By Aikane Burnell, Personal Trainer at HiTONE Fitness, Gastonia
The best tricep exercises with dumbbells are the overhead extension, skull crusher, close-grip press, kickback, Tate press, and dumbbell push-up, and together they train all three heads of the triceps with nothing more than a pair of dumbbells. Below, I walk through how to do each one, the mistakes I correct most often with clients, and which part of the triceps each move builds.
Key Takeaways
- You can’t isolate one triceps head, but arm position shifts the emphasis: overhead and behind-the-body moves bias the long head, while arms-down presses bias the lateral and medial heads.
- The long head is the largest of the three and the biggest lever for arm size, yet pushdown-style training under-works it, so keep an overhead move in your routine.
- For size, work 8 to 15 reps, stop 1 to 2 reps short of failure, and add weight or reps over time.
- Control the lowering phase for 2 to 3 seconds and keep your upper arms still. Momentum is the top reason a set stops working the triceps.
- If you feel these mostly in your elbows, the weight is too heavy or your elbows are flaring. Lighten the load and tuck them in.
- You don’t need a bench or a cable stack. The floor and one pair of dumbbells cover every move here.
The three heads of the triceps
The triceps brachii is the largest muscle in your upper arm, and according to StatPearls it has three heads, the long, lateral, and medial, that share one job: straightening your elbow. It makes up roughly two-thirds of your upper arm’s muscle, so if bigger arms are the goal, it’s the larger lever, not the biceps.
You can’t isolate a single head, but you can shift the emphasis with arm position. The long head is the only one that also crosses the shoulder, so it works hardest when your arms are overhead or drawn behind your body. A 2023 study in the European Journal of Sport Science found that training elbow extensions in a lengthened overhead position grew the triceps markedly more (about 20%) than the same movement with the arms down (about 13%). The lateral and medial heads take over as your arms come down in front of you, which is why a mix of overhead moves and arms-down presses covers the whole muscle.
1. Overhead dumbbell tricep extension
This move emphasizes the long head, because pressing the dumbbell overhead lengthens it under load, exactly the position that drives the most growth.
- How to do it: Hold one dumbbell with both hands and press it overhead with your arms straight. Keep your upper arms beside your ears and your elbows pointing forward. Bend at the elbows to lower the weight behind your head until you feel a stretch, then extend back up.
- Common mistake: Letting your elbows flare out to the sides. That hands work to the shoulders and shortens the stretch on the long head. Keep them narrow and pointing up.
- Tip: A seated version cuts momentum and lower-back sway. Working one arm at a time exposes and fixes side-to-side imbalances.
2. Dumbbell skull crusher
Skull crushers train all three heads and put the long head under a deep stretch, which is where it responds best.
- How to do it: Lie on a bench or the floor with dumbbells above your shoulders, palms facing each other. Keep your upper arms still and bend at the elbows to lower the weights toward your forehead or just past it, then press back up.
- Common mistake: Swinging your upper arms toward your hips to help lift. Keep them vertical so the triceps do the work.
- Tip: Lower under control. Rushing the lowering phase stresses your elbows and wastes the stretch.
3. Close-grip dumbbell press
This press keeps constant tension on the triceps, with the medial and lateral heads doing most of the work while your chest assists. Because it also loads the chest, it pairs well with a dedicated dumbbell chest workout.
- How to do it: Lie flat and hold two dumbbells together over your chest, palms facing each other. Lower them to your chest with your elbows tucked close, then press up while squeezing the dumbbells together.
- Common mistake: Letting the dumbbells drift apart and your elbows flare, which turns it into a chest press. Keep the weights touching and your elbows in.
- Tip: Squeeze the triceps hard at the top of each rep.
4. Dumbbell kickback
The kickback is an isolation move that hits the lateral and medial heads, with peak tension at full extension. Done on an incline, it reaches the long head too.
- How to do it: Hinge at your hips with a flat back, a dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent at 90 degrees and tucked to your sides. Extend your arms straight back, squeeze at the top, then lower with control.
- Common mistake: Dropping your upper arms below parallel to the floor, which cuts triceps activation sharply. Pin your upper arms parallel and move only your forearms.
- Tip: Go lighter and slower than you think. Momentum is the enemy on kickbacks.
5. Dumbbell Tate press
The Tate press keeps steady tension on the triceps from a different angle, which makes it a useful variation once the basics feel easy.
- How to do it: Lie on a bench with dumbbells over your chest and palms facing your feet. Bend your elbows out to the sides and lower the dumbbells toward your chest in a controlled arc, then press back up.
- Common mistake: Loading it heavy. This is a strict, lighter movement, and too much weight breaks the form.
- Tip: Prioritize clean reps over the number on the dumbbell.
6. Dumbbell tricep push-up
Gripping dumbbells during a push-up keeps your wrists neutral and shifts more of the load onto your triceps.
- How to do it: Grip a dumbbell in each hand on the floor, set about shoulder-width, in a high plank. Lower with your elbows tucked close to your body, then push back up to full extension.
- Common mistake: Letting your hips sag or your elbows flare. Hold a straight line from head to heels and keep your elbows in.
- Tip: Drop to your knees to scale it back, or elevate your feet to make it harder.
FAQs
Can you build triceps with just dumbbells?
Yes. A pair of dumbbells lets you train all three heads through a full range of motion, which is the main driver of growth. As long as you add weight or reps over time and keep your form strict, you don’t need a cable machine or barbell to build size and strength.
Can flabby triceps be toned?
You can firm up the back of your arms by building the triceps and lowering your overall body fat, but you can’t spot-reduce fat from one area. Pair the moves above with a calorie-aware diet and regular full-body training, and the loose feeling improves as muscle replaces fat and body fat comes down.
How many dumbbell tricep exercises do you actually need?
Two to four per session is plenty if they cover the three angles that matter: an overhead move for the long head, a press for overall size, and a kickback for the lateral and medial heads. More exercises rarely add much beyond that, so put your effort into progressive overload instead of piling on moves.
Final Thoughts: Tricep Exercises With Dumbbells
You don’t need a loaded gym to build the back of your arms. One pair of dumbbells, an overhead move, a press, and a kickback cover all three heads. Focus on full range and controlled reps, add a little weight or a rep or two each week, and the size follows. If you’d like this built into a full routine around your goals, our personal training team can put one together, and you can pair it with dumbbell forearm exercises to round out your grip. When you’re ready to train with intention, get in touch with our personal trainers in Gastonia.
