The Overhead Dumbbell Extension or Two-Arm Overhead Dumbbell French Press is an isolation exercise for working all three heads of the triceps, especially the longest, longest head. The exercise will be useful for both strength development and mass building, and will give your arms a good volume. Therefore, if you want to pump up your arms, the exercise must be present in your workout. The exercise is suitable for both men and women.

Initial position

Sit on a bench, keep your back strictly in vertical position. For convenience, you can use a bench with a back. Take the dumbbell by the pancake with both hands and put it behind your head. The elbows must be drawn inward so that they look forward, and not to the sides. Fix the elbow joint in a fixed position. The gaze is directed in front of you.

Trajectory

From the bottom position, lift the dumbbell slowly, without jerking. When lifting, you need to make efforts, fully unbending the forearms, so the muscles will receive the greatest load. Make sure that your elbows do not move apart as you perform the exercise. Don't throw your hands back. Fully straighten your elbows in the upper position and pause a little, fixing your hands for one second. Lower the dumbbell smoothly, without dips, try to lower the dumbbell as low as possible - this will allow you to stretch the triceps as much as possible.

Note

Elbows and shoulders should remain motionless, only the forearms move during the exercise. Keep the abdominal muscles in constant tension to avoid a large load on the lower back and to prevent the back from arching, while performing the exercise, the back should always remain straight. Perform the exercise in full amplitude, lowering your arms as much as possible at the bottom point and fully straightening your elbows at the top point. When lowering the dumbbell, keep it close to your head, this will allow you to take more weight. Do not forget to change the grip through the approach, first one hand lies on top, then the second, this will allow you to work out both hands more evenly.

Execution technique

• Sit down. Take a dumbbell with both hands, clasping the projectile with your palms. Raise the dumbbell up, bend your arms at the elbows and put them behind your head.
• Slowly straighten your arms, pointing them vertically upwards.
• Put your hands back in initial position.

Extending the arm with a dumbbell from behind the head pumps the top of the triceps (draws it) and the middle of all three of its heads. isolation exercise.

Extension of the arm with a dumbbell from behind the head are used in bodybuilding to equalize the development of the left and right triceps, emphasize and thicken the top and middle of the triceps muscle. Also, this exercise very effectively separates the three heads of the triceps from each other and separates them from the deltoid muscle.

Straightening of the arm is typical for all sports that are characterized by hitting and throwing the ball from behind the head (tennis, volleyball and basketball), getting into a handstand (gymnastics, acrobatics), pushing the opponent away (American football, hockey), blows from the body forward and to the side ( martial arts, boxing), repulsion from the projectile (pole vault, start in luge). Therefore, regularly increasing the strength of the triceps with our exercise, you will undoubtedly improve your results in these sports.

Extension of the arm with a dumbbell from behind the head - triceps exercise

1. Sit on a bench and plant your feet firmly on the floor. Take a dumbbell in your right hand and straighten your back.

2. Straighten your arm with a dumbbell vertically up. Bend your elbow and place the dumbbell behind your head. The grip is neutral - the palm looks forward, the little finger is higher than all other fingers. In the initial position, the elbow of the working arm is directed straight up, the torso is in a vertical position, the back is slightly bent at the waist, and the chin is parallel to the floor.

3. Take a deep breath and hold your breath. Keeping the top of your arm in a stationary position, tighten your triceps and, straightening your arm, raise the dumbbell. Movement occurs only in the elbow joint, all other parts of the body are motionless.

4. As soon as the arm is fully extended at the elbow (the highest point of the exercise), stop for 1-2 seconds and exhale even more tighten the triceps.

5. Gently bend your arm and, keeping the triceps in tension, slowly lower the dumbbell to its original position. Take a short break and do the next rep.

6. Having worked out the planned number of repetitions right hand, do the same number of repetitions with the left. This is one set.

Extension of the arm with a dumbbell from behind the head - muscles

1. Don't round your back! This causes the torso to tilt forward, which in turn causes excessive pressure on the vertebral discs and the shoulder joint. Keep your back straight and slightly arched at the waist until the end of the set.

2. Throughout the exercise top part arms (from the elbow to the shoulder) should be fixed in a vertical position. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the exercise will decrease and the elbow will be under excessive pressure.

