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Triceps Extension (Modified)

The modified triceps extension is performed lying on the floor, where the ground gently caps the range as the elbows travel back, making the movement friendlier for beginners and cranky elbows. Maddy uses it as the entry version before the full lying extension on a bench. 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
Strength3-4 × 5-6 reps90-120 s
Muscle3 × 9-12 reps60-90 s
Endurance2 × 18-25 reps30-45 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner; the floor removes the riskiest range, so this is where extension technique gets built.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Lie on the floor, knees bent, dumbbells pressed above the chest with palms facing in.
  2. Angle the upper arms slightly toward your head and hold them still.
  3. Bend the elbows to lower the dumbbells until the upper arms or dumbbell heads lightly meet the floor.
  4. Let the floor contact be a soft touch — never a rest stop.
  5. Extend smoothly back to straight, knuckles finishing over the chest.

Breathing: Inhale on the lower toward the floor, exhale as the arms straighten.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Dumping the weights into the floor and relaxing between reps.. Releasing tension at the bottom deletes the stretch-position work and turns one set into a series of first reps. Fix: Touch the floor like it is fragile — one second of contact, tension never leaves the triceps.
Pressing the dumbbells up and forward over the belly.. The forward path recruits the chest and moves the exercise away from the triceps entirely. Fix: Finish every rep with the dumbbells stacked above the shoulders — straight up from where the upper arms point.
Using a weight chosen for presses.. The triceps working alone handle far less than a pressing pattern, and overload here shows up as wobble and elbow strain. Fix: Start at roughly a third of your dumbbell press weight and earn increases through clean, full sets.

Common questions

Why do this on the floor instead of a bench?

The floor acts as a built-in depth gauge: the elbows can only travel to where the upper arms meet the ground, which removes the deepest, most demanding part of the stretch while you build strength and control. That makes the floor version the sensible starting point at home, and the natural regression whenever the full-range bench version irritates the elbows.

Can I do this with one dumbbell held in both hands?

Yes — holding one dumbbell by the inner plates with both hands is a legitimate variation that stabilises the path and suits anyone with only a single weight at home. The elbows still do all the moving and the same rules apply: upper arms frozen, soft floor touch, smooth extension. Two dumbbells simply add an independent-arm challenge you can graduate to.

When should I move from the modified to the full version?

When three signals line up: you complete your target sets with a one-second floor touch and zero elbow complaints, the dumbbells travel the same path every rep, and the load has progressed at least once. At that point the bench version — where the elbows can travel deeper than the floor allows — gives your triceps new range to grow into.

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