7 Dumbbell Triceps Workouts to Build Up Your Arms

What’s not to love about having strong triceps?

Lifting stuff, holding stuff, carrying stuff, pushing stuff—your triceps contribute to everyday functional movements such as these and more. They also assist sport-specific movements, which will help you both in the weightroom and on the playing field.

Beyond the functional benefits, many fitness enthusiasts seek the best triceps workouts for aesthetic purposes. A meaty horseshoe tricep is an essential for competitive bodybuilders, but some folks just want to look and feel their best when they go without sleeves.

Whatever your personal reasons for training your triceps, you’ll need a comprehensive plan to target and build them, and these dumbbell triceps workouts are just the thing.

Check it out!

Triceps Anatomy

The triceps brachii¹ is a muscle that stretches the length of the back of the arm between the shoulder and elbow joints. Primarily, your triceps enable elbow extension and help keep your  elbow joint stabilized when performing smaller hand movements like writing or typing.

Although it’s only one muscle, the triceps brachii consists of three heads:

• The long head, located on the inside of your arm
• The lateral head, located on the outside of your arm
• The medial head, sitting dead center

You’ll want to vary the types of triceps exercises you use if you want equal activation across all three heads, but how do you know which head you’re hitting when you work out?

According to a 2018 study published in Acta Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica², it mostly depends on what your shoulder joint is doing. 

Results showed that “At 0-degree shoulder elevation, the long head of the triceps brachii generates a significantly higher muscle force and muscle activation than the lateral and medial heads,” while the medial head of the triceps ran the show “at 90 degrees, 135 degrees,  and 180-degree shoulder elevation.”

In case you’re wondering, zero degrees means your arm is at your side with your fingers pointing to the floor, while 180 degrees refers to your arm raised directly overhead.

Best Dumbbell Triceps Exercises

So, are you ready to start targeting your triceps to get those gains?

Grab yourself a pair of the best dumbbells and let’s get to work!

Overhead Standing Triceps Extension

Why it’s great: The standing dumbbell overhead triceps extension isolates the triceps, inspiring arm muscle growth. You can also perform this exercise with a single arm to correct imbalances.

How to do it: 

1. Stand with your feet approximately hip-width apart, grab a dumbbell, and hoist it directly overhead. You may choose to do one arm at a time or both by holding the dumbbell with both hands at one end.
2. With your back straight, core tight, and knees slightly bent, slowly lower the weight behind your head by bending your elbows. Your upper arms should be in a vertical position and remain perfectly still throughout the range of motion.
3. Pause at the end, then push the dumbbell back over head by reversing the motion.
4. Repeat as needed.

Overhead Seated Triceps Extension

Why it’s great: While the triceps extension is considered an isolation exercise, performing it standing requires you to use your lower body and core to stabilize your body as you lift. Sitting down eliminates that, keeping the focus where it should be—on your triceps!

How to do it: 

1. Sit at the end of a bench with a single dumbbell held overhead with your arm (or arms) fully extended. Again, you may perform the exercise with a single arm or both simultaneously.
2. Bend your elbows to lower the weight behind your head.
3. Return the dumbbell to the overhead position by reversing the motion.
4. Repeat as needed.

Bent-Over Dumbbell Triceps Extension (Triceps Kickback)

Why it’s great: Dumbbell kickbacks feel difficult, even at lighter weights, because the working arm is held away from the body. It’s challenging, but the movement really isolates the triceps muscles, making it well worth the struggle.

How to do it: 

1. Grab two dumbbells and hold them at your side with your elbows forming 90-degree angles. Lean your torso forward, maintaining a flat back, until your chest is nearly parallel with the floor.
2. Extend your elbows fully, squeezing the triceps muscles in the end position.
3. Bring the dumbbells back by reversing the movement.
4. Repeat as needed.

Dumbbell Pullovers

Why it’s great: Dumbbell pullovers make a great addition to a triceps-focused workout routine, but then again, they work for most strength training splits since they provide activation in the chest, back, arms, glutes, and core.

How to do it: 

1. Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell with both hands directly over your chest. Your feet should be firmly planted to the floor, and your upper back and shoulder blades should be pressed into the bench.
2. Lower your arms back and behind your head until they point to the wall behind you. Keep a slight bend in your elbows to protect them from hyperextension.
3. Bring the dumbbell back to the starting position.
4. Repeat as needed.

