Training guide
A triceps extension is straightening your elbow against a weight while your upper arm stays still. You can do it with your arm overhead, lying on a bench (the skull crusher) or at your side on a cable (the pushdown). Lower under control, straighten fully, and use a weight you can move 10 to 15 times.
In one 12-week trial of 21 adults, extensions with the arm overhead grew the triceps about 40% more than the same work with the arm at the side. A 6-week trial found no difference, and the lying position hasn't been tested, so include an overhead version without dropping the others. Presses and dips train the triceps too.
This guide covers all three versions step by step on the 3D figure, which grows the triceps most, how heavy, sets and reps, and what to change if your elbows complain.
Keep your upper arm still and straighten your elbow against a weight: overhead, lying on a bench or with your arm at your side. All three train the triceps, the muscle at the back of your upper arm whose main job is straightening the elbow.
Source 1
In one 12-week trial of 21 adults, overhead extensions grew the triceps about 40% more than the same work with the arm at the side, even with lighter weights. A 6-week trial in 9 women found no difference, and the lying position (skull crushers) hasn't been tested. Include one overhead version.
In a study of 15 women, diamond push-ups drew the most triceps activity and overhead extensions, pushdowns and lying extensions less. Activity in a few reps doesn't predict what a muscle builds.
A weight you can move 10 to 15 times, 2 or 3 sets, the last set 0 to 2 reps short of failure, as in our workouts. Expect to use about a third less weight overhead than in a pushdown. Aim for about 10 or more hard triceps sets a week, counting presses and dips as half sets.
For skull crushers, use dumbbells or an EZ bar, lower slowly and stop about 2 reps short, as our dumbbell upper body workout B says. Keep discomfort to about 3 to 4 out of 10, settled within an hour, as our elbow guides say, and shorten the range or swap the exercise if your ring and little fingers tingle. A snap with sudden weakness straightening your arm needs an urgent treatment centre or A&E.
Source 8
An extension straightens the elbow against a weight, a cable or a band while the upper arm stays still. The upper arm's position names the version: overhead (dumbbell, cable or band), lying on a bench with the arms pointing up (the skull crusher or lying extension), or at your side (the pushdown and the kickback), as our move pages show.
The long head starts on the shoulder blade just below the shoulder socket, so it crosses the shoulder. The lateral and medial heads start on the upper arm bone. All three join one tendon at the point of the elbow.
Source 1
Raising your arm overhead stretches the long head across the shoulder. In the 12-week trial, overhead training grew the long head 1.5 times as much and the whole triceps 1.4 times as much as arm-at-your-side training. The lying position sits in between, and no growth trial has tested it against the others.
Source 2
Bench presses, push-ups, overhead presses and dips work the triceps too. In the latest dose meta-analysis, counting such indirect sets as half sets predicted growth best.
Source 7
The ulnar nerve passes the inner elbow, and bending the elbow fully squashes it. That's why some people's ring and little fingers tingle in deep overhead or lying extensions, as our elbow pain from pull-ups guide explains.
In 21 adults, one arm trained overhead cable extensions and the other the same work with the arm at the side: 5 sets of 10 at 70% of their maximum, twice a week for 12 weeks. On MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans, the whole triceps grew 19.9% overhead against 13.9%, the long head 28.5% against 19.6% and the other heads 14.6% against 10.5%, though the overhead weights were 34 to 39% lighter. Strength rose 62 to 71% either way. In 9 novice women over 6 weeks, pushdowns and overhead extensions grew the triceps similarly. Two small trials that don't agree, so the overhead advantage is promising rather than settled.
The trial compared the arm fully overhead with the arm at the side. In a skull crusher your upper arm points up from a bench, partway between the two, and we found no growth trial of that position.
Source 2
In an American Council on Exercise (ACE) study of 15 women with lifting experience, doing one set of 7 reps, triceps activity compared with the triangle (diamond) push-up was: kickbacks 87%, dips on a low bench 87%, overhead extension 76%, rope pushdown 74%, bar pushdown 67%, lying barbell extension 62% and close-grip bench press 62%. It measured effort in one set, not growth, and ACE funded it.
