Seated Bent-Over Single-Arm Dumbbell Triceps Extension

How to do it

1. Sit on the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell in one hand and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Hinge forward from the hips until the torso is close to parallel with the floor, back flat.
3. Bring the working upper arm up beside the torso so it is parallel to the floor, elbow bent to ninety degrees.
4. Keeping the upper arm still, straighten the arm until the dumbbell is behind you and the elbow is locked.
5. Pause, then lower the forearm back to ninety degrees under control.
6. Rest the free hand on the knee or the bench, and finish the side before swapping.

Common mistakes

• Letting the upper arm drop. Once it drops below the torso the movement becomes a swing; it stays parallel to the floor for the whole set.
• Swinging the dumbbell with the shoulder. Only the forearm moves; if the whole arm moves back and forward, the weight is too heavy.
• Rounding the back to lean over. The hinge comes from the hips with a flat back; a rounded back sat over a dumbbell is a strain waiting to happen.
• Stopping short of straight. The elbow locks at the top; the last few degrees are where the triceps does its most work.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Lateral HeadTriceps
• Medial HeadTriceps