The Single-Arm Tricep Extension is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the triceps. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesTriceps
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Single-Arm Tricep Extension
Sit upright on a flat bench with your feet flat and about hip-width apart.
Press one dumbbell overhead until the arm is straight and beside your ear.
Point the working elbow at the ceiling and rest your free hand on your thigh.
Bend the working elbow to lower the dumbbell behind your head.
Press the dumbbell back overhead without letting the upper arm drift.
Finish the set, then move the weight to the other arm and repeat.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Works one arm at a time so side-to-side differences show up clearly.
The overhead position loads the long head of the triceps under stretch.
Needs only a bench and a single dumbbell, so it fits minimal setups.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Letting the elbow flare out to the side, which shortens the stretch on the long head.
Leaning the torso away from the working arm, which hides how much the shoulder is helping.
Choosing a weight that drags the arm out of position behind the head, which strains the elbow.
Cutting the descent short, which skips the stretched range the overhead position exists for.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Single-Arm Tricep Extension, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
