Overhead Tricep Extension

What is the Overhead Tricep Extension?

The overhead triceps extension is a dumbbell isolation done with the arm raised overhead, lowering the weight behind the head and extending back up. Raising the arm overhead puts the long head of the triceps on a deep stretch (a position the pushdown never reaches), making it a key movement for complete triceps development.

Muscles worked

Primary: Triceps

The triceps extends the elbow to press the dumbbell overhead; with the arm raised, the long head is fully stretched at the bottom and worked through its longest range.

How to perform the Overhead Tricep Extension

1. Hold a single dumbbell with both hands or one dumbbell per hand and press it overhead so the arms are fully extended.
2. Raising the arm overhead puts the shoulder in flexion, which stretches the triceps long head far more than a pushdown ever does.
3. Keep the elbows pointing forward and close to the head, not flared out to the sides.
4. Lower the weight behind the head by bending the elbows, feeling the long head stretch deeply at the bottom.
5. Keep the upper arms vertical and still so the elbows do not drift; only the forearms travel.
6. Extend the elbows to press the weight back overhead, stopping just short of a violent lockout to spare the elbow.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A single-joint isolation: elbow extension with the upper arm held vertical, overhead. The overhead position lengthens the long head of the triceps (which crosses the shoulder), so the stretched bottom loads it far more than a pushdown does.

Form cues

• •Keep the upper arms pointing straight up and close to the head, moving only at the elbow.
• •Lower the weight behind your head to a deep stretch without flaring the elbows wide.
• •Extend fully to lock out overhead and squeeze the triceps at the top.
• •Keep the ribs down and core braced so you don’t arch the lower back to press.

Common mistakes

• •Flaring the elbows out to the sides, which loses the long-head stretch and stresses the joint.
• •Letting the upper arms drift so the elbows move instead of staying fixed beside the head.
• •Bouncing out of the deep bottom stretch, which spikes strain on the elbow tendon.
• •Cutting the range short and never lowering the weight fully behind the head.

Variations & alternatives

• •Overhead cable extension: keeps constant tension on the stretched triceps.
• •Skull crusher, a lying version that also loads the long head.
• •Single-arm overhead dumbbell extension, one arm at a time to even out imbalances.
• •Triceps pushdown, a fixed-arm cable version that works the triceps from the shortened side.

Tricep Pushdown

Triceps · Cable

Skull Crusher

Triceps · Barbell

Tricep Dip

Triceps · Bodyweight

Close-Grip Bench Press

Triceps · Barbell

Diamond Push-Up

Triceps · Bodyweight

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the overhead triceps extension in the library’s 10–15 rep range as a stretch-focused triceps accessory, pairing it with a pushdown so you train the muscle in both a stretched and a shortened position. Control the lowering into the stretch and keep the elbows from flaring. Run it after pressing.

Frequently asked questions