Home / Exercises / Dumbbell Incline Triceps Extension
Dumbbell Incline Triceps Extension animation

How to do the Dumbbell Incline Triceps Extension

TricepsDumbbellIntermediate

The dumbbell incline triceps extension places your arms overhead on an angled bench, stretching the long head of the triceps under load for maximum muscle development. Master this movement and you build the thick, full arm that flat pressing alone can never deliver.

Add this to my personalized plan →

Muscles worked

Primary
Triceps
Secondary
Front deltsChest

Step-by-step

  1. Set an incline bench to 30 to 45 degrees, lie back with a dumbbell in each hand, and press them directly above your chest with palms facing each other.
  2. Hinge only at the elbows, lowering the dumbbells in a controlled arc toward your shoulders while keeping your upper arms locked vertical and still.
  3. Pause briefly at the bottom when you feel a deep stretch through the triceps, then drive the dumbbells back to full extension by contracting the triceps hard.
  4. Lower with a 3-second tempo on every rep to keep tension on the muscle and prevent momentum from stealing the work.

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows wide reduces long-head engagement and stresses the joints, so actively squeeze your elbows toward the midline throughout the entire range of motion.
  • Letting the upper arms drift forward as you lower the weight turns this into a pullover and kills triceps isolation, so brace your shoulders against the bench and keep upper arms perpendicular to the floor.
  • Using dumbbells that are too heavy forces you to cut the range of motion short, so choose a load that allows you to fully straighten the arms at the top without shrugging or arching the lower back off the bench.

Pro tip — At full extension, rotate your pinkies slightly outward to achieve complete elbow lockout and recruit the lateral head alongside the long head, maximizing total triceps activation at the peak contraction.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

More Triceps exercises

Barbell Close Grip Bench PressBarbell Close Grip Bench PressBarbell Decline Close Grip To Skull PressBarbell Decline Close Grip To Skull PressBarbell Incline Reverse Grip PressBarbell Incline Reverse Grip PressBarbell Lying Close Grip PressBarbell Lying Close Grip PressBarbell Lying Close Grip Triceps ExtensionBarbell Lying Close Grip Triceps ExtensionBarbell Lying ExtensionBarbell Lying Extension
Want this built into a full plan?2fit4u turns moves like this into your personalized weekly program — free to start.
Build my free plan →