Workouts With Dumbbells For Triceps

The only thing that many people have in their house is a few dumbbells. But don't worry, a pair of adjustable dumbbells is all you need to train your triceps. In this article, four exercises with dumbbells for your triceps - for a complete triceps workout or to integrate into your existing workout routine.

TRICEPS WORKOUTS
60% of the muscle mass in your upper arms is formed by your triceps. If you want muscular upper arms, you should pay at least as much attention to your triceps in addition to your biceps. But you shouldn't overdo it either. After all, your triceps already have a hard time during basic exercises such as bench presses.

You don't even need to pay special attention to your triceps for the first one, two years of your workout; they are sufficiently stimulated with basic exercises. And even when your triceps stop growing, you don't have to do a lot of extra work. 6-9 sets for your triceps, spread over one or two compound exercises (narrow bench presses, triceps dips) and one exercise in combination.

FOUR ESSENTIAL DUMBBELL EXERCISES
Below are the four best workouts with dumbbells for triceps. As far as we know these are all possible triceps exercises that you can do with dumbbells.

1. LYING TRICEPS EXTENSIONS
Lying triceps extensions with dumbbells is a great isolation exercise for your triceps. You can perform them on a bench or the floor, although the latter somewhat limits your range of motion.

Lie on a flat bench and hold the dumbbells straight in front of you with your arms extended. Use a neutral grip, with your palms facing each other. This is your starting position.

Now lower the dumbbells by bending your forearm and bring the dumbbells to either side of your head. Now stretch your arm and return the dumbbells to their starting positions. Repeat.

While doing the exercise, keep your elbows in place as much as possible. If your technique deteriorates, and your elbows move too far back in the downward motion, you probably chose an overweight.

Recommended 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

2. TRICEPS EXTENSIONS
In addition to lying down, you can also perform triceps extensions sitting or standing with one dumbbell and both arms.

Sit on a bench with a slightly reclined, not too high backrest and place the dumbbell over your head with your hands under the inner disc - keeping your thumbs and index fingers in a heart shape. This is your starting position.

Now bring the dumbbell towards your neck by bending your forearm until it touches your upper arm. Do not move your elbows backward or let them point too far out. Bending your wrists slightly prevents the dumbbell from touching your neck. Now stretch your arms and return the dumbbell to its starting position. Repeat.

A bench with a high backrest limits your freedom of movement. Instead, perform the exercise standing or on a flat bench. With this version you have to be extra careful that the dumbbell does not touch your neck. Some people do not have enough shoulder flexibility to perform the exercise correctly this way. Then try one-arm triceps extensions.

Recommended 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

3. ONE ARM TRICEPS EXTENSIONS
You can also perform triceps extensions sitting or standing with one dumbbell and one arm.

Sit on a bench with a slightly reclined, not too high backrest and place the dumbbell over your head and keep your arm straight. This is your starting position.

Now bring the dumbbell towards your neck (not towards your other shoulder) by bending your forearm. Keep your upper arm straight as much as possible and don't let your elbow point too far out (bringing the dumbbell toward your other shoulder). Now stretch your arm and return the dumbbell to its starting position. Repeat. Do the same number of reps for your other arm.

Recommended (per arm) 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Normally you do the same number of reps for each arm and use the same weight. Do you have a clearly weaker arm? Then make concessions on repetition, not weight. In principle, this applies to all unilateral exercises.

4. DUMBBELL KICKBACK
Few exercises are performed sloppier than kickbacks. There is no other exercise where you can go wrong in so many ways as with this one. And precisely because this exercise already has such a limited range of motion, its effectiveness stands or falls with a correct technique.

Position your (right) lower leg on a flat bench with your foot on the end of the bench. Support your upper body with your right arm in this case and place it so far forward that your back is parallel to the floor. Lift the dumbbell off the floor and align your upper arm with your back. This is your starting position.

Now stretch your arm until it is parallel to the floor, keeping your elbow in place. Repeat. Perform the exercise mirrored for your other arm.

The most common mistakes are a straight back and (often because of that) too low elbow position. The reasons for this are an insufficiently placed hand or an overweight chosen weight.

Recommended (per arm) 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Normally you do the same number of reps for each arm and use the same weight. Do you have a clearly weaker arm? Then make concessions on repetition, not weight. In principle, this applies to all unilateral exercises.

IN CONCLUSION
"Should I do all of the above exercises?" No. For your triceps workout, choose at least one compound exercise like narrow bench presses or triceps dips (3 sets of 6-8 reps) and supplement with one of the dumbbell exercises above. Do you train at home without tools? Then do push-ups with a narrow handstand and one, maximum two of the above exercises.

Now all you have to do is eat and sleep well, and wait until the sleeves of your T-shirt become too small for your massive upper arms.