Weight Training 101: Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

Primary Muscle Group(s): Back of upper arms (triceps)

Proper Position: Make sure that your feet are planted firmly on the ground while maintaining a natural arch in your lower back. Your neck, head and shoulders should be resting wholly on the exercise stability ball. Position your arms straight up with approximately 90 degrees of flexion between your arms and torso. Dumbbells are parallel to each other and at shoulder length.

Proper Technique: Slowly lower the forearms without moving your shoulders or upper arms. Bring the forearms down until they form a degree angle with your upper arms. Maintain shoulder's distance between dummbells lowering to either side of the head (to approximately ear level). Pause for a second to build up the eccentric tension and then return to starting position.

Essential Tips: Keep wrists in neutral position because hyperextension of the wrist could cause pain similar to tennis elbow. Avoid twisting or rotating the shoulders or wrists. Emphasize form over the weight moved. Remember to inhale on downward phase of the movement (eccentric) and exhale on the upward phase (concentric).

Phil's Notes: Take a look at your upper arms. Notice that the triceps are an overall larger muscle group than the biceps. Yet, men and women alike tend to overtrain biceps and put little effort into triceps. For a balanced looking upper arm, train both equally! As mentioned above, a tennis elbow-like injury is common for this exercise when using dumbells, and especially with a straight or EZ-curl bar (a.k.a "nose cr skull crunchers"). This injury can be avoided by using proper form. This means not overloading the weight and maintaining a fluid, controlled tempo through each repetition...AND... properly stretching wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms and shoulders before you lift!

Exercise Description Source: Fitness: The Complete Guide by International Sports Sciences Association.