RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Exercises for the long head of the tricep: overhead, lying and kickback

Published October 29, 2026

The long head is the biggest of the three triceps heads and the only one that crosses the shoulder, so it works hardest when your arm is raised overhead, where it is stretched. The best exercises are the overhead cable extension, the seated dumbbell overhead extension and skull crushers, with cable or dumbbell kickbacks and the close-grip bench press adding load from other angles. Do one overhead extension and one other triceps exercise, 8 to 12 sets a week, 8 to 15 reps a set, stopping 1 to 2 reps short of failure.

  1. Overhead Cable Triceps Extension Triceps
  2. Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension Triceps
  3. EZ-Bar Skullcrusher Triceps
  4. Cable Triceps Kickback Triceps
  5. Close-Grip Bench Press Triceps, Chest
  6. Dumbbell Skullcrusher Triceps

Overhead extensions

With your elbows pointing up, the long head is stretched across both the shoulder and the elbow. That stretched position is where it grows best, so make one of these the first triceps exercise of the day.

Triceps long head, stretched position

Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Triceps

The cable keeps tension on the triceps right down into the deepest stretch behind your head, where dumbbells feel lightest. If you only do one long head exercise, make it this.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to a high pulley, take an end in each hand and turn away from the machine.
  2. Step forward into a split stance with your hands behind your head and elbows pointing forward.
  3. Extend your elbows until your arms are straight out in front of your head.
  4. Let your hands return behind your head for a full stretch.

Cues

  • Upper arms stay high
  • Long stretch every rep
  • Brace your trunk

Common mistakes

  • Bringing your elbows down to push: keep them up and still.
  • Shortening the stretch as the set gets hard: reduce the weight instead.

Swap for: Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension, EZ-Bar Skullcrusher, Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension

Build a session with Overhead Cable Triceps Extension
Log it in RIRLift

Triceps long head, dumbbell overhead

Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps

The home and dumbbell version of the overhead extension: one dumbbell held in both hands. Sitting stops you from leaning back or using your legs to finish reps, so the stretch stays on the triceps.

How to do it

  1. Sit tall on a chair and lift one dumbbell overhead, both hands under the top plate.
  2. Bend your elbows to bring the weight down behind your neck, upper arms close to your head.
  3. Feel the stretch, then press it back up to straight arms.
  4. Keep your back from arching as you press.

Cues

  • Elbows forward
  • Weight behind your neck
  • Ribs stay down

Common mistakes

  • Elbows drifting out to the sides: keep them pointed ahead.
  • Short lowering: take it as deep as your shoulders allow.

Swap for: Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Build a session with Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
Log it in RIRLift

Triceps long head, kettlebell overhead

Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps

Holding the kettlebell by the horns lets the bell drop lower behind your head than a dumbbell, which adds a little stretch at the bottom.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and hold a kettlebell by the horns, bell hanging upside down, arms extended overhead.
  2. Keep your elbows pointed forward and close to your head.
  3. Bend your elbows to lower the bell behind your head as far as your shoulders allow.
  4. Straighten your arms to press it back overhead, and repeat.

Cues

  • Elbows point at the wall in front
  • Ribs down, no arching
  • Deep stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows flare out: keep them narrow even if you need a lighter bell.
  • Arching your lower back to get the bell up: squeeze your glutes and brace.

Swap for: Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension, Kettlebell Skullcrusher

Build a session with Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension
Log it in RIRLift

Triceps long head, plate overhead

Plate Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps

A single plate is enough to train the long head overhead when that is all you have. Grip it by the edges and keep your elbows pointing forward.

How to do it

  1. Sit or stand tall and press a plate overhead, holding it by the rim with both hands.
  2. Your upper arms stay close to your head, pointing up.
  3. Bend your elbows to lower the plate behind your head until you feel a deep stretch in the backs of your arms.
  4. Straighten your elbows to bring the plate back overhead without moving your upper arms.

Cues

  • Elbows point at the ceiling
  • Deep stretch at the bottom
  • Only your forearms move

Common mistakes

  • Elbows flaring out wide: the shoulders start helping and the stretch on the triceps shrinks. Keep them about shoulder width apart.
  • Arching your lower back as the plate drops: sit on a bench with your back supported, or brace harder.

Swap for: Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension, Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Build a session with Plate Overhead Triceps Extension
Log it in RIRLift

Skull crushers

Lying extensions keep the upper arm angled back toward your head, so the long head is still partly stretched, and they are easier on the shoulder than full overhead work.

