By Robin Roelofsen, GIANT!

When you work out in a gym or fitness center, life is easy… Well, compared to those of us who work out in a home gym, that is. Most gyms have a plethora of machines and free weights to enable you to work out

Well-developed Triceps

every part of your body.

However, I do get a lot of questions from athletes who work out in a basement, a bedroom or the backyard, and do not have access to all modern equipment your average gym has to offer. Most athletes working out at home have nothing more than a bench and some free weights. Of course, there are ways to expand your possibilities, but that’s a whole different story.

In this article, I want to give those people, and those that work out in a gym as well, some effective dumbbell exercises that enable you to work your triceps to the fullest, without having to use expensive machinery or cable contraptions.

So, what do you need for a great workout? Well, all you need is a set of – adjustable – dumbbells and a bench. When you work out in a home gym, adjustable dumbbells are the best option, since you can change the weight in a pinch when necessary. In a gym, you will have a whole range of dumbbells in various weights at your disposal.

Make sure the bench itself is sturdy, so you can lie on it holding a heavy weight without being afraid the whole thing collapses (believe me, these things happen! Just watch America’s Funniest Home Videos!).


Why Use Dumbbells

Triceps stretch you arms, what means you always have to stretch out your arms to work your triceps. Each and every triceps exercise is aimed towards stretching your arms, whether you perform dips or cable pushdowns, the whole point of the movement is stretching your arms against a resistance. You can think about triceps exercises as throwing away a ball with each repetition.

Since the triceps consists of three separate heads, each with a slightly different arc of movement, you need to have a training system that trains all three of the heads.

Dumbbells allow you to easily adjust the positioning of your hands during an exercise. A barbell is great for mass building, but it restricts your range of motion. If you want to use a wider or more narrow arc during a rep, dumbbells allow you to do that. Dumbbells are perfect to concentrate on specific parts of  a muscle, simply by emphasizing that part during the movement.

Dumbbells are ideal to work your triceps; they allow you the freedom to move your arms the way you want them to. The disadvantage of dumbbell exercises is that these are harder to control and master than cable or barbell exercises. When one arm is weaker than the other, this will become apparent during a dumbbell exercise. The stronger arm cannot assist the weaker arm, meaning you have to forget about your ego and use lighter weights, at least for the time being.

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The Best Dumbbell Triceps Exercises

So what are the very best dumbbell triceps exercises? Of course, that is always a personal matter, so I will give you my top picks:

Lying Dumbbell Extensions

This exercise seems oh so easy to do, but looks can be deceiving! This one is a killer! For me, it belongs in the same category as top triceps exercises like close grip bench presses and barbell extensions.

The execution is simple:

• Grab two dumbbells and lay on your back on a padded bench
• Stretch your arms and let your palms face each other
• Keep you elbows pointing upwards and slowly lower your hands to the sides of your head
• Slowly stretch your arms back to the starting position

Like I said, this looks easy, but it is more difficult than you might imagine. Especially keeping your hands on the same level is hard. When your triceps grow tired, the movement becomes increasingly difficult to perform perfectly.


Seated Dumbbell Extensions

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This exercise can be done with two dumbbells, just like the previous exercise, but I prefer the variant with one heavy dumbbell. This allows you to use more weight, creating more bulk in your triceps. Bodybuilders with well developed lateral heads (the heads on the side of the arm) often credit this exercise for their development.

To avoid lower back problems, it is best to execute seated triceps exercises on a bench with a low back rest. A high back rest severely limits the range of motion of the dumbbell. Most benches do not have a low back rest, so you will have to experiment a little. In a gym, you can use a preacher bench and sit with your back against the arm rest.

• Sit down and make sure your balance is correct
• Now bring up the dumbbell – if you use an adjustable dumbbell, ensure the weight is secure – and hold it with both hands on one side of the dumbbell (grab the plate on one side)
• Make sure your arms point straight up
• Lower the dumbbell behind your head while keeping your elbows point straight up
• Stretch you arms back to the starting

Make sure you do not allow your elbows to move too much, and watch out you do not bang the weight into the back of your skull!


The next exercise is basically a variant to the Seated Dumbbell Extension:

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One-Arm Seated Dumbbell Extensions

This one is also a killer! You see it done a lot at the gym, but mostly incorrectly and with too much weight. Perfect execution is key with this exercise. You need to find the right groove. Do not worry about the weight you are using, just make sure you perform the movement perfectly.

The difficult part with this exercise is keeping your elbow pointing straight up and to not allow it to move all over the place. When you’re not strong or flexible enough, there is a simple solution to this problem: use your other hand to hold your upper arm against the side of your head!



The final exercise is often seen as a ‘girlie’ exercise, but like that other ‘fitness’ exercise, lunges, this one is not as easy as it looks!

One-Arm Kickbacks

Double-Arm Kickbacks

Triceps Kickbacks

I know, you don’t want to be seen performing this exercise… well, think again! This is a great triceps isolation exercise, and bring you separation and mass to your triceps.

Mostly you see this exercise perform one arm at a time, with one leg resting on a bench. While that is a very good exercise, I want to introduce the triceps terminator: double-arm triceps kickbacks!

• Grab two light dumbbells (trust me) and keep these at your side with your palms facing your legs
• Bend over until your upper body is almost parallel to the floor
• Bring up your elbows so they are perpendicular to the floor and pointing straight back
• Now simultaneously stretch your arm while keeping your elbows motionless
• Lower the weights slowly back to the starting position

This exercise is great as the last exercise In your routine. If you want to up the intensity even more, use sevens on this exercise to burn a hole in your triceps!

Have fun and share your progress using these exercises with us!


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