Who Should Do?
Rehabilitation Patients
When performed with light weights, the overhead tricep extension gradually strengthens the muscles without placing excessive stress on the elbow and shoulder joints.
Because of this, it can be considered a low-impact exercise suitable for anyone currently recovering from upper-body injuries.
Additionally, the tricep overhead extension can help improve flexibility and range of motion in the shoulder and elbow joints. Improved range of motion is often a key goal in rehabilitation programs.
General Fitness Enthusiasts
The triceps are underrated muscles that play an important role in key movements involved in a variety of different exercises.
Improved tricep strength can greatly benefit athletes performing overhead movements like throwing. General gym-goers will also notice enhanced performance with popular exercises such as bench presses, push-ups, and deadlifts.
Bodybuilders
The triceps make up approximately two-thirds of the upper arm’s muscle mass. Because of this, strong and well-developed triceps are essential for bodybuilders to achieve optimal arm size and definition.
Who Should Not Do?
Individuals With Poor Shoulder Mobility
Although individuals with poor shoulder mobility can benefit long-term by practicing overhead tricep extension, it can also pose problems.
For example, lack of shoulder mobility can make it difficult to maintain proper form throughout the entire movement. This can lead to muscle strains or shoulder impingement, which affects the rotator cuff.
Lack of shoulder mobility can also place more strain on the elbow and wrist joints, which are forced to compensate. For this reason, people with poor shoulder mobility should practice the overhead tricep extension with a trainer or physical therapist.
People With Lower Back Pain
Low back pain affects as many as 691 million people worldwide. It is one of the leading causes of disability and can have a large impact on quality of life.
There are many exercises that can be performed to improve low back pain. Unfortunately, the dumbbell standing overhead tricep extension isn’t one of them.
The exercise places weight behind the head and requires significant shoulder mobility. This weight distribution and lack of shoulder mobility can cause individuals to arch their back excessively during the exercise. This could potentially further strain and aggravate the lower back.
Beginners
During the dumbbell standing overhead tricep extension, many simultaneous actions occur. These include maintaining a stable core, keeping elbows close to the head, and avoiding arching through the spine.
This can make it a difficult exercise for a beginner gym-goer to nail, especially when weight is added into the mix. For this reason, beginners are better off sticking to a seated version of the exercise or opting for other triceps dumbbell exercises.
Benefits Of The Exercise
Increased Triceps Hypertrophy And Strength
The overhead position of the elbow during the overhead tricep extension places more tension on the long head of the triceps. This has been shown to stimulate greater muscle hypertrophy compared to other tricep exercises.
Strengthening the triceps long head also has the added benefit of improving shoulder stability. More stable shoulders allow for heavier lifts, thus allowing for greater hypertrophy of the upper body muscles generally.
Enhanced Shoulder Stability
Shoulder stability refers to having adequate muscle strength to keep the shoulder joint steady during movement. The triceps long head crosses the shoulder joint, making it an important factor in shoulder stability. The same can be said for the lateral and anterior deltoids.
Strengthening all these muscles with the overhead tricep extension can improve shoulder stability. This can help you lift heavier during other arms and shoulder workouts, prevent injuries, and enhance overall upper body function.
Improved Functional Strength
Functional strength refers to the ability to perform everyday activities with ease, like lifting, bending, pushing, and pulling. Certain exercises, like lunges and squats, are ideal for improving functional core and leg strength.
Overhead tricep extension can help improve triceps muscle strength while simultaneously improving shoulder mobility. Over time, this can contribute to a more efficient and injury-resistant body.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, when performed correctly, the dumbbell overhead tricep extension is an excellent option for targeting and strengthening the triceps.
If you feel elbow pain while performing the overhead tricep extension, try this. Start with a proper warm-up to activate the supporting muscles and ligaments. Then, during the exercise, maintain controlled movements while keeping your elbows close to your head.
The number of overhead tricep extensions you should do will differ depending on your training style. For example, endurance training requires 15+ repetitions. However, for hypertrophy and strength training, you want to aim for 4–12 repetitions.
Resources
Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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