9 Best Dumbbell Tricep Exercises To Maximise Your Arm Training
We might be living in the age of the functional trainee, or even the hybrid athlete, but if Google search data is anything to go by, chasing the pump in pursuit of bigger arms is still very much on the our to-do list.
If you've found this article, then you'll know endless reps of bicep curls isn’t going to fill out those sleeves. Training the triceps, the muscles situated at the back of your arms, is just as crucial, if not more important, than working on your biceps.
The good news? Adding those extra inches to the guns needn't necessitate a fully kitted out, high tech gym, either. In fact, some of the best moves for adding mass to your arms come in the form of simple dumbbell tricep exercises. Luckily for you (and unlucky for your sleeves) we’ve got nine of the best for you.
What Are The Triceps Muscles?
The triceps muscles run along the back side and side of your upper arm, made up of three individual sections or ‘head.'
The long head, the lateral head and the medial head, all originate at different points on your scapula and humerus but converge together at the elbow, where they perform their primary function, extending and straightening the elbow.
The triceps are an antagonistic muscle to the biceps, whose function is to flex the elbow, bringing the hand closer to the body. The triceps relax when the biceps are contracting and vice versa.
Benefits of Tricep Training
Since the triceps make up about two-thirds of your total arm size, prioritising their development is essential whether you're aiming for bigger arms or a balanced, all-around physique. Stronger triceps won't just fill out your sleeves. Increasing your tricep strength will increase your 'pressing' movements, from chest pumping moves like the bench press, and push-ups, to shoulder building overhead lifts.
Dumbbell tricep training is a great way to add 'accessory lifts' to complement and optimise your main pressing moves, helping you build raw strength and power. You'll also look great in a vest.
Why You Should Use Dumbbells to Train Your Triceps
Dumbbells are without a doubt one of the most useful tools to have in your arsenal. Even if you had access to every bit of equipment available, the humble dumbbell would still stand out as one of the most powerful builders of size and strength.
Dumbbells are free weights, which open you up to an enormous range of motion and multiple planes of movement. In order to stabilise and safely maintain that range of motion, they require a greater activation of muscle fibres. Unlike the barbell, however, dumbbells allow you train unilaterally, effectively meaning ‘both sides separately’. This is pivotal for helping to weed out imbalances from one side to the other and build a balanced, well rounded physique that’s ready to respond to real world challenges.
Dumbbells are also portable and easy to store. Having a set of dumbbells stashed away at home will ensure you’re able to get in muscle-building tricep pump, whatever life throws at you.
9 of The Best Dumbbell Tricep Exercises
These are the best dumbbell-only tricep exercises you need to supercharge your arm training and supersize those triceps.
Close-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Lay flat on a bench, pushing your feet into the floor. Keeping your elbows tucked in, close to your body, press a pair of dumbbells into the air, squeezing your triceps hard at the top (A). Lower the bells slowly until they touch your chest, keeping your upper arms close to your body throughout (B), pause here before explosively pressing back up. Repeat.
Laying Tricep Extension
Lie flat on a bench or the floor with a pair of dumbbells locked out overhead (A). Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering the bells towards your head while keeping your upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bells touching the floor (B) before extending back up explosively. Repeat.
Laying Single Dumbbell Crush Extension
Lie flat on a bench – or the floor – holding a single dumbbell with both hands, gripping the outer heads, locked out above your chest (A). Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering the dumbbell towards your head while keeping your upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bell touching your head (B) before extending back up explosively. Repeat.
Overhead Single-Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension
Sit flat on a bench or the floor gripping a single dumbbell directly overhead (A). Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering the dumbbell towards the back of your head while keeping your upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bell touching your beck (B) before extending back up explosively. Repeat.
Single Dumbbell Behind the Neck Tricep Extensions
Standing or sitting, hold the bottom of the head of a single dumbbell directly overhead with both hands (A). Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering the dumbbell towards the back of your head while keeping your upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bell touching your back (B) before extending back up explosively. Repeat.
Close Grip Dumbbell Floor Press
Lie flat on the floor, knees bent, pushing your feet into the floor. Keeping your elbows tucked in, close to your body, press a pair of dumbbells into the air, squeezing your triceps hard at the top (A). Lower the bells slowly until they touch your chest, keeping your upper arms close to your body throughout (B). Pause here before explosively pressing back up. Repeat.
Close Grip Push-Up on Single Dumbbell
Assume a strong plank position, gripping a dumbbell with both hands on the outer heads (A). Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest to the dumbbell, feeling for a deep stretch and contraction in the triceps (B). Keep your upper arms from flaring as you push back up explosively to a straight arm position.
Rolling Tricep Extension
Lie flat on a bench – or the floor – with a pair of dumbbells locked out overhead (A). Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering the bells towards your head while keeping your upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bells touching the floor (B). From this position, let your upper arms roll forward, bringing the dumbbells onto your chest into the bottom of a close grip dumbbell press (C). Press the bells up to full lockout explosively and repeat.
Cross Face Tricep Extension
Lie flat on your back on the floor or on a bench, holding a single light dumbbell with a straight arm above your chest (A). Keeping your upper arm in place, hinge at the elbow, slowly lowering the dumbbell at a slight angle so that your upper arm crosses your face, until you feel a stretch in your tricep and the dumbbell nearly reaches the ground on the opposite side of your head (B). Extend at the elbow pressing the dumbbell back up explosively.
Best Dumbbell Tricep Workouts
Want to gas up those guns and add muscle to your triceps using only dumbbells? These are the workouts you need. From full-body workout plans, to arm-swelling finishers, these are the sessions you need to add serious mass to those arms.
How to Grow Bigger Arms with Just One Dumbbell in 12 Minutes
This 10-Minute, Two-Move Arms Finisher Will Add Meat to Your Guns
The Men's Health Dumbbell Club – Your New Weekly Workout Plan
This 15-Minute Dumbbell Arm Workout Is Designed to Build Muscle, Fast
This Resistance Band Bicep and Triceps Finisher Dishes up a Perfect Arm Pump
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