Overhead Tricep Extension: How-to, Benefits & Variations
The overhead tricep extension targets the triceps long head. Hold a dumbbell overhead, lower behind your head, extend. Builds arm strength and bone density.
Overhead Tricep Extension: How-to, Benefits & Variations
Your arms do two things all day: reach forward and push things away. Rarely do they go overhead. That's the gap the overhead tricep extension fills, and it fills it better than any other arm exercise I program.
The triceps make up roughly two-thirds of your upper arm mass. When women tell me their arms feel soft or weak, it's almost never a bicep problem. It's a tricep problem. The overhead tricep extension puts the long head of the triceps in its most stretched position under load, which creates a stimulus no pushdown or dip can replicate.
Pilates: Full Body Pilates 4
Jessica Casalegno
How to Do Overhead Tricep Extension
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold a single dumbbell with both hands, gripping the top end with palms facing up.
Press the dumbbell overhead until your arms are fully extended. This is your starting position. Keep your elbows pointing forward, close to your ears.
Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending at the elbows. Keep your upper arms still. Only your forearms should move.
Lower until you feel a stretch in your triceps, typically when your forearms are parallel to the floor or slightly below.
Exhale and extend your elbows to press the weight back up. Squeeze the triceps at the top. Avoid flaring your elbows out to the sides.
Keep your core braced throughout. If your lower back arches, the weight is too heavy.
Muscles Worked
Primary
Triceps (long head)
Primary mover for elbow extension overhead. The long head gets maximally stretched in the overhead position, unlike pushdowns or dips.
Triceps (lateral and medial heads)
Assist the long head during the pressing phase of the movement.
Anterior deltoids
Stabilize the shoulder joint while the arms are overhead.
Secondary
Core
Prevents the lower back from arching as you extend weight overhead.
Serratus anterior
Stabilizes the scapulae during overhead movement.
Why this matters in perimenopause
Women lose lean muscle mass progressively from their 30s, and the decline accelerates during perimenopause as estrogen levels drop. Regular resistance training directly counteracts this decline by stimulating muscle protein synthesis and providing mechanical loading for bone health.
Coach's Tips
"Inhale to bend the elbows. As you exhale, tricep extension." That's Jessica Casalegno's cue. This detail makes the difference between an effective rep and a wasted one.
Jessica Casalegno
"You've got ten tiny circles right here." That's Jessica Casalegno's cue. This detail makes the difference between an effective rep and a wasted one.
Jessica Casalegno
"Weights are gonna stack up on top of the shins to apply gentle pressure... challenge your teaser." Use this modification when the standard version is too challenging.
Jessica Casalegno
Exhale on the exertion phase, inhale on the return. This engages your deep core and supports your pelvic floor under load.
Why This Matters for You
The overhead tricep extension directly addresses three perimenopause priorities: muscle preservation, bone loading, and metabolic health. Estrogen decline after 40 accelerates sarcopenia, the age-related loss of lean muscle that changes body composition, weakens joints, and slows metabolism. Resistance training is the strongest evidence-backed countermeasure.
A 2023 network meta-analysis of 19 RCTs involving 919 postmenopausal women found moderate-intensity resistance training 3 days per week significantly improved lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density. The effect was most pronounced during the first 48 weeks, meaning early adoption matters. The overhead tricep extension loads the exact skeletal sites and muscle groups that perimenopause targets first.
Variations & Modifications
Overhead Tricep Extension (Right)
mediumVariation of the overhead tricep extension that modifies the standard movement pattern for different training emphasis.
Overhead Tricep Extension (Left)
mediumVariation of the overhead tricep extension that modifies the standard movement pattern for different training emphasis.
Benefits
Targets the muscle most women neglect
The triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm. Most women focus on biceps, but tricep strength is what prevents that upper arm softness and makes everyday pushing tasks easier.
Overhead position maximizes the stretch
The long head of the triceps crosses both the elbow and shoulder joint. Only overhead extensions put it in a fully stretched position under load, which research shows produces greater hypertrophy.
Builds functional overhead strength
Putting luggage in an overhead bin. Reaching for a high shelf. Lifting a child above your head. All overhead pressing patterns that depend on tricep strength.
One dumbbell, standing or seated
You need a single dumbbell and a few square feet of space. No bench required. No cable machine. This works in a living room, hotel room, or gym floor.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Elbows flaring out wide
Keep elbows pointing forward, close to your ears. Think about squeezing a tennis ball between your upper arms and your head.
Arching the lower back
Brace your core like someone is about to push you. If you still arch, lighten the weight or sit on a bench with back support.
Using momentum to swing the weight
Slow the movement down. 2 seconds down, 1 second up. If you need to swing, the dumbbell is too heavy.
Not going through full range of motion
Lower the dumbbell until you feel a stretch in your triceps. Partial reps shortchange the long head, which is the whole point of doing this exercise overhead.
Workouts Featuring This Exercise
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Frequently Asked Questions
Related Exercises
Bicep Curl
Complements the overhead tricep extension by targeting related muscle groups and movement patterns.
Tricep Dip
Complements the overhead tricep extension by targeting related muscle groups and movement patterns.
Arm Circles
Complements the overhead tricep extension by targeting related muscle groups and movement patterns.
Tricep Stretch
Complements the overhead tricep extension by targeting related muscle groups and movement patterns.
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