How many sets and reps of the standing barbell overhead triceps extension should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps at a weight you can control through a full stretch behind the head without arching your back. Add small plates once every rep locks out cleanly, and drop back to an EZ bar if your wrists limit how much you can add.

What can replace the standing barbell overhead triceps extension?

An EZ-bar overhead triceps extension is the closest swap for sore wrists, or a seated dumbbell version if balancing a loaded bar overhead feels unstable.

Who should do the standing barbell overhead triceps extension?

It suits lifters who already have solid overhead shoulder mobility and want to load the long-head stretch heavier than dumbbells allow. Skip it if your shoulders limit how high you can press overhead, since forcing the lockout is where the lower back starts to arch to compensate.

Intermediate

Standing Barbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Pressing a barbell overhead with the shoulders flexed puts the long head under a long stretch it does not see on pushdowns, which is exactly why it drives triceps size. Standing also asks the trunk to brace, so keep the ribs down and the load honest. Use a straight or EZ bar depending on wrist comfort and program it as a heavier overhead movement.

Equipment: Barbell
Body part: Triceps
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Triceps Brachii Long Head
Browse by movement: Elbow Extension

How to do it

1
Take a shoulder-width overhand grip and press the barbell to lockout overhead.
2
Set your feet hip-width, brace the core, and tuck the ribs so you do not arch.
3
Keeping the elbows pointing forward, bend them to lower the bar behind your head.
4
Descend until the forearms reach about parallel and you feel the triceps stretch.
5
Extend the elbows to press the bar back to a full overhead lockout.
6
Inhale on the way down, exhale as you press up.

Tips

Keep the elbows drawn in and pointing forward; letting them flare wastes the long-head stretch.
Brace hard and avoid arching the lower back to cheat the weight up.
If your shoulders limit the overhead position, use an EZ bar and a slightly narrower path.

Variations

Common mistakes

The ribs flare and the lower back arches as the bar comes back up, turning a triceps lockout into a lower-back assist.
Letting the elbows drift wide during the descent shifts the long-head stretch onto the shoulders instead of the triceps.
Standing with a narrow, unstable foot position gives you nothing to brace against once the bar gets heavy overhead.
Once the bar drops below where the forearms pass parallel, the shoulders end up carrying weight the triceps should still control.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the standing barbell overhead triceps extension should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps at a weight you can control through a full stretch behind the head without arching your back. Add small plates once every rep locks out cleanly, and drop back to an EZ bar if your wrists limit how much you can add.
What can replace the standing barbell overhead triceps extension?: An EZ-bar overhead triceps extension is the closest swap for sore wrists, or a seated dumbbell version if balancing a loaded bar overhead feels unstable.
Who should do the standing barbell overhead triceps extension?: It suits lifters who already have solid overhead shoulder mobility and want to load the long-head stretch heavier than dumbbells allow. Skip it if your shoulders limit how high you can press overhead, since forcing the lockout is where the lower back starts to arch to compensate.

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