Triceps long head, lying extension

EZ-Bar Skullcrusher

Triceps

Lowering the bar behind your forehead rather than to it keeps the upper arm angled back and loads the long head. It is the lying extension you can load heaviest, so it suits sets of 8 to 12.

How to do it

  1. Lie back on a flat bench holding an EZ bar or straight bar overhand, hands about shoulder width, arms straight over your shoulders.
  2. Let your upper arms tip back a little toward your head and hold them there.
  3. Bend your elbows to lower the bar just behind the top of your head.
  4. Extend your elbows to return to the start.

Cues

  • Upper arms angled back
  • Elbows point at the ceiling
  • Smooth, slow lowering

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the bar over your face with your shoulders: only the elbows bend.
  • Going heavy for low reps: this lift is kinder to the elbows at 8 to 15.

Swap for: Dumbbell Skullcrusher, JM Press, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Build a session with EZ-Bar Skullcrusher
Log it in RIRLift

Triceps long head, dumbbell lying extension

Dumbbell Skullcrusher

Triceps

Dumbbells let each wrist turn to a comfortable angle, so this is the skull crusher to choose if the bar version bothers your elbows. It also works on a floor if you have no bench.

How to do it

  1. Lie back on a flat bench and press two dumbbells up over your chest, palms turned in.
  2. Tilt your upper arms slightly back toward your head and lock them there.
  3. Bend only at the elbows, lowering the dumbbells beside your ears.
  4. Straighten your elbows to bring the weights back up.
  5. Stop just short of lockout to keep the triceps working.

Cues

  • Upper arms still
  • Lower beside your ears
  • Straighten, do not press

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows drift and pressing the weight up: that is a close-grip press. Keep the upper arms fixed.
  • Elbows flaring wide: keep them about shoulder width.

Swap for: EZ-Bar Skullcrusher, Close-Grip Bench Press, Kettlebell Decline Skullcrusher

Build a session with Dumbbell Skullcrusher
Log it in RIRLift

Kickbacks

With the upper arm held back beside your body, the long head is fully shortened at lockout. Kickbacks are light, but they hit the long head hard at the top and suit anyone who cannot do overhead work.

Triceps long head, shortened position

Cable Triceps Kickback

Triceps

The cable pulls against you even at full lockout, the point where a dumbbell kickback has almost no tension. It is the best kickback for the long head.

How to do it

  1. Set a pulley low, grip the handle with one hand, and hinge forward with a flat back.
  2. Raise your upper arm until it is about parallel to the floor, elbow by your side and bent to roughly a right angle.
  3. Straighten your arm back until it is fully locked.
  4. Let the forearm swing back down slowly without moving the upper arm.

Cues

  • Upper arm stays parallel to the floor
  • Lock the elbow, then pause
  • Hinge, don't stand up

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the upper arm to move the weight: lighten the pin until only the elbow moves.
  • Standing too upright: the cable then pulls along the arm instead of against it.

Swap for: Cable Triceps Pressdown, Cable Cross Pushdown, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Build a session with Cable Triceps Kickback
Log it in RIRLift

Triceps long head, dumbbell kickback

Triceps Kickback

Triceps

The dumbbell version for home. Keep the upper arm still and against your side, and hold the lockout for a second to make a light weight count.

How to do it

  1. Brace one hand on a chair or bench and hinge forward with a flat back.
  2. Lift the dumbbell arm so your upper arm sits against your side, elbow bent.
  3. Push the dumbbell back until your arm is straight, and hold it for a second.
  4. Bend back to the start; finish the set, then change arms.

Cues

  • Upper arm stays level
  • Hold the lockout
  • Light weight

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the weight up: lighten it so you can pause at the top.
  • Upper arm sinking toward the floor: lift it back to your side.

Swap for: Cable Triceps Kickback, Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Build a session with Triceps Kickback
Log it in RIRLift

Heavy close-grip presses

Presses load all three heads with the most weight. They do not stretch the long head much, so use them alongside an extension rather than instead of one.

Triceps and chest, heavy press

Close-Grip Bench Press

Triceps, Chest

The triceps exercise you can load heaviest. It adds strength to all three heads, which then carries over to heavier overhead extensions.

How to do it

  1. Lie on a bench and grip the bar about shoulder width.
  2. Lower it to your lower chest with the elbows close to your sides.
  3. Press back up to straight arms.

Cues

  • Shoulder-width grip
  • Elbows tucked

Common mistakes

  • Gripping so narrow the wrists bend: shoulder width is enough.

