Slide show: Weight training exercises
Woman doing triceps extension with dumbbell
Previous Next 4 of 11 Triceps extension

The triceps extension is an exercise you can do with a dumbbell to strengthen the triceps muscle in the back of your upper arm.

Lie on your back with a dumbbell in your hand. Point your upper arm toward the ceiling, with your elbow bent to 90 degrees. Slowly straighten your elbow, moving the weight upward. Avoid using momentum to force your elbow straight.

You'll feel tension in the muscles in the back of your upper arm. Then slowly lower the weight to the starting position. Repeat. If necessary, use the opposite hand to help keep your arm in a 90-degree position during each extension.

You can do triceps extensions lying on a weight bench or on the floor.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

See more Multimedia Nov. 11, 2020