one, it helps identify imbalances so you can strengthen weaknesses. That goes for any body part, like dumbbell back exercises, but even more so for unilateral (single-sided) work like you’ll do during dumbbell triceps exercises.

Contrary to what folks who spend all their time at the curl station will tell you, the triceps—not the biceps—are primarily responsible for adding size to your arms. And you don’t have to spend five days a week benching to get the coveted horseshoe shape either. A straightforward triceps workout with dumbbells, like the one below, is a simple yet effective way to get bigger arms. 

Our list of dumbbell triceps exercises targets all of the triceps heads with movements you’re probably already familiar with. Some, like the Tate press, can improve your lockout on bench presses, while the underhand kickback provides some extra grip and forearm training.

Muscles Worked in a Dumbbell Triceps Workout

The triceps are a large muscle in the back of the upper arm responsible for the horseshoe shape you often see on the arms of bodybuilders. While massive tris are aesthetically pleasing, they also have a functional purpose—they’re in charge of straightening your arm and extending the elbow joint. The triceps complex is made up of three different heads: lateral, long, and medial.

• Lateral: Located on the outside of your arm, the lateral head is considered the strongest of the three triceps heads. It’s responsible for straightening your arm at the elbow and contributes to the muscular look of your upper arm.
• Long: The long head is the largest of the triceps heads. It helps with straightening your arm at the elbow joint and plays a key part in your shoulder’s ability to extend.
• Medial: Below the long head and above the elbow sits the medial head. The smallest of the three heads, the medial is crucial for both strength and stability in your arm.

Related: 50 Best Chest Exercises for 2024

Best Triceps Workout With Dumbbells

Directions

Perform the exercise pairs (marked “A” and “B”) as supersets. You’ll do a set of A, then a set of B before resting. Repeat for all the prescribed sets. Exercises 3 and 5 are done with conventional straight sets.

1A. Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Press

How to Do It

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie back on a bench, to start. 
2. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level with palms facing each other. 
3. Press them over your chest and return back to the starting position.
4. That’s 1 rep.  
5. Perform 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps.  

1B. Lying Triceps Extension

How to Do It

1. From the end position of your last rep of the neutral-grip press, allow your arms to drift back until the weights are over your face. 
2. Keeping your upper arms at that angle, bend your elbows and lower the weights behind your head. 
3. Extend your elbows, keeping the same angle with your upper arms. 
4. That’s 1 rep. 
5. Complete 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, resting 120 seconds between sets. 

2A. Tate Pres

How to Do It

1. Lie back on a bench or surface with dumbbells in each hand, arms extended over your chest, and palms facing your feet, to start. 
2. Point your elbows outward and bend them to lower the weights almost to your chest, so they make L shapes. 
3. Extend your elbows. 
4. That’s 1 rep. 
5. Perform 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps. 

2B. Underhand Kickback 

How to Do It

1. To start, stand holding a dumbbell in each hand and bend your hips back, lowering your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor. 
2. Turn your palms to face in front of you and, keeping your upper arms against your sides, extend your elbows until your arms are parallel to your torso.
3. That’s 1 rep. 
4. Complete 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, resting 120 seconds between sets. 

3. One-Arm Overhead Extension

How to Do It

1. Hold one dumbbell and raise your arm behind your head with your elbow bent, to start. 
2. Extend your elbow to point your arm straight overhead. 
3. Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps on each side, resting 120 seconds between each set. 

4A. Incline Triceps Extension 

How to Do It 

1. Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree incline and lie back against it with a dumbbell in each hand, to start. 
2. Press the weights over your head and let your arms drift back so they point at an angle and you feel a stretch on your triceps. 
3. Bend your elbows and lower the weights behind your head. 
4. Now extend your elbows. 
5. That’s 1 rep. 
6. Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps. 

4B. Close-Grip Bench Press

How to Do It

1. Lie back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, to start. 
2. Press the dumbbells into each other as hard as you can, as if you were crushing something in between them. 
3. Keep the tension as you lift the weights over your chest before bringing them back down to the starting position. 
4. That’s 1 rep.
5. Complete 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. 

5. Dumbbell Pullover 

How to Do It

1. Lie back on a bench holding a dumbbell with both hands over your chest, to start. 
2. Brace your abs and pull your rib cage down. 
3. Extend your arms behind your head until you feel a stretch in your lats, and then pull the weight back over your face. 
4. That’s 1 rep. 
5. Perform 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps. 

Can I Build My Triceps With Just Dumbbells? 

Yes, dumbbells are versatile tools that can successfully target all three heads of the triceps. Unlike compound movements like bench presses, dumbbell tricep exercises can better target specific parts of the tricep muscle to create a more balanced look. Different movements can also be utilized to build out the different heads—Skull crushers for the long head, close-grip dumbbell presses for the lateral head, and so on. 

Related: 50 Best Leg Exercises for 2024