Seated Dumbbell Triceps Press
Sit upright on a flat bench and hold one dumbbell with both hands, arms straight above your head. Keeping your elbows as high as you can, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head as far as you can. Then straighten your arms powerfully back up.
This exercise trains your triceps, the three-headed muscle at the back of your upper arm that straightens your elbow. Because your arms are above your head, the triceps is strongly stretched at the bottom, especially the long head, the only one that also crosses the shoulder joint. From that stretch, you straighten your arms powerfully.
All you need is one dumbbell and a bench, and it is quick to learn. That makes it a good way to train your triceps directly, at home or in the gym.
From the studio: This is one of my favourite triceps exercises. If someone only does one triceps exercise at home with dumbbells, this is the one I recommend. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Sit upright on a flat bench with your feet planted on the floor. Pick up one dumbbell and grip it firmly under the top plate: first with one hand, then bring the other hand in beside it.
Lift the dumbbell above your head and straighten your arms fully, upper arms close to your head. Keep both hands firmly on the dumbbell for the whole exercise.
Now slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head as far as you can, keeping your elbows as high as possible, pointing at the ceiling. From the bottom, straighten your arms powerfully back up.
The three cues
- Both hands firmly on the dumbbell, elbows as high as you can
- Lower slowly, as far as you can
- Straighten powerfully
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| You bounce the dumbbell up out of the bottom | Go lighter and move slowly: the weight is behind your head, so keep every rep under control. |
| The dumbbell comes too close to your head | Lower slowly and with control, and start with a very light weight until the path behind your head feels natural. |
| Your elbows drop forward | Keep your elbows as high as you can, pointing at the ceiling. |
| You only lower partway | Lower as far as you can with control, then straighten powerfully all the way. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Very light dumbbell | Learn the path behind your head, slowly and with control. Move on when every rep follows the same path. |
| Full range | Lower slowly as far as you can behind your head, straighten powerfully to full extension, elbows as high as possible. |
| Heavier dumbbell | Once the full range stays clean on every rep, add weight in small steps. |
Reps and load
Use the full range: lower slowly and straighten powerfully. Start with a very light weight and work up gradually, choosing a weight that keeps every rep under control.
The exercise fits well at the end of an upper-body session, for example after push-ups or dumbbell bench presses.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps, long head M. triceps brachii, caput longum | Prime mover | Straightens the elbow; the only head that also crosses the shoulder joint, so it is strongly stretched overhead |
| Triceps, lateral head M. triceps brachii, caput laterale | Prime mover | Straightens the elbow |
| Triceps, medial head M. triceps brachii, caput mediale | Prime mover | Straightens the elbow; with the arm raised it carries a large share of the force |
| Delts M. deltoideus | Stabiliser | Hold the upper arms above the head |
| Forearms Mm. antebrachii | Stabiliser | Grip the dumbbell firmly with both hands |
| Core M. rectus abdominis, M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keeps the upper body upright and still |
All three heads of the triceps straighten your elbow, and overhead the long head is strongly stretched. Your shoulders, forearms and core keep your arms, the dumbbell and your upper body steady.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the grip, the slow lowering behind the head and the powerful extension from the side and from behind, and explains why the overhead stretch trains the triceps so well. · 1:49
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
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Sources
Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. (2023). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci 23(7):1240–1250. DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279 — A 12-week study in 21 adults: one arm trained cable triceps extensions overhead, the other with the arm by the side (70% 1RM, 5 × 10, twice a week). Muscle volume (MRI) increased more overhead: long head +28.5% vs +19.6%, lateral and medial heads +14.6% vs +10.5%, whole triceps +19.9% vs +13.9%, even though loads were 34–39% lower overhead. The basis for describing the overhead stretch as the core of the exercise. Cable rather than dumbbell, range 90–0°, a small sample; age and training status not given in the abstract. There is no measurement specific to the Academy's target group (aged 40 to 60, training two to four hours a week). (Evidence type: Intervention study)
Stasinaki AN, Zaras N, Methenitis S, Tsitkanou S, Krase A, Kavvoura A, Terzis G. (2018). Triceps brachii muscle strength and architectural adaptations with resistance training exercises at short or long fascicle length. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 3(2):28. DOI: 10.3390/jfmk3020028 — A 6-week study in 9 young untrained women, one-arm cable training: one arm did pushdowns, the other overhead extensions (6 × 6-RM, twice a week). Strength (+40.1% vs +44.5%) and muscle thickness increased similarly in both. Included because it does not confirm the overhead advantage from Maeo 2023 in the short term, so the page does not promise extra growth. A very small sample, not listed in PubMed. (Evidence type: Intervention study)
Varovic D, Wolf M, Schoenfeld BJ, Steele J, Grgic J, Mikulic P. (2025). Does muscle length influence regional hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Sports Med 46(14):1027–1036. DOI: 10.1055/a-2615-4935 — A Bayesian meta-analysis of 12 studies in young adults: differences in regional muscle growth between training at longer and shorter muscle lengths were trivial (SMD 0.05 to 0.09). Context for the statement about the stretch: it describes what defines the exercise, without promising a large growth advantage. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
Pedrosa GF, Pereira MR, Kassiano W. (2026). The interplay between muscle length, range of motion, and exercise selection: a review. Sports Med Int Open 10. DOI: 10.1055/a-2733-7605 — A narrative review of muscle length, range of motion and exercise selection. Its key point: training in a lengthened position helps muscle growth mainly when the exercise actually loads the muscle there. The basis for the cue to lower the dumbbell as far as you can control; overhead, the load acts right in the lengthened position. A review, with no measurement of this exercise itself. (Evidence type: Narrative review)
Kholinne E, Zulkarnain RF, Sun YC, Lim S, Chun JM, Jeon IH. (2018). The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc 52(3):201–205. DOI: 10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005 — Measures all three triceps heads during unloaded elbow extension at five shoulder positions in 10 healthy people (8 men, 2 women, mean age 29) and models their force. With the arm down, the long head produced the most force; from 90 degrees of arm elevation, the medial head did (p < .05). The basis for listing all three heads as prime movers and for the medial head carrying a large share of the force overhead. A very small sample, no load, force modelled. (Evidence type: EMG)
Alves D, Matta T, Oliveira L. (2018). Effect of shoulder position on triceps brachii heads activity in dumbbell elbow extension exercises. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 58(9):1247–1252. DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.17.06849-9 — Compares long- and lateral-head triceps activity in 21 resistance-trained men during overhead and lying dumbbell triceps extensions (40% of maximal isometric strength). In both, activity was higher when straightening than when lowering, and both showed similar patterns. The only measurement with an overhead dumbbell, and the basis for the prime movers in the table. Medial head not measured, only one or two reps, no figures in the abstract. (Evidence type: EMG)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.