RepCount App IconRepCount

Tricep kickback

Also called triceps kickback, dumbbell kickback, one-arm tricep kickback, DB kickback.

What is a tricep kickback?

A tricep kickback is a one-arm dumbbell exercise performed with the torso hinged and the upper arm held beside or slightly behind the body. From a bent elbow, you straighten the arm behind you, then return the dumbbell without letting the upper arm swing.

Anatomical illustration of a man braced on a bench performing a one-arm dumbbell kickback in two frames, with the triceps highlighted.

How do you perform a tricep kickback?

Set up

  1. Place one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, plant the other foot and hinge until your trunk is stable and close to horizontal.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the free hand, draw the upper arm beside your torso and bend the elbow to about a right angle.

Execution

  1. Keep the upper arm still and straighten the elbow until the arm is long behind you.
  2. Pause without lifting the shoulder or twisting the torso.
  3. Bend the elbow under control until the dumbbell returns beneath it, then repeat before changing sides.

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the whole arm

    Moving the shoulder turns the rep into a row or shoulder extension. Hold the upper arm beside the torso and move only at the elbow.

  • Dropping the elbow as the dumbbell lowers

    A falling elbow changes the resistance and makes every rep start from a different position. Keep it at the same height throughout the set.

  • Twisting to lift more weight

    Rotating the torso moves the dumbbell without the triceps finishing the elbow extension. Use bench support and reduce the load until the hips and shoulders stay square.

Where it fits in a session

Use it near the end of an upper-body or arm session after heavier presses and extensions.

The dumbbell has little leverage at the bottom and the most near the straight-arm position. Use a light enough load to reach that top position without swinging the upper arm.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

  • None listed in this guide

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The triceps straighten the elbow while the upper arm stays behind the torso.

Variations

  • Cable tricep kickback — Uses a low cable so resistance remains present through more of the elbow's range.
  • Anatomical illustration of a cable triceps pushdown, drawn as two frames side by side on white. A muscle-anatomy figure in shorts stands facing a cable tower, seen from his left side, holding a black angled bar with an overhand grip on a cable running from a pulley at the top of the tower. In the left frame the elbows are bent past a right angle and the bar is at chest height, with the weight stack down. In the right frame the elbows are straight and the bar is down at the front of the thighs, with the stack raised. In both frames the upper arm stays down at the side and the back of the near upper arm is highlighted in red, from the shoulder to the elbow — the triceps.
    Triceps pushdownKeeps the upper arms by the sides while a high cable is pressed toward the thighs.
  • Anatomical illustration of a lying barbell triceps extension, two frames side by side. A man lies face up on a flat bench set inside an upright rack, feet flat on the floor, holding a loaded barbell with a close overhand grip. In the left frame the elbows are bent and the bar is lowered toward his forehead, the upper arms angled back over his head; in the right frame the arms are pressed to straight above his chest. Skin is cut away to show the muscles, and in both frames the triceps along the back of each upper arm is shaded red while everything else stays grey.
    Lying triceps extensionUses both arms on a bench with the load moving toward the head.

Frequently asked questions

What muscles do tricep kickbacks work?

They isolate the triceps by straightening the elbow while the upper arm stays behind the torso.

How high should the elbow be during a tricep kickback?

Hold the upper arm beside or slightly behind the torso at a height you can keep without shrugging or twisting.

Are cable or dumbbell kickbacks better?

They have different resistance profiles. A cable keeps pulling throughout more of the range, while a dumbbell becomes hardest near the top. Choose the version you can control and progress.

Sources

  1. Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/

Track your progress over time with RepCount

Log every set, see plate loading in context, and track your strength over time. Available on iOS and Android.

Download on the

App Store

Get it on

Google Play