Single-Arm Tricep Extension
A seated single-arm overhead extension, lowering one dumbbell behind the head and pressing it back to lockout.
How to do it
- Sit upright on a flat bench with your feet flat and about hip-width apart.
- Press one dumbbell overhead until the arm is straight and beside your ear.
- Point the working elbow at the ceiling and rest your free hand on your thigh.
- Bend the working elbow to lower the dumbbell behind your head.
- Press the dumbbell back overhead without letting the upper arm drift.
- Finish the set, then move the weight to the other arm and repeat.
Key technique cue
Elbow points to the ceiling and doesn't drift out — lower the dumbbell deep behind the head.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Letting the elbow flare out to the side, which shortens the stretch on the long head.
- ✕ Leaning the torso away from the working arm, which hides how much the shoulder is helping.
- ✕ Choosing a weight that drags the arm out of position behind the head, which strains the elbow.
- ✕ Cutting the descent short, which skips the stretched range the overhead position exists for.
Benefits
- ✓ Works one arm at a time so side-to-side differences show up clearly.
- ✓ The overhead position loads the long head of the triceps under stretch.
- ✓ Needs only a bench and a single dumbbell, so it fits minimal setups.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Single-Arm Tricep Extension
- Single-Arm Overhead Cable Extension
About the exercise
The single-arm tricep extension is overhead elbow extension done one side at a time. You sit upright on a flat bench, press a dumbbell to lockout with the working arm beside your ear, then bend at the elbow to lower the weight behind your head and press it straight back up. Holding the upper arm vertical puts the long head of the triceps on stretch, which is the whole reason to work overhead. Keeping the upper arm perpendicular to the floor is what preserves that stretch across the whole rep. It needs only one bench and one dumbbell.
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