Triceps exercise
Dumbbell Triceps KickbackHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Triceps
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Triceps Kickback?
- Put one knee and one hand on a flat bench, back flat.
- Hold the dumbbell, upper arm against your side, parallel to the floor.
- Start with your elbow bent so your forearm hangs straight down.
- Straighten your arm back until it is fully straight.
- Squeeze, then lower your forearm slowly to vertical.
Cues
- Upper arm stays glued high
- Back flat, hips square
- Squeeze at full extension
Common mistakes
- Upper arm dropping: keep it level with your back throughout.
- Swinging the weight: use a lighter dumbbell and move slowly.
- Twisting your torso: keep your shoulders and hips square to the bench.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Flat bench (pad top about 45 cm). For a right-arm rep: left knee on the bench under the left hip, left hand on the bench under the left shoulder with that arm straight and vertical. Right foot on the floor beside the bench, a little back and out for balance, knee soft. Dumbbell in the right hand, neutral grip (palm facing the body), wrist straight. The working arm is on the camera side.
The movement
Only the forearm moves, swinging back and up in an arc about the elbow until the arm is straight, then back down to vertical. The upper arm stays fixed against the torso: it does not drop as the forearm lowers or lift as it extends. The wrist stays straight and the palm keeps facing the body. Torso, hips and the support arm stay still: no rotation towards the working side, no sagging or arching. ACE shows a standing split-stance version; the bench-supported version here (ExRx) holds the same arm positions.
End position
(turnaround point): elbow fully extended, about 180° (accept 175–180°), the whole arm in one straight line parallel to the floor, the dumbbell beside or just behind the hip. Upper arm still in the same place. A short squeeze (about 0.5 s).
Tempo
About 1.5 s up (extend), a 0.5 s squeeze, about 2 s down.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper arm from horizontal | 0° | 0–10° above, fixed all rep | |
| Elbow flexion at the start | 90° | 80–100° | |
| Elbow at the end | 180° | 175–180° | |
| Forearm from vertical at the start | 0° | 0–10° | |
| Torso rotation | 0° | under 5° | |
| Support arm | vertical, under the shoulder | 0–10° from vertical |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Dumbbell Triceps Kickback is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