3. Straightening the arm until the elbow joint is blocked at first strengthens the contraction of the triceps, but then causes some relaxation, as the dumbbell "finds" a new point of support - the bones of the arm. Which, in general, is dangerous if the hand is deviated from the vertical. Therefore, straightening the arm to the limit is allowed only when you are absolutely sure that the arm at this moment is strictly perpendicular to the floor.

4. This exercise is unique in that, depending on the angle of rotation of the forearm around its axis at the top point, you can target each of the triceps heads, achieving its “peak” (maximum) contraction.

5. Long head: during the extension of the arm, you do not rotate the forearm around its axis (neither in nor out), and the palm is directed forward all the time.

6. Lateral (lateral) head: approaching the top point, you slightly rotate the forearm around its axis with the palm outward, away from the body.

7. Medial (inner) head: while extending the arm, you slightly rotate the forearm around its axis with the palm inward, towards the vertical passing through the top of the head.

8. Regardless of whether you rotate your forearm around its axis or not, do not bend (or unbend) your wrist. Keep it firmly fixed until the end of the set. The hand and forearm of the working hand should always be extended in one line.

9. If you find it difficult to perform the exercise while sitting, do it while standing. This makes it easier to keep your torso upright.

Dumbbell extensions - an exercise to work out the triceps muscle of the shoulder, that is, the triceps. This exercise focuses on the long head of the triceps. It can be performed in different positions - sitting, standing, lying down, behind the head, etc. In this article, we will look at all the options for performing dumbbell extensions and tell you how to effectively use this exercise in your training program.

Different types of arm extensions with a dumbbell load the long head of the triceps almost equally, but due to the individual anatomical features of athletes, it is more convenient for some athletes to perform the exercise standing or lying down, with one dumbbell or two. Most often, dumbbell extensions are performed in the following variations:

• With one dumbbell in an incline;
• With one dumbbell sitting or standing from behind the head;
• With two dumbbells sitting or standing from behind the head;
• With two or one dumbbell lying down.

All of the described exercise options contribute to the growth of the triceps and increase its relief. Since dumbbell extensions are not basic exercise, then it should be performed at the end of the training after the basic work to finish off the muscle and get the pumping effect.

The one-dumbbell single-arm extension will require more concentration from you, but it will also allow you to feel the muscle more. When performing the bending of one arm, you will need to support the first with the other hand. If you are uncomfortable sitting, or there is no bench with a back, then you can perform dumbbell extensions while standing. The execution technique is no different.

This exercise is very difficult to heavily load the triceps when working with large weights. Other types of extensions are more effective. Incline dumbbell extensions are great for improving triceps definition for girls.

Extension of arms with dumbbells lying down

This exercise is also called the French bench press with dumbbells lying down. The execution technique is very simple:

• Lie down on a bench, grab dumbbells with both hands, raise them in front of you.
• Bend your arms so that the dumbbells are behind your head. Perform movements only in the elbow joint.
• Extend your arms so that the dumbbells are over your neck. Perform the desired number of repetitions.

In principle, there is no significant difference between seated and standing extensions, but standing dumbbell extensions are easier for some lifters due to less stress on the spine and better support. The execution technique is as follows:

• Stand straight, feet shoulder width apart. Take a dumbbell in your hands and lift it above you.
• The palms should rest against inner part dumbbell disk, and thumbs should wrap around her handle.
• As you inhale, slowly and smoothly lower the dumbbell. The forearms should touch the biceps.
• As you exhale, lift the dumbbell.

You can see how this exercise and all other types of dumbbell extensions look like in the video clips at the end of this article.

How to make extensions more effective

Dumbbell extensions are isolated exercise, and therefore they should be performed either at the beginning of a workout for a warm-up and warm-up, or at the end of a workout for complete exhaustion of the muscle. Working with dumbbells, unlike the barbell, makes it possible to slightly change the trajectory of movement in order to better load the muscles and this should be used. If you are working with too heavy dumbbells, then you need to find a partner for safety net. For the exercise to bring maximum effect you need to perform it correctly technically, as well as do several warm-up approaches before working with working weights.

Video showing the arm extension technique with dumbbells sitting from behind the head

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Bent Over Dumbbell Extension Video

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Lying Dumbbell Extension Technique

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Standing dumbbell extension technique

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click on the picture

Initial position

Dumbbell overhead row PULL-OVER performed from the following position. Lie back on a bench, feet on the floor. Hold a dumbbell with both straight arms, palms facing forward. inner surface dumbbell disks. The handle is wrapped around the thumbs and forefingers of both hands.