Half reps in the stretched position built as much triceps as full reps in 30 trained adults over 8 weeks. In a review of 11 studies, one study found mid-range partials grew the triceps more than full range. A full range, or the stretched half, is a safe default.
A review found more triceps growth above 20 weekly sets in trained people. A trial of 1, 3 or 5 sets per exercise found more sets helped the arm flexors and thighs but not clearly the triceps.
Each extra weekly set added about 0.4% growth across 15 studies, the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM's) overview of 137 reviews found growth enhanced with 10 or more sets a week, and the latest dose meta-analysis found diminishing returns.
In 30 untrained adults, pushdowns done with flaring elbows, leg drive and a forward lean built as much muscle as strict pushdowns over 8 weeks. Strict reps remain easier to judge.
Source 14
Training to failure gave a trivial growth advantage at most across 15 studies, and light loads built as much muscle as heavy ones when sets were hard, across 28 studies.
In 104 adults, 12 weeks of training one arm didn't reduce the fat over it more than over the other arm, measured by MRI. Across 13 studies of 1,158 people, exercising a body part didn't reduce the fat over it.
Steps from our move page; the grip and stopping points are editorial. The 12-week trial used an overhead cable, our overhead cable extension. Leave overhead extensions out with shoulder pain, and shorten the range if your ring and little fingers tingle, as our move page advises.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Standing overhead dumbbell triceps extension
Steps from our move page; the stopping point is editorial, and stopping about 2 reps short follows our dumbbell upper body workout B. Dumbbells or an EZ bar suit the wrists and elbows better than a straight bar.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Dumbbell skull crusher (lying triceps extension)
Steps from our move page. If you find yourself leaning your body weight onto the bar, the weight is too heavy.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Triceps pushdown
Grew the triceps about 40% more than arm-at-your-side work in the one 12-week trial, including the lateral and medial heads, not only the long head. Use a dumbbell, a cable rope or a band.
Source 2
Your arm is partway up, between the two positions in the trial. It hasn't been tested for growth; it's a good exercise if your elbows like it.
Source 2
Grew the triceps as much as overhead work in a 6-week trial of 9 women. Pushdowns are easy to load in small steps and suit most elbows (our view); kickbacks drew high muscle activity in the ACE study.
Two extensions a week, one of them overhead: for example overhead extensions plus pushdowns, or overhead extensions on one day and skull crushers on another (editorial).
With the last rep or two hard. That's the range our arm and upper body workouts use, within our sets and reps guide's range for small moves.
In the 12-week trial, people used 34 to 39% less weight overhead than with the arm at the side, and still grew more.
Source 2
Stop about 2 reps short and let your elbows, not your muscles, set the weight, as our dumbbell upper body workout B says.
Light loads built as much muscle as heavy ones when sets were hard, across 28 studies. Your elbows usually prefer the lighter end.
Source 16
Pick one overhead and one other: the overhead dumbbell extension at 2 sets of 10 to 12 (our dumbbell upper body workout), the cable rope at 2 sets of 10 to 15 (upper body gym workout B) or the band at 2 sets of 12 to 15 (resistance band workout B); skull crushers at 2 sets of 10 to 15 (push day B); pushdowns at 3 sets of 10 to 15 (push day); or close-grip push-ups at 2 sets of 6 to 12 (upper body workout at home).
3D demoStanding overhead dumbbell triceps extensionIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoOverhead cable triceps extensionIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoBand overhead triceps extensionIntermediate · A band
3D demoKettlebell overhead triceps extensionIntermediate · A kettlebell
3D demoDumbbell skull crusher (lying triceps extension)Intermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoEZ-bar skull crusherIntermediate · EZ curl bar + A bench or box
3D demoLying dumbbell triceps extensionIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoTriceps pushdownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoV-bar triceps pushdownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoDumbbell triceps kickbackBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoClose-grip push-up (close triceps position)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoBody-up (plank triceps extension)Intermediate · No equipment2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 per exercise, 60 to 90 seconds' rest, most sets stopping 1 to 3 reps short and the last 0 to 2 short, as our plans' notes for small moves say.
