Dumbbell Kickbacks – Why They Kick Ass!

When you ask someone what is the best exercise for building big triceps you’ll probably get skullcrushers, pushdowns, or maybe close grip bench or dips. While these are all solid exercises, and you should be using them all, one of the most overlooked exercises is the dumbbell kickback.

I classify dumbbell kickbacks are a finishing exercise. This means you do them at the end of the workout and focus on technique, slow movement and getting the best contraction and pump. Finishing exercises are great because when you near the end of your workout, energy levels are low, and you can’t move as much weight. So the best way to finish off the workout is pick up a low weight, isolate the muscle, do some nice slow reps with perfect technique.

Why do I like kickbacks?

I like kickbacks because if you do them right you can completely isolate tricep muscles. They’re great for a finishing exercise, give you an excellent stretch and contraction. Pausing at the top of the movement really gets the pump on. If you’re doing them right, you’ll feel it!

How to do kickbacks for maximum benefits:

Here’s a couple of tips for getting the most out of tricep kickbacks:

1. Never let the elbow drop below the height of the shoulder. This is the way you truly isolate the tricep.
2. The upper arm (above the elbow) must not move AT ALL throughout the entire set.
3. At the top of the movement (arm fully extended), squeeze the tricep muscle hard and hold for a count of 2.
4. At the bottom of the movement don’t let the dumbbell come all the way down. Stop before you forearm gets at a 90 degree angle to the floor. This keeps the tension on the muscle, and makes it work harder.

Dumbbell kickbacks video:

Here’s the best video I could find of someone doing dumbbell kickbacks with correct technique. The guy in the video is doing them standing, but you can do them one arm at a time using a bench for support, it’s up to you.