Triceps kickback: how to do it
Main muscles: Triceps long head, Triceps lateral head. Helpers: Triceps medial head. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Dumbbells
Reps
8–12
Rest
105 s
Muscle group
Arms
How to do it
- Hand and knee on the bench, the working upper arm against the torso and parallel to the floor.
- Extend the arm back to full lockout, short pause at the end.
- Bend it slowly while the upper arm stays where it is.
Common mistakes
Moving the upper arm instead of the elbow, throwing the weight with momentum.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Triceps long head, Triceps lateral head
- Secondary
- Triceps medial head
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Alternatives: similar exercises
Overhead dumbbell extension
Dumbbells · Triceps long head, Triceps medial head
Dips
Bodyweight · Lower chest, Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Skull crusher
Barbell · Triceps long head, Triceps medial head
Cable pushdown
Cable · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Bench dips
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Close-grip push-ups
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
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