About 10 or more hard sets a week, counting each set of bench presses, push-ups, overhead presses or dips as half a set (our reading of the ACSM guidance and the dose meta-analysis).
Two sessions a week, as in the 12-week trial; or pair your extensions with curls on an arm day.
Source 2
Log weight and reps, and note how your elbows feel the next morning: comfortable elbows are part of progress (our suggestion).
Strength rose 40 to 71% and triceps size about 10 to 20% over 6 to 12 weeks in these trials; people vary, and gains slow with experience.
If your elbows drift or flare, your shoulders take over. Keep your upper arms still, as our move pages cue.
If you lean your body weight onto the bar, the weight is too heavy, as our move page says.
Lower skull crushers slowly, with a weight you could stop at any point, as our move page advises.
Keep your ribs down; sit on a bench with a back rest if you can't (our suggestion).
Use dumbbells or an EZ bar, as our skull crusher page suggests.
Keep to the elbow pain rule below, go lighter for more reps and give sore elbows recovery days.
Up to about 3 to 4 out of 10 during the exercise, settling within an hour, and no worse the next morning. If it's worse, go lighter next time, not to nothing. That's the rule in our elbow guides.
Tingling in your ring and little fingers in deep extensions usually comes from the ulnar nerve being squashed: shorten the range or swap to pushdowns, as our move pages advise. The NHS says to go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E if your arm tingles or feels numb, and our ulnar nerve guide covers tingling that keeps coming back.
Source 8
An ache where the triceps tendon meets the elbow, worse when you straighten against resistance, is usually a load problem. Our triceps tendinopathy guide starts with holds and lighter pushdowns and brings heavy skull crushers back last.
A snap with sudden pain and weakness straightening the arm, or an arm that has changed shape, needs an urgent treatment centre or A&E.
Source 8
Each set counts as about half a triceps set: our dips guide covers dips in full, our bench press guide the close-grip bench, and the JM press takes 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15, its move page's dose.
Leave overhead extensions out and use pushdowns or kickbacks, as our move page advises.
Lighter, more reps, and pushdowns before skull crushers, as our triceps tendinopathy guide sets out.
Shorten the range or skip deep extensions, as our move pages and ulnar nerve guide suggest.
Dumbbells or an EZ bar rather than a straight bar, or a rope on the cable (our suggestion).
Follow your surgeon's limits before pushing or lifting with your arms, as our heart surgery guide says.
Our home arm workout pairs an overhead dumbbell extension with curls. Push day uses pushdowns at 3 sets of 10 to 15, push day B skull crushers at 2 sets of 10 to 15, upper body gym workout B the overhead cable extension, and the arm workout skull crushers and pushdowns.
A 30-minute arm workout at home with dumbbells: curls, hammer curls and concentration curls paired with overhead extensions, close-grip push-ups and kickbacks.
30 minBeginner8 movesA dumbbellBiceps, triceps and forearms: curls, hammer curls, skull crushers, pushdowns, concentration curls and dips.
35 minBeginner7 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxA push day workout for chest, shoulders and triceps: bench press, overhead press, incline dumbbell press, lateral raises and pushdowns.
55 minIntermediate10 movesA band, A barbellPush day B: seated dumbbell press, dumbbell bench press, cable flyes, cable lateral raises, dips and skull crushers, with sets, reps and rest.
50 minIntermediate11 movesA band, A dumbbellUpper body workout B: overhead press, pull-ups, incline dumbbell press, chest-supported rows, face pulls, hammer curls and triceps extensions.
50 minIntermediate13 movesA band, Pull-up barChest, back, shoulders and arms with dumbbells: presses, rows, raises, reverse flyes, curls and extensions.
40 minIntermediate9 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxDumbbell upper body workout B: incline presses, chest-supported rows, seated presses, lateral raises, reverse flyes, hammer curls and skull crushers.
45 minIntermediate11 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxA 35-minute full-body band workout: rows and push-ups, split squats and an anchored hip hinge, then bridges, face pulls, raises, triceps and a Pallof press.
35 minBeginner15 movesA wall, A bandA 20-minute drop-set finisher for shoulders and arms: lateral raises, curls and pushdowns, each one set with two drops, plus a push-up drop set.
