Arm Extension
The arm extension is the primary movement pattern for training the triceps — the muscle that makes up the majority of the upper arm’s size and is the direct driver of all pushing movements. Despite arms being one of the most trained muscle groups, the triceps often get less direct attention than the biceps, which is worth correcting given how much the triceps contribute to overall arm development and pressing strength.
The triceps has three heads — long, lateral, and medial. Different extension variations emphasize different heads. Overhead extension movements, where the arm is raised above the head before extending, place the long head under a greater stretch and produce more complete tricep development than pushdown variations alone. Including both overhead and pushdown movements in a program is worth doing for that reason.
As with curls, a full range of motion and a controlled eccentric produce the best results. On pushdown variations that means not letting the weight pull the elbows forward at the bottom. On overhead variations it means letting the weight travel down through the full stretch before extending. The tricep responds well to feeling that stretch at the bottom of the movement.
Below are the arm extension variations in the library.
Reference Card
Movement Pattern: Elbow extension Primary Muscles: Triceps brachii — long, lateral, and medial heads Secondary Muscles: Posterior deltoid, anconeus
Variations
- Cable tricep pushdown
- Dumbbell overhead tricep extension
- Cable overhead tricep extension
- Barbell skull crusher
- Dumbbell skull crusher
- Machine tricep extension
- Dumbbell tricep kickback
- Cable tricep kickback
Considerations
- Include both overhead and pushdown variations for complete tricep development — overhead movements emphasize the long head through a fuller stretch
- Control the eccentric and own the bottom position — that stretch is where a significant portion of the stimulus lives
- The triceps make up the majority of the upper arm — developing them directly produces more overall arm size than prioritizing biceps alone
Programming Notes
- Works well at the end of a chest or shoulder session, or in a dedicated arm session
- Responds well to moderate to higher rep ranges (8–15)
- Overhead variations can be uncomfortable for some people with shoulder mobility limitations — pushdown variations are a suitable alternative in those cases