Triceps Kickback
Hinged forward with your upper arm held level with your torso, you straighten your elbow to push a dumbbell or cable handle back, isolating the triceps at full contraction.
Equipment
- Primary muscles
- Triceps
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Triceps
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
Kickbacks are hardest at the end of the rep, with your arm straight, so they load the triceps where they're fully shortened, the opposite of overhead extensions. They need only light weight, which suits finishing sets and home workouts. The dumbbell version loses tension at the start, when your forearm hangs straight down; the cable keeps tension through the whole range, so it's usually the stronger pick if you have one. Either way, the upper arm stays fixed.
How to do it (Cable)
Attach a single handle to the low pulley and stand facing the machine, about a step away.
Hinge forward from the hips until your torso is close to parallel with the floor, knees slightly bent.
Take the handle with a neutral grip and lift your elbow so your upper arm is in line with your torso, forearm hanging down.
Extend your elbow to push the handle back until your arm is straight, then return slowly. Only your forearm moves.
Hold a dumbbell in one hand, hinge forward with a flat back and rest the other hand on a bench.
Pull your elbow up so your upper arm is level with your torso and keep it there.
Extend your forearm back until your arm is straight and squeeze the triceps.
Lower the dumbbell back to 90 degrees under control. Only the forearm moves; if the elbow drops, the weight is too heavy.
Common mistakes
Letting the elbow drop
If your upper arm sags as you extend, you're swinging the weight rather than kicking it back. Keep your elbow up at torso level; if it drops, go lighter.
Swinging from the shoulder
Using a shoulder swing to get the dumbbell moving skips the part where the triceps work hardest. Start each rep from a still arm and extend smoothly.
Stopping before the arm is straight
The last part of the rep is where kickbacks do their job. Push back until your arm is fully straight and squeeze briefly.
Rounding your back in the hinge
A rounded back makes the hinge hard to hold for a whole set. Keep it flat and brace your free hand on a bench or your thigh.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
