Best Triceps Workouts With Dumbbells

This workout focuses on engaging and strengthening the triceps muscle group, located on the back of the arm between the shoulder and elbow.

Dumbbell exercises provide versatility by allowing independent movement of each hand, promoting stability and equal muscle engagement.

Examples like Dumbbell Tricep Extensions and Skull Crushers help to isolate and extend this crucial muscle group, which is essential for functional elbow extension and enhanced pushing movements.

Key Takeaways

The #1 best dumbbell tricep exercise is Dumbbell Kickbacks.

Training the triceps with dumbbells addresses muscle balances, helps you train with different ranges of motion, and lets you train around joint discomfort.

How Do Dumbbells Affect Muscle Activation of The Triceps?

The tricep is made up of three smaller muscles, each layered on top of one another to form the muscle group, the “triceps” (long head, lateral head, medial head) Depending on the type of dumbbell exercise you do, it will impact different heads of the triceps.

Long Head of the Triceps

The long head of the triceps runs from the entire length of the back of the arm, from the shoulder to the elbow (crosses the elbow joint).

Exercises that have you extend the arms above your head are the most effective for targeting this tricep head.

For example, the best exercise that targets the long head is the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension.

Lateral Head of the Triceps

This muscle runs along the outside of the back of the arm (the part furthest away from your midline) and is often seen visually by the side (the lump on the side of the arm).

The lateral head of the tricep is best targeted with movements like close-grip push-ups, dips, and Tate presses.

Medial Head of the Triceps

The medial head of the triceps is located on the inner side of the back of the arm (closest to the midline) and is best targeted when you perform movements that extend the arms with an underhand grip.

The most effective exercises for targeting the medial head of the triceps are underhand cable pushdown or triceps kickback (palms to the sky as you reach back).

Benefits of Training the Triceps With Dumbbells

Although you can train your triceps in a variety of ways, there are three key benefits to training them with dumbbells.

Address Muscle Imbalances

Dumbbells allow you to address any muscle weakness and imbalances that might not be noticed if training with a barbell or machine. Dumbbells force your muscles to stabilize loads in a coordinated manner, all while making each arm lift the weights equally.

When you’re performing barbell or bodyweight movements, your stronger side may take over for your weaker side to help you extend your elbows. With dumbbells, each side has to work independently, so both triceps have to work equally as hard.

Therefore, training the triceps with dumbbells can be especially helpful for those who want to ensure both arms grow symmetrically, rather than having one arm bigger or stronger than the other.

Help You Train Different Ranges of Motion

Training with dumbbells allows you to train movements in a larger range of motion than most standard bars and machines. You can often go deeper into a position (elbow flexion) without having to worry about the bar touching your chest or body.

The deeper you can go into elbow flexion, the more your muscles have to work to extend your elbows back to the start position (straight arms).

Therefore, training the triceps with dumbbells can be a great way to stimulate more muscle growth and increase joint health as you progress your movements with control, and strengthen your connective tissues and muscles.

Train Around Joint Discomfort

Sometimes, lifters will complain of joint discomfort when training with a bar or machine, as you are often locked into one range of motion. Dumbbells allow you to work around that by adjusting the angle of the movement to best suit your needs.

For example, some lifters feel discomfort in certain machine and non-dumbbell movements, such as when doing a close grip bench press using a barbell or Smith machine. Dumbbells allow them to work around joint discomfort and find angles that work better for them.

If your wrists, shoulders, or elbows are not the biggest fans of the movements you’re doing, dumbbells allow you to customize the ranges of motion, angles, and positions in which you move the joints.