Home · Exercise Library · Triceps · Triceps Extension

Triceps Extension

The lying dumbbell triceps extension lowers the weights from above the chest to beside the head by bending only the elbows, then presses back to straight. Maddy programs it as the primary long-head triceps builder for clients training with dumbbells. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Triceps · triceps brachii Anconeus

Sets & reps by goal

GoalSets × RepsRest
Strength4 × 5-6 reps2 min
Muscle3 × 9-12 reps60-90 s
Endurance2 × 18-25 light reps30-45 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner-to-intermediate; light enough to control beats heavy enough to impress — the elbows keep the score.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Lie on your back with dumbbells pressed over the chest, palms facing each other.
  2. Lock the upper arms vertical and angle them slightly back toward your head.
  3. Bend only at the elbows, lowering the dumbbells beside your ears.
  4. Stop when the forearms pass just beyond ninety degrees and you feel the triceps stretch.
  5. Extend back to straight without letting the elbows flare outward.

Breathing: Inhale as the dumbbells lower beside the ears, exhale as you press back to straight.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Upper arms drifting toward the chest during the extension.. The drift turns the movement into a narrow press, letting the chest and shoulders relieve the triceps. Fix: Freeze the upper arms as pillars — only the forearms hinge. If they will not stay, the dumbbells are too heavy.
Flaring the elbows wide as fatigue arrives.. Flared elbows shorten the lever and change the stress point, usually announcing themselves as elbow ache later. Fix: Keep the elbows tracking the same width as the shoulders, and end the set when they stop obeying.
Bouncing the dumbbells out of the bottom stretch.. The bounce hands the hardest range to momentum and puts a spike of load through the elbow at its most vulnerable angle. Fix: Lower on a three count, touch a soft pause at the stretch, then drive up.

Common questions

Why do triceps extensions hurt my elbows?

Usually a dose problem, not a design flaw: too much weight, bouncing at the stretch, or big weekly jumps in volume. Slow the lowering phase, cut the load by a quarter, and keep the elbows tracking straight. If a sharp pain persists across sessions even with those fixes, swap to cable pushdowns for a few weeks — a friendlier resistance curve — and have it looked at.

Dumbbells or an EZ-bar for lying extensions?

Dumbbells let each arm work independently, allow the palms to face each other — which most elbows prefer — and expose left-right strength gaps. A bar allows slightly more total load and a fixed path. For home training and joint comfort, Maddy defaults to dumbbells; if you have both available, rotate them across training blocks rather than debating forever.

What does the 'long head' of the triceps mean and why do people mention it?

The triceps has three parts, and the long head is the only one that crosses the shoulder joint. Because this exercise holds the arms up and slightly back, the long head starts from a stretched position, which is why lying extensions are a staple wherever complete triceps development is the goal. Pushdown-style movements bias the other two heads, so the pairing covers everything.

Related exercises

Easier: Triceps Extension (Modified)

Overhead Triceps ExtensionTriceps Skull CrusherTriceps Skull Crusher (Modified)Triceps Triceps Kick BackTriceps Upward Triceps ExtensionTriceps

Browse: All triceps exercises · All dumbbell exercises · Full exercise library

This is one exercise. Your plan is the other 99%.

Maddy hand-builds training around your exact body — schedule, recovery, injuries, food culture. It starts with a 3-minute scan.

Start My Body Scan → 11 questions · 3 min · free · no card yet