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Triceps Kick Back

The triceps kick-back pins the upper arm parallel to the torso in a hinge and extends the forearm straight back against gravity. Maddy uses it to finish triceps work with a peak-contraction movement that no pressing exercise replicates. 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 × 6 reps per arm with 2-s squeezes90 s
Muscle3 × 9-12 reps per arm60 s
Endurance2 × 18-25 reps per arm30-45 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner technique with a strict discipline requirement — the elbow height cue does not negotiate.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Hinge the torso to near parallel with a flat back and soft knees.
  2. Pin the upper arm against your side, parallel to the floor — it never moves.
  3. Extend the forearm back until the whole arm is straight.
  4. Squeeze the straight-arm position for a full second.
  5. Lower the forearm to ninety degrees only — no swinging past it.

Breathing: Exhale as the arm straightens and squeezes, inhale as the forearm folds back to ninety degrees.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Letting the elbow drop toward the floor mid-set.. A dropped elbow means gravity no longer opposes the extension, so the squeeze at the top vanishes. Fix: Check the upper arm is parallel to your torso before every rep; the elbow staying high is the whole exercise.
Swinging the dumbbell back with shoulder momentum.. The swing moves the load with the rear delt and torso, and the triceps only catch it at the end. Fix: Halve the weight and insert the one-second squeeze — if you cannot pause at straight, it was a swing.
Rotating the torso open on the working side.. The twist shortens the effective range and hides the weight from gravity's line. Fix: Keep both shoulders square to the floor; brace the free hand on a bench or thigh to lock the trunk.

How to program triceps kick back

GoalPhaseSetsRepsTempoRestRPE
strengthweeks 1–4 · build36 per arm with 2-s squeezes2-2-1-090 s7
strengthweeks 5–8 · intensify46 per arm with 2-s squeezes2-2-1-090 s7–8
strengthweeks 9–12 · peak46 per arm with 2-s squeezes2-2-1-090 s8
hypertrophyweeks 1–4 · build312 per arm2-1-1-060 s7
hypertrophyweeks 5–8 · intensify310 per arm2-1-2-060 s8
hypertrophyweeks 9–12 · peak39 per arm2-1-2-060 s8
enduranceweeks 1–4 · build218 per arm, light1-1-1-030–45 s6
enduranceweeks 5–8 · intensify222 per arm, light1-1-1-030–45 s6–7
enduranceweeks 9–12 · peak225 per arm, light1-1-1-030–45 s7
beginnerweeks 1–4 · learn28 per arm, one arm at a time with bench support2-1-2-060 s5
beginnerweeks 5–8 · groove210 per arm2-1-2-060 s5–6
beginnerweeks 9–12 · load310 per arm2-1-2-060 s6

Tempo = eccentric-pause-concentric-pause, seconds (X = explosive intent).

Common questions

Why are kick-backs done so light?

Because the exercise loads the triceps hardest at full extension — the exact point where the muscle is weakest and where gravity's leverage on the dumbbell peaks. A weight that feels trivial at ninety degrees becomes hard at straight. Heavy kick-backs are almost always swung, which deletes the top squeeze that justifies the exercise. Light, paused, and strict is the design.

Kick-backs vs pushdowns — do I need both?

They overlap but reward different ranges. Cable pushdowns load the triceps evenly through the middle of the movement; kick-backs uniquely punish the fully-straight position against gravity. If you have cables, pushdowns are the volume workhorse and kick-backs the finisher. Training at home with dumbbells only, kick-backs plus lying extensions cover the contraction and the stretch between them.

Both arms at once or one at a time?

One arm with the free hand braced on a bench or thigh keeps the back supported and lets you watch the elbow height — the most common failure point. The two-arm bent-over version doubles the time efficiency but demands a strong unsupported hinge, so treat it as the advanced option once your single-arm reps are consistently strict.

Why do I feel kick-backs in my lower back or shoulders instead of my triceps?

Both complaints trace back to the setup. Lower-back fatigue means your hinge is collapsing or unsupported — brace your trunk, soften your knees, and consider the one-arm version with your free hand on a bench for support. Shoulder involvement means the upper arm is drifting up and down with each rep instead of staying pinned parallel to your torso; only the elbow should move. Drop the weight until the upper arm stays welded in place, and the work lands squarely on the back of the arm.

Do triceps kick-backs reduce arm fat?

No single exercise removes fat from a chosen spot — spot reduction does not hold up in research. Kick-backs build and firm the triceps muscle underneath, which improves how the arm looks and performs, but the fat layer over it responds to your overall calorie balance, protein intake, and weekly training volume. The effective combination is straightforward: train the arms directly, hold a modest calorie deficit if fat loss is the goal, and give it consistent weeks rather than searching for a magic movement.

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