When you train in a gym or fitness center, life is simple… Well, compared to those who train at home, that is. Most gyms have an abundance of machines and free weights that allow you to train every part of your body and do triceps exercises.
However, I often receive questions from athletes who train in the basement, a bedroom, or in the garden, and therefore do not have access to all those modern machines that the average gym offers. Most athletes who train at home have little more than a fitness bench and some free weights. Of course, there are ways to expand your options, but that’s a whole different story.
Training Triceps with Dumbbells
In this article, I want to provide those people, and those who train in a gym of course, with some effective dumbbell exercises that allow you to fully train your triceps without needing expensive machines or cable stations.
So, what do you need to have a good triceps workout? Well, all you need is a set of – adjustable – dumbbells and a bench. If you’re training at home, adjustable dumbbells – where you choose the weight yourself – are the best option, as you can quickly change the weight when needed. In a gym, you have a whole series of dumbbells of different weights at your disposal.
Make sure your bench is sturdy, so you can lie on it with heavy weights without worrying that the whole thing will collapse (believe me, it happens! Just watch America’s Funniest Home Videos!).
Why Dumbbells for Triceps?
Your triceps extend your arm, which means you always have to extend your arms to train your triceps. Every triceps exercise focuses on extending your arms, whether you’re doing dips or cable pushdowns, the exercise revolves around extending your arms against resistance. You can think of your triceps exercises as throwing a ball with each repetition.
Since the triceps consist of three separate heads, each moving slightly differently, you need a training system that trains all three heads.
Dumbbells allow you to easily adjust the position of your hands during an exercise. A barbell is great for building mass, but it restricts your freedom of movement. When you want to use a wider or narrower range of motion during a repetition, dumbbells allow that. Dumbbells are perfect for targeting a specific part of a muscle, simply by emphasizing that part during the movement.
Dumbbells are ideal for triceps work; they give you the freedom to move your arms as you want. The downside of dumbbell triceps exercises is that dumbbells are less easy to handle, and the exercises are harder to learn than exercises with a cable or barbell. When one arm is weaker than the other, this becomes evident in dumbbell exercises. The stronger arm cannot assist the weaker arm, meaning you have to forget your ego and use lighter weights, especially in the beginning.
The Best Dumbbell Exercises for Triceps
So what are the best dumbbell exercises for the triceps? Well, that’s always a matter of personal preference, but I’ll give you my top picks:
Lying Dumbbell Extensions
This exercise seems so simple, but looks can be deceiving! This one’s a killer! In my opinion, it belongs in the same category as close grip bench presses and barbell extensions.
The execution is simple:
- Grab two dumbbells and lie on your back on a bench
- Extend your arms and have your palms facing each other
- Point your elbows upward and slowly lower your hands down beside your head
- Gently extend your arms back to the starting position
As I mentioned, this seems simple, but it’s harder than it looks. Keeping both hands at the same level, especially as your triceps tire, becomes increasingly difficult, making it hard to perform the exercise perfectly.
Seated Dumbbell Extensions
You can do this triceps exercise with two dumbbells, like the previous exercise, but I prefer using one heavy dumbbell. This allows you to use more weight, bringing more mass to your triceps. Bodybuilders with well-developed lateral heads (the muscle heads on the side of the arm) often say this exercise has greatly helped them.
To prevent lower back problems, it’s recommended to use a bench with a low backrest for seated dumbbell extensions. A high backrest significantly shortens the range of motion for this exercise. Most benches, however, don’t have a low backrest, so you’ll have to experiment a bit. In a gym, you can use a preacher bench (biceps bench) by sitting with your back against the armrest.
- Sit down and make sure you’re seated firmly
- Now, bring the dumbbell up – if you’re using an adjustable dumbbell, make sure the lock is securely fastened – and hold it with both hands on one side of the dumbbell (grab the weight on that one side)
- Ensure your arms are straight up
- Now, lower the dumbbell behind your head while keeping your elbows pointing straight up
- Extend your arms back to the starting position
Make sure your elbows don’t move too much, and watch out that the weight doesn’t smack against the back of your skull!
The next exercise is a variation of the Seated Dumbbell Extension:
One-Arm Seated Dumbbell Extensions
This is also a perfect triceps exercise. You see this one done a lot in the gym, but usually poorly executed and with too much weight. Proper execution is important for this exercise. You need to find the right range of motion. Don’t worry about the weight you’re using, just make sure the movement is perfect.
The hardest part of this triceps exercise is keeping your elbow straight up so it doesn’t swing all over the place. If you’re not yet strong and flexible enough in your triceps, there’s a simple solution to this problem: use your other hand to press your upper arm against the side of your head!
The last exercise is often seen as a ‘girly’ exercise, but just like that other ‘fitness’ exercise, lunges, it’s not as easy as you might think:
Double Triceps Kickbacks
I know, you don’t want others to see you doing this exercise… well, give it a try! It’s a fantastic isolation exercise for your triceps, and it gives you separation and mass in your triceps.
You mainly see this exercise done with one arm at a time, with one leg resting on a bench. That’s a very good exercise, but I’d like to introduce the triceps terminator: double-arm triceps kickbacks!
- Take two light dumbbells (trust me) in your hands and hold them next to your body with your palms facing your legs
- Bend forward until your upper body is almost parallel to the ground
- Bring your elbows up so they’re parallel to the floor and pointing straight back
- Now, extend both arms while keeping your elbows stationary
- Gently bring the weights back to the starting position
This exercise is really nice as a final exercise in your triceps workout. If you want to further increase the intensity, use sevens to burn a hole in your triceps!
Have fun and let us know if you’re making progress in your triceps with these exercises!
