Overhead Tricep Extension: How to Do It and Muscles Worked

The overhead tricep extension is an isolation exercise where you raise a weight overhead and straighten your arms, working the muscles on the back of your upper arm. It is one of the most effective triceps exercises you can do, because lifting your arms overhead stretches the largest part of the triceps under load, and muscles tend to grow well when trained in a stretched position. It builds the size and horseshoe shape of your arms, and it needs very little kit. Here is how to do it properly, the muscles it works and how to get the most from it.

How to do an overhead tricep extension

The steps below cover the two-handed dumbbell version, the easiest place to start. You can do it seated on a weight bench with back support or standing.

1. Get set. Hold a single dumbbell vertically with both hands, cupping the top end so your palms press against the underside of the top plate. Raise it straight overhead with your arms extended.
2. Set your elbows. Point your elbows forwards and keep them tucked in fairly close to your head, not flared out wide. This is your fixed pivot for the whole set.
3. Lower under control. Keeping your upper arms still and vertical, bend only at the elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head. Go down until you feel a strong stretch in the back of your arms, without your elbows drifting apart.
4. Extend. Straighten your arms to press the dumbbell back overhead, squeezing your triceps at the top. Stop just short of snapping your elbows into a hard lockout.
5. Repeat. Keep the tempo smooth. Lower for a count of two, then extend under control.

Muscles worked

The overhead tricep extension is a pure triceps exercise, and the overhead position is what makes it special.

• Triceps long head. This is the large inner head that crosses the shoulder joint and runs down the back of your arm. Raising your arm overhead lengthens it under load, and training the triceps in this overhead, stretched position builds substantially more muscle than training with the arm in a neutral, by-your-side position (Maeo and colleagues, European Journal of Sport Science). That is the whole case for the overhead extension.
• Triceps lateral head. The outer head that gives the arm its horseshoe look from the side. It works hard through the full extension.
• Triceps medial head. The deeper head underneath, which assists on every rep and is most active near lockout.
• Core and shoulders. Holding the weight overhead asks your shoulders and core to stabilise, especially in the standing version, though they are helpers here rather than the target.

Because it hits the long head so well, the overhead extension is the ideal partner to a shortened-position move like the tricep pushdown, which trains the triceps with the arm down by your side.

Benefits

• It grows the long head. The overhead stretch loads the biggest part of the triceps in a way pushdowns and kickbacks cannot match, which is why it is so good for overall arm size.
• It builds pressing strength. Stronger triceps carry over to the overhead press, bench press and dips, since the triceps drive the lockout on all of them.
• It needs almost no kit. One dumbbell, a cable and rope, or a resistance band is enough, so it fits a home gym easily.
• It fills a gap most people miss. Many lifters only ever do pushdowns, leaving the long head undertrained. Adding an overhead move rounds out the muscle. The NHS recommends muscle-strengthening work for all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week.

Common mistakes

Flaring the elbows. When your elbows drift out wide, other muscles take over and the stretch on the triceps is lost. Keep them pointing forwards and tucked in near your head.

Turning it into a press. If your upper arms swing forwards and back, you are pressing the weight, not extending it. Lock your upper arms in place and move only your forearms.

Going too heavy. The overhead position puts the elbow in a weak spot, so a weight that is too heavy wrecks your form and stresses the joint. Pick a load you can control for 10 to 15 reps.

Bouncing out of the bottom. Dropping fast and crashing into the deep stretch risks the elbow. Lower under control and reverse smoothly.

Half reps. Not lowering far enough skips the stretched portion that makes this exercise effective. Go down until you feel a genuine stretch in the back of the arm, provided it is muscle stretch and not joint pain.

Variations

• Seated dumbbell overhead extension. Sitting with back support keeps your torso still so you can focus purely on the triceps. The best starting version.
• Overhead cable rope extension. Face away from a low or high pulley with a rope and extend overhead. The cable keeps constant tension through the whole range, which many people find kinder on the elbows. A cable machine makes this easy.
• Single-arm overhead extension. One dumbbell in one hand lets you train each arm separately and fix any imbalances.
• EZ-bar overhead extension. An EZ-bar behind the head lets you load heavier while the angled grip is easier on the wrists. This is closely related to the skull crusher.
• Banded overhead extension. Anchor a resistance band low behind you and extend overhead. Cheap, portable and joint-friendly.

Sets and reps

A simple plan that works for most people:

• Size and shape: 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps, resting 60 to 90 seconds. The triceps respond well to this slightly higher rep range on isolation work.
• Strength focus: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps with an EZ-bar or heavier dumbbell, controlled throughout.
• Learning the move: 3 sets of 12 light, slow reps, focusing on fixed elbows and a full stretch.

Add a small amount of weight or a rep once you can hit the top of your rep range with clean form on every set. Slot the overhead extension in after your main pressing work, and pair it with a pushdown for complete triceps. A set of adjustable dumbbells makes progressing the weight simple at home.

Recommended reads

1. Tricep Pushdown: how to do it and muscles worked
2. Skull Crushers technique guide
3. Overhead Press guide
4. The best adjustable dumbbells in the UK