Dumbbell Skullcrushers

Why it’s great: This triceps exercise is sometimes called the  “lying triceps extension,” but doesn’t skullcrusher sound way cooler? The positioning seems precarious, but it allows you to move more weight than similar triceps exercises, helping you really get those gains!

How to do it: 

1. Lie on a flat bench holding two dumbbells over your face. You want your palms facing each other (neutral grip) and elbows bent slightly in the starting position.
2. Slowly lower the weights toward your face until they are roughly next to your ears. Hold your upper arms stationary throughout the full range of motion.
3. Return the weights to the starting position by reversing the movement.
4. Repeat as needed.

Dumbbell Close-Grip Bench Press

Why it’s great: The close-grip dumbbell bench press is a compound movement that hits muscle groups all throughout the upper body, including the triceps. According to StatPearls¹, “the closer the grip…the more the movement will isolate the triceps.”

How to do it: 

1. Sit on the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, resting them on your thighs.
2. Lie back, using your legs to push the dumbbells over your chest. Your arms should be fully extended, elbows slightly bent and tucked to your torso, and hands closer than shoulder width to one another. 
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells to your chest until your elbows are in line with your torso.
4. Hold briefly, then push the dumbbells back up. Squeeze your pecs at the end.
5. Repeat as needed.

Deficit Push-Up on Dumbbells

Why it’s great: Push-ups are already the quintessential bodyweight movement for building full-body strength because they emphasize the chest, front delts, and triceps. Increasing the range of motion, thanks to the deficit, will  make this movement even more effective.

How to do it: 

1. Grab two dumbbells and place them approximately shoulder width apart on the floor. You may place them down with both ends on the floor and grip the handles with a neutral grip, or you may stand them straight up and place your palm on the dumbbell end for an even greater deficit.
2. Step your legs back behind you to enter the push-up position.
3. Lower your body to the floor with control by bending your elbows. Keep the elbows tucked in tight to the torso.
4. Push your body back up to the starting position, squeezing your triceps at the top.
5. Repeat as needed.

RELATED: What Muscles Do Push-ups Work?

How to Incorporate Triceps Exercises Into Your Workouts

We’ve provided a list of the best dumbbell exercises for training triceps, but where do we go from here?

First, let’s talk frequency. You may feel motivated to hit those tris day after day in pursuit of bigger triceps, but you’ll probably only hinder your success if you don’t rest up in between sessions.

According to a 2017 study published in Muscle & Nerve³, the triceps brachii was not considered capable of producing the same level of force until approximately 48 hours after training. For that reason, we recommend penciling in a triceps workout no more than once every three days.

When it comes to how you train them, specifically, you have options.

A “triceps only” day works to keep the focus on this one specific muscle. You can also combine our dumbbell exercises above with other great triceps movements, like the triceps pushdown and triceps dips.

Combining them with your biceps and forearms training for a full-on arm day also works well. Likewise, the triceps form a synergistic pair with the chest, making a designated chest and tricep workout day an intuitive training split.

For personalized advice, consult a certified personal trainer (CPT) or qualified fitness professional.

FAQs: Dumbbell Triceps Workouts

References

1. Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2022 Aug 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan

2. Kholinne E, Zulkarnain RF, Sun YC, Lim S, Chun JM, Jeon IH. The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc. 2018;52(3):201-205. doi:10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005

3. Ferreira DV, Gentil P, Soares SRS, Bottaro M. Recovery of pectoralis major and triceps brachii after bench press exercise. Muscle Nerve. 2017;56(5):963-967. doi:10.1002/mus.25541

4. Farias DA, Willardson JM, Paz GA, Bezerra ES, Miranda H. Maximal Strength Performance and Muscle Activation for the Bench Press and Triceps Extension Exercises Adopting Dumbbell, Barbell, and Machine Modalities Over Multiple Sets. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(7):1879-1887. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001651

Christopher Covello

Christopher Covello is a professional freelancer and published author. He writes copy, content, and SEO-focused material in various niches with a heavy focus on fitness and nutrition. Christopher’s personal fitness and nutrition journey began in 2009 when he was working as a short order cook and came to recognize that his habits were unhealthy and unsustainable. He educated himself on mindful eating and balanced nutrition and has prioritized healthy living ever since. Today, Christopher writes in the fitness and nutrition niche, and is often found running, hiking, rock climbing, Spartan Racing, training at his CrossFit box, or practicing yoga.

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