The 3 best dumbbell triceps exercises

Do you know how important it is to work your triceps?

The triceps brachii is a muscle located in the arm, specifically on its lateral and posterior side, where it accounts for 60% of the arm's volume. This muscle is divided into three muscle bellies known as the medial, long, and lateral heads. In this post, we will show you some of the best dumbbell triceps exercises.

It originates in the scapula and humerus and inserts into the olecranon of the ulna, forming three muscle bellies known as the long, lateral, and medial heads.

It performs very important functions, such as extending your shoulder and/or elbow. Movements such as getting up from the floor, pushing an object, or lifting it overhead require sufficient triceps strength to perform them successfully and safely.

That is why it is very important to emphasize that triceps training not only serves an aesthetic purpose, helping your arms look strong and defined, but can also have a functional purpose, as we mentioned earlier, by helping you perform everyday activities.

What can I use to train my triceps?

• Dumbbells: Training your triceps with dumbbells is a very good alternative if you want to gain strength or muscle mass in your triceps, since this equipment allows you to create progressive overload in certain exercises; in other words, your potential for progress is greatly extended because you can gradually add more weight. 

Therefore, in this article I will show you the best dumbbell exercises for your triceps, whether you are a beginner or advanced. 

• Body weight: If you do not have any equipment, you can always use your body weight. These cases present a certain challenge, since the exercise selection is somewhat more limited or tedious when it comes to isolating only the triceps compared with other muscle groups.
• Cable machines and resistance bands: Finally, we have these two pieces of equipment, which are also very interesting: on the one hand, they allow you to include a wide variety of exercises, and on the other, they allow you to progress with them over time.

Below, we will divide the dumbbell triceps exercises according to the goal, focus, and level of the person performing them. We will also explain how to perform them safely and effectively.

Overhead dumbbell triceps extension

Focus: Long head of the triceps

Goal: Build triceps muscle mass and strength

Level: Beginner

Why include it in your routine?

The overhead dumbbell triceps extension is in the Top 3 dumbbell triceps exercises. Since it not only contributes to stronger, more defined arms but also transfers to overhead pressing.

Tips for safe and effective execution

Starting position

Perform it seated for greater stability, allowing you to safely add more weight and/or repetitions over the weeks. 

Sit on a flat bench without a backrest behind you so it does not interfere with lowering the dumbbell behind your back. Hold one dumbbell with both hands above your head, with your elbows fully extended and pointing toward the ceiling.

Movement

Lower the dumbbells behind your head by bending your elbows without moving your arms (the humerus must remain fixed), then extend them back to the starting position.

Breathing should be steady: inhale as you lower and exhale as you extend your arms

Common mistakes

• Moving your arms instead of keeping them fixed
• Excessively flexing your neck forward 
• Choosing a weight you cannot control, causing the dumbbells to move far backward away from the vertical axis, and/or using a very short range of elbow motion

Extra tip: Since this is an interesting exercise to start with a somewhat lighter load and gradually increase, here are some dumbbells from the website that progress from lighter to heavier loads and are highly worthwhile.

Lying dumbbell French press

Focus: Medial and long heads of the triceps

Goal: Hypertrophy

Level: Medium 

Why include it in your routine?

The lying dumbbell French press is one of the basic exercises for developing triceps strength and muscle mass. It is particularly interesting compared with the previous exercise because it allows you to work each arm independently, preventing an imbalance in strength between the two arms.

When performing it lying in horizontal position we are reducing the load on other muscle groups, such as the neck muscles, abdominals, or the intrinsic structures of the shoulder that have to stabilize it.

This exercise can be a regression of the previous one because it is even more stable, although it can also become much more demanding since it allows you to use considerably more weight than the previous exercise.

Tips for safe and effective execution

Starting position

Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, elbows extended, and arms pointing toward the ceiling, perpendicular to each arm. Use a neutral dumbbell grip.

Movement

Slowly bend your elbows, bringing the dumbbells toward your ears while ensuring that the humerus remains fixed at all times or with very slight shoulder flexion backward (no more than 20–30º).

Once you reach maximum elbow flexion, extend them back to the starting position.

Common mistakes

• You may think that lowering beyond 90º of elbow flexion is harmful, but the reality is that as long as you have no pain or other issues, using a greater range of motion will always provide a greater stimulus for triceps development.
• Avoid letting your elbows flare out to the sides or the dumbbell losing perpendicular alignment with your shoulder.

Extra tip: 

Unlike the previous exercise, in this exercise we can move heavier loads because you are lying down, which is why using heavier dumbbells may be of interest to you, like the ones we have on our website.

Dumbbell JM press 

Focus: All triceps heads

Goal: Strength / hypertrophy

Level: Advanced

Why include it in your routine?

This is a substitute for any dumbbell close-grip or neutral-grip press variations, which have traditionally been recommended for triceps development. Even so, the latter are not the best options for triceps development for several reasons:

• To properly stimulate the triceps, there must be a wide range of elbow flexion.
• A conventional press will generally place greater demands on the pectoralis or anterior deltoid, making these the primary limiting factors.
• Changing the forearm position (neutral, supinated, or pronated) does not change triceps muscle activation (Akima et al., 2002) & (Lehman, 2005); therefore, performing a neutral press does not necessarily lead to greater triceps development if the elbow flexion is the same.

Tips for safe and effective execution

Starting position

The starting position will be exactly the same as for the lying dumbbell French press; the grip can remain neutral if that is more comfortable for you, or be slightly pronated.

Movement

Unlike the dumbbell French press, in which the dumbbells are brought behind the head, even producing slight shoulder flexion. 

In the JM press, we aim to perform maximum elbow flexion, bringing the dumbbells toward the chin and keeping the arms close to the torso as we lower them. 

It is not technically a dumbbell press because the elbows remain close to the torso without crossing its midline. In addition, the goal of this exercise is to lengthen the triceps musculature as much as possible. 

Common mistakes

• Flaring the elbows when performing a dumbbell chest press
• Failing to properly dissociate the movement of the elbow and shoulder when performing a French press
• Using a load that is too heavy and causes elbow discomfort

Conclusions

To choose the best dumbbell triceps exercises, it is important to first assess your level. If you have been training for a short time, try progressing for a few weeks with the beginner exercise, then gradually move on to the intermediate and advanced exercises.

In addition to these exercises, it is always important to consider the training dose you are giving your triceps, that is, how many weekly sets you perform and the intensity you apply in each set.

If discomfort arises, it is important for a qualified professional to assess your case and advise you appropriately. 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES:

1. Akima, H., Maeda, H., Koike, T., & Ishida, K. (2002). Effect of elbow joint angles on electromyographic activity versus force relationships of synergistic muscles of the triceps brachii. Muscle & Nerve, 25(6), 891–898. https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.10124
2. Lehman, G. J. (2005). The influence of grip width and forearm pronation/supination on upper-body myoelectric activity during the flat bench press. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(3), 587–591. https://doi.org/10.1519/1533-4287(2005)19[587:TIOGWA]2.0.CO;2