Tricep Workouts With Dumbells

When you train in a gym or fitness center, life is simple ... Well, compared to those who train at home then. Most gyms have an abundance of machines and free weights that allow you to train every part of your body and do tricep workouts.

However, I regularly get questions from athletes who train in the basement, a bedroom or in the garden, and therefore do not have access to all those modern machines that the average gym has to offer. Most athletes who train at home do not have much more than a bench and some loose weights. There are of course ways to expand your options, but that is a completely different story.

TRICEP WORKOUTS WITH DUMBBELLS
In this article, I want to give those people, and those who train in a gym, also a number of effective dumbbell workouts that enable you to fully train your triceps, without having to use expensive machines or cable stations.

So, what do you need to have a good workout for your triceps? Well, all you need is a set - adjustable - dumbbells and a bench. Train your home, then adjustable dumbbells - where you choose the weight - the best option since you can change the weight quickly when needed. In a gym, you have a whole series of dumbbells of different weights at your disposal.

Make sure your bench is firm, so you can lie on it with a heavy weight without having to worry about the whole thing collapsing (believe me, that happens! Take a look at America's Funniest Home Videos!).

WHY DUMBBELLS FOR TRICEPS?
Your triceps stretch your arm, which means you always have to stretch your arms to train your triceps. Every triceps exercise is aimed at stretching your arms, whether you do dips or cable pushdowns, the exercise revolves around stretching your arms against a resistance. You can see your triceps workouts as throwing away a ball with each repetition.

Since the triceps consist of three separate heads, each moving slightly different, you need a training system that trains all three heads.

Dumbbells allow you to easily adjust the position of your hands during an exercise. A barbell (long barbell) is great for building mass, but it limits your freedom of movement. If you want to use a wider or narrower path of movement during a repetition, then dumbbells allow it. Dumbbells are perfect to tackle a certain part of a muscle, simply by emphasizing that part during the movement.

Dumbbells are ideal for triceps work; they give you the freedom to move your arms the way you want. The disadvantage of dumbbell triceps workouts is that the dumbbells are less easy to handle and that the workouts are harder to learn than workouts with a cable or barbell. When one arm is weaker than the other, this clearly comes to the fore in dumbbell workouts. The stronger arm cannot help the weaker arm, which means you have to forget your ego and use lighter weights, especially in the beginning.

THE BEST DUMBBELL EXERCISES FOR THE TRICEPS
So what are the best dumbbell workouts for the triceps? That is always a matter of personal taste, but I give you my best choice:

LYING DUMBBELL EXTENSIONS
This exercise seems so simple, but looks can be deceiving! This is a killer! In my opinion, it belongs in the same category as close grip bench presses and barbell extensions.

The implementation is simple:

• Grab two dumbbells and lie on your back on a bench
• Stretch your arms and let your palms face each other
• Have your elbows pointing upwards and let your hands gently drop to next to your head
• Straighten your arms back to the starting position

As I indicated, this seems simple, but it is more difficult than it seems. Keeping both hands on an equal level is difficult. When your triceps become tired, it becomes increasingly difficult to perform the exercise perfectly.

SEATED DUMBBELL EXTENSIONS
This triceps exercise can be done with two dumbbells, just like the previous exercise, but I prefer one heavy dumbbell. This allows you to use more weight, which brings more mass to your triceps. Bodybuilders with well-developed lateral heads (the muscle heads on the side of the arm) often indicate that this exercise has helped them a lot.

To prevent lower back problems, it is advisable to use a bench with a low backrest for seated dumbbell extensions. A high backrest shortens the range of motion during this exercise. Most benches, however, do not have a low back, so you'll have to experiment a bit. In a gym, you can use a preacher bench (biceps bench) by sitting with your back against the armboard.

• Sit down and make sure you are sitting firmly
• Now raise the dumbbell - when using an adjustable dumbbell, make sure that the buckle is secure - and hold it with both hands on one side of the dumbbell (grasp the weight on one side)
• Make sure your arms are pointing straight up
• Now lower the dumbbell behind your head while keeping your elbows pointing straight up
• Extend your arms back to the starting position

Make sure your elbows do not move too much and watch out that the weight does not hit the back of your skull!

The following exercise is a variation on the Seated Dumbbell Extension:

ONE-ARM SEATED DUMBBELL EXTENSIONS
This is also a perfect triceps exercise. You see this being done a lot in the gym, but usually poorly performed and with too much weight. A perfect execution is important in this exercise. You have to find the right path. Do not worry about the weight you use, just make sure the movement is perfect.

The hardest part of this triceps exercise is to let the elbow straight up so that it does not swing in all directions. If you are not strong and flexible enough in your triceps, there is a simple solution to this problem: use your other hand to keep your upper arm pressed against the side of your head!

The last exercise is often seen as a 'girl exercise', but just like the other 'fitness' exercise, lunges, it is not as easy as you might think:

DOUBLE TRICEPS KICKBACKS
I know you do not want others to see you doing this exercise ... well, try it! It is a fantastic isolation exercise for your triceps, and it gives you separation and mass in your triceps.

You see this exercise mainly done with one arm at a time, with a leg resting on a bench. That is a very good exercise, but I would like to introduce the triceps terminator: double-arm triceps kickbacks!

• Take two light dumbbells (trust me) in your hands and hold them next to your body with your palms facing your legs.
• Bend forward until your upper body is almost flush with the ground
• Bring your elbows upwards so that you walk parallel to the floor and point straight backward
• Now stretch both arms while your elbows do not move
• Let the weights quietly return to the starting position

This exercise is very nice as the last exercise in your triceps workout. If you want to increase the intensity even further, use sevens to burn a hole in your triceps!

Have fun and let us know if you are making progress in your triceps with these workouts!