Dumbbell Incline Triceps Extension

Active muscles:

• Triceps
• Shoulders (stabilizing)

As the name suggests, the primary movement is extending the arms (extension). Performing the exercise with dumbbells allows greater freedom in hand position than the barbell variation. This version is also safer because the weights are lowered beside the head. The incline bench creates greater shoulder flexion, with the upper arms positioned more toward the head than in the flat-bench variation. This in turn creates a greater stretch on the long head of the triceps.

Execution:

1. Sit on an incline bench with the selected dumbbells placed on your knees.
2. Press the dumbbells straight up, as in the dumbbell chest press.
3. Bend your arms by moving the dumbbells in a controlled manner backward and downward until they are approximately beside your ears. Keep your upper arms in the same position.
4. Raise the dumbbells again by extending your arms. Avoid bringing your upper arms forward during this movement.

Safety:

1. This exercise is considerably more demanding than the dumbbell chest press and shoulder press, so use a relatively light weight.
2. Keep your hands wide enough apart. The dumbbells extend beyond your hands and can therefore hit your head sooner than expected, especially if you are accustomed to the barbell variation.

Possible alternatives:

• Barbell lying triceps extensions ('skull crushers')
• Dumbbell lying triceps extensions (flat bench)
• Cable forward triceps extensions with ropes
• Cable overhead triceps extensions with ropes