Cross-Body Dumbbell Triceps Extension
At a glance
- Equipment
- Single dumbbell + flat bench
- Suggested reps
- 3 sets of 10–15 reps per arm
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Common mistakes
You let the upper arm tip toward your head as you lower, turning the extension into a pullover and taking work off the triceps.
You drift the dumbbell straight down beside the head instead of across the chest toward the opposite shoulder.
You use momentum out of the bottom rather than reversing under control from the stretch.
You pick a weight that forces the elbow to flare, which sends the load into the shoulder.
What to focus on
Fix the upper arm in space and treat the elbow as a hinge; only the forearm should travel.
Lower along the diagonal until you feel a stretch in the long head, then extend back to full lockout.
Keep the palm turned in and the wrist straight so the tension stays in the triceps the whole way.
Related strength moves
Sources & further reading
- 1.Arm-position drives triceps growth regionally — the cross-body extension's arm-down line complements overhead work, which grows the long head ~1.5× more — Eur. J. Sport Science (2023), Maeo et al.