20 minIntermediate10 movesA band, A dumbbellTriceps extensions come round once or twice a week in each of these plans.
A 4-day upper/lower split: two upper body and two lower body gym days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps and progression.
4 training days50 minIntermediate5 days a weekA 5-day gym split that trains every muscle twice a week: upper, lower, push, pull and legs, with an honest look at the bro split.
5 training days50 minIntermediate5 days a weekThe classic chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms week, built from our gym workouts, with what research says about training each muscle once.
5 training days45 minIntermediate6 days a weekA 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvanced4 days a weekA 4-day dumbbell-only plan for home or gym: two upper and two lower days, every set, rep and rest, and how to keep progressing when the dumbbells max out.
4 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekAn 8-week resistance band workout plan: three full-body sessions a week at home or away, with how to choose bands, add tension and anchor them safely.
3 training days35 minBeginnerIf arm pain comes on suddenly with pressure, heaviness or squeezing across your chest. During any exercise, stop and get help for chest pain, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting, as our plans advise.
Source 8
If you have severe pain in your arm and it's difficult to move; you've injured your arm and heard a snap, or it has changed shape; or your arm tingles or feels numb. In the US, go to urgent care or the emergency department.
Source 8
If your arm hurts when you exercise but the pain goes when you rest, or it's swollen and you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
Source 8
If elbow or arm pain hasn't gone after a few weeks.
Source 8
They topped a muscle activity ranking, as our dips guide reports, but activity doesn't predict growth. In the one 12-week growth trial, an overhead extension grew the triceps more than arm-at-your-side work.
One 12-week trial favoured them; a 6-week trial found no difference, and every extension trains all three heads. Mix positions.
All three heads share one tendon and work in every extension, and overhead training grew the lateral and medial heads more too, not only the long head.
Exercising an arm didn't reduce the fat over it more than over the other arm. The exercises firm the muscle underneath; fat changes with overall activity and eating.
Hold one dumbbell overhead in both hands, your upper arms by your head. Bend your elbows to lower it slowly behind your head, then straighten your arms, keeping your upper arms still. Stop short if your elbows ache or your fingers tingle.
Overhead, in the best evidence so far: one 12-week trial of 21 adults found overhead extensions grew the triceps about 40% more than the same work with the arm at your side. A 6-week trial found no difference, and skull crushers haven't been tested, so do an overhead version plus one other.
Use dumbbells or an EZ bar rather than a straight bar, lower slowly beside your forehead, and pick a weight you could stop at any point. Stop about 2 reps short of failure and let your elbows, not your muscles, set the weight. If your elbows still ache, swap to pushdowns for a while.
Both work. Overhead extensions grew the triceps more than arm-at-your-side work in the longer trial, while pushdowns are easy to load and gentle on most elbows. Many people do one of each.
All three heads of the triceps at the back of your upper arm: the long head, which also crosses your shoulder, and the lateral and medial heads. Raising your arm overhead stretches the long head, which may be why overhead work grew it most.
A weight you can lift 10 to 15 times, with the last rep or two hard. Expect to use about a third less weight overhead than in a pushdown.
Two or three sets of 10 to 15 per exercise, resting 60 to 90 seconds, with the last set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Aim for about 10 or more hard triceps sets a week, counting presses, push-ups and dips as half sets.
Yes: an overhead extension with one dumbbell, a band or a kettlebell, kickbacks, and close-grip or diamond push-ups all work. Our home arm workout puts them together.
Every extension trains it, but overhead work trained it most, with 1.5 times the growth over 12 weeks in one trial. One overhead extension in your week covers it.
Often it's the triceps tendon, after too much load too soon. Go lighter, keep pain to about 3 to 4 out of 10 and no worse the next morning, and see our triceps tendinopathy guide. A snap with sudden weakness straightening your arm needs urgent care.
No. In 104 adults, training one arm for 12 weeks didn't reduce the fat on it more than on the other arm. Fat comes off the whole body with overall activity and eating habits, while the exercises firm the muscle underneath.
They work your triceps hard and count as about half a triceps set each. For more size, add an overhead extension, because the overhead position grew the triceps more in a trial.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
