Training your triceps is essential for building bigger, stronger arms. Your triceps comprise most of your upper arm mass, so focusing on this crucial three-headed muscle is key if arm development is your goal. With just a pair of dumbbells, you can perform a variety of exercises that hit each head of the triceps for well-rounded strength, size, and definition. Whether you train at home or in the gym, these dumbbell triceps exercises can help you build serious upper-body power with minimal equipment.
Understanding the Triceps Muscle Structure
The triceps are a large group of muscles that run along the back and side of your upper arm. They extend the elbow joint and work antagonistically to the biceps, relaxing when the biceps contract and vice versa.
Triceps are made of three heads. The long head starts from the scapula (shoulder), the lateral head begins at the upper part of the humerus (upper arm bone), and the medial head starts from the lower part of the humerus. All three heads converge at the elbow.
The Importance of Hitting All Three Heads of the Triceps
Just like with all your other muscles, for optimal triceps development, it's crucial to use a variety of tricep exercises that target all three heads. If you overemphasize the long head and overlook the medial and lateral heads, the muscles will become imbalanced, hindering overall muscle development. Targeting all three heads will ensure maximum strength and muscle growth, improving performance and overall appearance.
Exercises like close-grip presses and overhead tricep extensions engage the triceps' long, lateral, and medial heads. Using those exercises in conjunction with other triceps exercises will ensure balanced development.
7 Effective Dumbbell Exercises for Triceps
Close-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
What It Does
The close-grip dumbbell bench press primarily targets the lateral and medial heads of the triceps while also engaging the long head, chest, and front deltoids. The narrow grip with elbows tucked close to your body shifts the focus to target your lateral and medial heads compared to a standard bench press.
How to Do It
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Lay flat on a bench, pushing your feet into the floor.
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Keep your elbows close to your body and press a pair of dumbbells into the air.
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When your arms are fully extended, squeeze your triceps.
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Slowly lower the dumbbells until they touch your chest, keeping your upper arms close to your body.
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Pause briefly before quickly pressing back up again.
Lying Tricep Extension
What It Does
The lying tricep extension exercise targets the triceps, specifically the long head, but also engages the medial and lateral heads, deltoids, and lats. For even greater gains, you can do this exercise using a resistance machine like the Speediance Gym Monster 2.
How to Do It
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Lie flat on a bench or the floor with a pair of dumbbells raised above your head with your arms straight.
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Bend your arms at the elbows, slowly lowering the dumbbells towards your head while keeping your upper arms locked.
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Stop just before the dumbbells touch the floor or bench.
Floor Dip Into Close-Grip Dumbbell Pushup
What It Does
The floor dip into close-grip dumbbell pushup primarily targets the triceps, but also the chest and deltoids. It targets the medial and lateral heads using the close-grip push-up, while the dip helps work the long head of the triceps.
How to Do It
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Get down on the floor and into the floor dip position, gripping your dumbbells, and place them just behind your body.
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Your feet should be hip-width apart in front of your body, and your legs should be parallel to the ground with your knees slightly bent.
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Now, lift your butt off the ground and do your dips by lowering your body toward the ground.
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After 10 reps, walk your feet back behind you into push-up position.
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Holding the dumbbells still, do 10 reps of close-grip pushups.
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Alternate between floor dips and close-grip pushups, keeping your core tight throughout.
Single Dumbbell French Press
What It Does
This routine targets all three heads of the triceps for a comprehensive workout that develops the arms. While it primarily targets the long head, it also engages the lateral and medial heads, ensuring balanced muscle growth, enhanced stability, and core engagement.
How to Do It
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Stand or sit with your back straight.
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Hold a single dumbbell with both hands directly above your head.
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Place your hands so your palms are facing upward, and your arms should be fully extended.
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Bend your elbows, keeping your upper arms stationary, and slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head. Do not rush the motion.
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Stop when your forearms are parallel to the ground.
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Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position in a controlled motion.
Overhead Single Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension
What It Does
The overhead single-arm dumbbell tricep extension primarily targets the long head of the triceps, helping build strength and size while also engaging the lateral and medial heads. Since you do one arm at a time, you can target any imbalances in your muscle development while enhancing coordination and balance.
How to Do It
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Sit on a bench or stand upright with one leg forward.
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Grasp a single dumbbell with one hand and raise it directly above your head.