Dumbbell overhead row PULL-OVER: exercise

1. We take a breath and lower the dumbbell behind the head.
2. We return to the starting position and exhale.

This exercise works on the inside of the chest, a long bunch of triceps, latissimus dorsi back, teres major, pectoralis minor, rhomboid and serratus anterior.

This exercise is good for strengthening the chest.

To reduce the load on the triceps, use small dumbbells. Better lie down perpendicular horizontal bench so that the pelvis is lower shoulder girdle.

Option to perform dumbbell traction from behind the head lying down PULL-OVER

Performing the exercise lying across the bench greatly contributes to the expansion of the chest.

The use of exercise in bodybuilding

To: Everyone.
When: In the first half of the workout pectoral muscles.
Quantity: 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps.

The single dumbbell overhead extension is an isolation exercise for the triceps. It can be performed by both women and men, only the weight of the dumbbell differs. Exercise alone will not be able to ensure the growth of powerful triceps, but it will help to refine the lagging bundles of the triceps and polish the shape of the arm, even with a small weight.

Features of the dumbbell press from behind the head

Lifting a dumbbell with one hand from behind the head requires very precise technique. Not everyone can perform it due to some morphological features. Exercise requires good flexibility of the joints of the shoulder girdle and muscles. Therefore, keeping the elbow at one point close to the head will be difficult for some. Although on the last repetitions it is possible to help with the second hand when unbending the dumbbell, it is still inconvenient to do this. Also, the exercise requires a clear fixation of the shoulder, stabilization of the position of the spine, and full amplitude of elbow extension, providing tricep extension.

What muscles are working?

The exercise is aimed at developing the triceps of the shoulder, especially the long head, as well as the ulnar muscle. In addition to the target muscles, it is necessary to control the position of the body, maintaining tension in the muscles of the core. Thus, it is possible to avoid the skew of the body in one direction.

Benefits of exercise

• Isolates the work of the triceps, preventing the help of other muscles when lifting the dumbbell.
• Gives you the opportunity to feel the muscle with a small weight.
• Easy to perform in the gym and at home with just one dumbbell.
• If it is inconvenient to perform, you can perform the exercise while sitting.

disadvantages

• Inability to take heavy weights, not suitable for gaining arm mass.
• Performing the exercise with one hand can shift the spine in the direction of the load.
• Exercise can be uncomfortable with low mobility shoulder joint.
• Takes more time due to performing the approach for each arm in turn.

Execution technique

1. Standing or sitting, take a dumbbell in one hand and lift it over your shoulder.
2. Keep the other hand loose or hold the working hand below the elbow if additional fixation is needed.
3. Keeping your elbow near your head, as you inhale, lower the dumbbell as far as possible behind your head, stretching your triceps to the maximum.
4. Exhale as you extend your elbow.
5. Do not tilt the body, keep the press in good shape.
6. Repeat on the other hand.

Don't try to take big weight, this exercise is enough to load the triceps with a small weight. The main thing is that on the last repetitions in the triceps there is a burning sensation. Perform 14-20 repetitions for each arm for 3-4 sets.

Common Mistakes

• The elbow is too far away from the head, or moves forward or to the side when lowering the dumbbell behind the head.
• A deflection in the lower back or a tilt of the body to the side is formed.
• The load weight is too high.
• The movement is not performed in full amplitude.

Conclusion

At correct technique performing, extension of the dumbbell from behind the head will help tone the triceps, refine the shape of the muscle, especially its long head. If mistakes are made, the effectiveness of the exercise is significantly reduced.

• For girls, at the beginning of the development of technology, suitable performing 15-20 times even with dumbbells 2-3 kg, important so that the muscles “bake” at the end.
• For men it will be enough to perform the exercise with dumbbells weighing from 5 to 10 kg. Do 14-16 reps for 4 sets.

If it is difficult to keep the elbow in place, or a tilt of the body forms, the exercise can be replaced with the option of extending the dumbbell from behind the head with both hands. This option will increase the load, fix the elbows and prevent displacement to the side.

Lifting a dumbbell from behind the head in video format