The Lean-Forward One-Arm Tricep Kickback

Trail Log · Movement Breakdown

The seated bent-over one-arm dumbbell triceps extension is a mouthful of a name for what's essentially a very focused, very controlled tricep kickback performed while sitting on a bench. It's the tricep isolation exercise that lets you concentrate on one arm at a time while your other arm gets a well-deserved break.

You sit at the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell in one hand using a neutral grip — palm facing you. You bend your knees slightly and lean your torso forward at the waist while keeping your back straight, creating that classic bent-over position where your upper body is nearly parallel to the floor. Your upper arm with the dumbbell stays close to your torso and raised until it's parallel to the ground, with your forearm pointing down toward the floor at a ninety-degree angle.

Keeping your upper arm completely stationary — and this is absolutely critical, because moving your upper arm turns this into a different exercise entirely — you extend your forearm backward until your entire arm is straight and parallel to the floor. Feel the tricep contract hard at full extension, squeeze it for a second, and then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Only your forearm moves; everything else stays put.

After completing your reps on one arm, switch to the other and repeat. This exercise builds tricep definition and strength in the extended position, which is where the long head of the tricep is most activated. It's a finishing exercise — the kind you do after your heavy compound movements to put the final touches on arm development.