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Your palm should be facing in toward your body, and your arm should be fully extended.
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Slowly bend at the elbow while lowering the dumbbell behind your head, keeping your upper arm stationary. Avoid swinging the weight or using momentum, which can lead to injuries.
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Hold for a second or two when your forearm is parallel to the ground.
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Slowly extend your arm as you move the dumbbell back to the starting position.
Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdown
What It Does
The reverse-grip tricep pushdown is an excellent cable resistance exercise that keeps tension on the triceps throughout the full range of motion for even faster gains.
This lateral head tricep exercise expertly targets the long and medial heads and is a great way to shake up your routine.
How to Do It
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Attach a high pulley and straight or angled bar to your cable machine.
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Stand tall facing the machine.
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Grip the bar with hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing upwards, and tighten your elbows to your sides.
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Push the bar down by extending your arms until they are fully straight.
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Squeeze at the bottom, then pause at full extension for 1-2 seconds to deepen that lateral head engagement.
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Return slowly in a controlled motion to the starting position.
Cross Face Triceps Extension
What It Does
This exercise is an isolation exercise that effectively targets the triceps with minimal involvement of other muscles. It also targets all three heads of the triceps, making it an ideal exercise for the triceps.
How to Do It
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Lie flat on your back on a bench or the floor.
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Hold a single light dumbbell above your chest with your arm straight.
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Hinge at your elbow, keeping your upper arm in place.
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Slowly lower the dumbbell at a slight angle so your upper arm crosses over your face.
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Continue until you feel a stretch in your tricep. The dumbbell should almost touch the ground on the opposite side of your head.
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Quickly press the dumbbell back up into the starting position.
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Repeat for 12-15 reps before switching to the other side.
What Are the Advantages of Dumbbell Triceps Training?
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Triceps make up about two-thirds of your total arm size, so developing your triceps will produce bigger arms and a more balanced physique.
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It helps build overall strength and power.
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It improves your range of motion.
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Increased tricep strength also improves pressing movements like bench presses, push-ups, and overhead lifts, allowing you to achieve more gains in other muscle groups.
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They allow you to target muscle imbalances by focusing on one arm at a time.
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They are an easy exercise that can be done at home or on the road, using minimal equipment.
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There are multiple variations you can do with just one piece of equipment.
Tips for Effective Dumbbell Triceps Training
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Progressive overload is essential for stimulating muscle growth. Start light, focus on form, and gradually increase the weights, reps, or sets to continue building muscles.
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Maintain proper form throughout your movements to maximize triceps engagement while preventing injuries.
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Focus on controlled movements. Never rush a movement, focus on the full range of motion, and always maintain control throughout the entire motion, ensuring your arms don't simply drop at the end.
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Avoid swinging the dumbbells and using the momentum of the weights for lifting, as this can cause injury.
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Concentrate on contracting your muscles during your exercises. Having a strong mind-muscle connection ensures your muscles are fully engaged, enhancing gains.
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Incorporate variety into your triceps workout to ensure balanced muscle growth and prevent overemphasizing one or two heads. Focusing on just one muscle or head creates imbalances that will hinder your overall muscle development. Try doing different exercises, but also vary your grips, angles, or rep ranges and rest periods for more variety.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Most Effective Triceps Exercise With Dumbbells?
The most effective dumbbell triceps exercise is to use a variety of exercises that target all three heads of the triceps to ensure balanced gains. The lying dumbbell triceps extension and overhead dumbbell extensions are proven winners for helping build triceps mass and strength.
How Do I Hit All Three Triceps Heads?
While exercises like the single dumbbell French press and the floor dip into close-grip pushup target all three heads of the triceps, the most effective way to hit all three heads is by using a variety of exercises to ensure balanced gains.
Effective Exercises Shape Stronger Arms
Strong, sculpted arms are more than just building biceps; smart triceps training is crucial. Dumbbells make it easy to build strength and mass in all three heads of the triceps, and you can do these at home or on the go with minimal equipment. With exercises like the lying triceps extension, single dumbbell French press, and overhead extensions, you can target each head of the muscle to maximize your gains and avoid imbalances. The key is consistency, variety, and progressive overload. And when you’re ready to take your triceps training to the next level, smart tools like the Speediance Gym Monster 2 can add customized resistance and guided routines to help you train more efficiently.