Swap for: Close-Grip Push-Up, EZ-Bar Skullcrusher, Cable Triceps Pressdown

Build a session with Close-Grip Bench Press
Log it in RIRLift

Triceps, press and extension hybrid

JM Press

Triceps

Halfway between a close-grip press and a skull crusher, it loads the triceps heavily with the elbows bending more than in a press. Use it for lower reps when skull crushers above 10 reps start to feel rough.

How to do it

  1. Lie back on the bench with a shoulder-width grip and the bar over your upper chest, arms straight.
  2. Let your elbows drift forward as you bend them, bringing the bar down and slightly back toward your chin.
  3. Stop a few inches above your throat when your forearms and upper arms are close together.
  4. Press back up the same path to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows forward, not out
  • Bar toward your chin
  • Press back the way it came

Common mistakes

  • Lowering straight to the chest like a bench press: the triceps do less; let the elbows travel forward.
  • Lowering too fast near the face: slow down in the bottom third.

Swap for: Close-Grip Bench Press, EZ-Bar Skullcrusher, Machine Triceps Extension

Build a session with JM Press
Log it in RIRLift

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Gym, triceps twice a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Adjustable Cable, Dumbbells +1

You train in a full gym, your arms look flat from the side, and you can fit triceps into two sessions a week.

Each day pairs a heavy press or JM press with an overhead extension and a kickback or skull crusher, about 9 sets per day and 18 a week. That covers the long head stretched, shortened and heavy.

Day 1: Press and overhead cable
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Close-Grip Bench Press2 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Cable Triceps KickbackPer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Day 1: Press and overhead cable in the session builder

Day 2: JM press and dumbbell overhead
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
JM Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
EZ-Bar Skullcrusher 3 × 10–12 1 90 s

Open Day 2: JM press and dumbbell overhead in the session builder

How to run it
Put Day 1 after your chest or push work and Day 2 on an arm or upper day 2 to 3 days later. Keep the overhead extension early, before the triceps are tired.
How to progress
Extensions and kickbacks go up by the smallest dumbbell or stack step after all their sets reach the top of the range at the planned reps in reserve. The close-grip and JM press take 5 lb once all sets hit 10.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home with a pair of dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You train at home with adjustable dumbbells and a bench or the floor, and want bigger triceps without a cable station.

One session covers the long head in all three positions: overhead, lying and kickback, 9 sets. Done twice a week, that is 18 sets, the same volume as the gym plan with lighter loads and higher reps.

Overhead, lying, kickback
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension1 warm-up set first 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Dumbbell Skullcrusher 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Triceps KickbackPer arm. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Do it twice a week on non-consecutive days, after any pressing you do. It takes about 25 minutes.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of the range at 1 rep in reserve, then go up one dumbbell size and restart at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Overhead extensions bother your shoulder

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, EZ Bar, Adjustable Cable

Raising your elbows overhead under load pinches or aches at the shoulder, but you still want the long head to grow.

Skull crushers keep the long head partly stretched without the arm going overhead, and the cable kickback works it fully shortened. Add a close-grip press for load and that is 10 sets in one session.

Press, skull crusher, kickback
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Close-Grip Bench Press2 warm-up sets first 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
EZ-Bar Skullcrusher 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Cable Triceps KickbackPer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Do it once or twice a week in place of overhead extensions. Lower the skull crusher bar just behind your forehead, not deep behind your head.
How to progress
Add reps first. Once all sets reach the top of the range at 2 reps in reserve, add the smallest jump on the bar or the stack.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Do skull crushers work the long head?

Yes. Lowering the bar behind your head angles the upper arm back, which stretches the long head part way. They work it less than a true overhead extension, but more than a pushdown.

Can I train the long head without overhead exercises?

Yes. Skull crushers, kickbacks and close-grip presses all train it. Overhead extensions load it in the most stretched position, but the plan above for sore shoulders still builds the long head well.

Why are my triceps so weak?

Usually they get pressing work but no direct extensions, or the extensions stop short of a full stretch. Adding 6 to 10 weekly sets of one overhead and one lying extension, taken through a full range, fixes most of it within a couple of months.

Can I train triceps every day?

Daily triceps work is possible but rarely worth it. Two or three sessions a week with a day between them lets you push each set harder, which matters more than how often you train.

Which triceps head is the biggest?

The long head. It runs down the back of the arm from the shoulder blade, which is why it makes the biggest difference to how your arm looks from the side.