Kettlebell Lying Triceps Extension
What Is the Kettlebell Lying Triceps Extension?
Kettlebell Lying Triceps Extension is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the lats and shoulders, which hold the upper arms in place. It is a beginner-level movement in which you lie on a flat bench, hold one kettlebell by the horns with both hands above your chest, and bend at the elbows to lower the bell behind your head before straightening your arms again.
Because the bell travels behind the head instead of stopping at the forehead, the elbows bend further than in a Barbell Skull Crusher, and the upper arms tilt slightly back toward the head. That puts the long head of the triceps, the only head that crosses the shoulder, under load in a longer position than a pushdown does. Isolation work like this also fills a gap that pressing leaves: in a training study of 43 young men, the groups that did the lying barbell triceps press grew the long head of the triceps more than a group that only bench pressed, while the groups that bench pressed grew the lateral head more than the group that only did the triceps press.
Holding a single kettlebell by the horns with both hands keeps the weight centered between the arms and is easy to grip without a spotter. The bell hangs below the hands rather than sitting in line with them like a dumbbell, so it tends to swing as it passes behind the head, and the grip and forearms have to keep it steady. That makes it a natural alternative to the Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension for home and kettlebell-only training, as long as there is a flat bench.
The exercise suits anyone building arm size or the lockout strength used in pressing, and it usually sits near the end of an upper-body or push session, after the main presses. Beginners who find the behind-the-head position uncomfortable for the elbows or shoulders can build up with the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope) or the Band Triceps Pushdown. Once the lying version feels solid, the Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension trains the same muscles standing, which adds a balance and core demand.
Muscles Worked
- Triceps Brachii (Long Head)
- Primary
- Deltoid
- Low
- Teres Major
- Low
- Flexor Carpi Radialis
- Minimal
- Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
- Minimal
- Rectus Abdominis
- Minimal
Instructions
- Sit on a flat bench holding one kettlebell by the horns against your chest, then lie back so your head rests near the end of the bench and your feet are flat on the floor.
- Press the bell up until your arms are straight above your shoulders, with both hands wrapped around the horns and the bell hanging below your hands.
- Brace your abs and keep your head, shoulders and lower back on the bench.
- Bend your elbows to lower the bell behind your head, letting your upper arms tilt back slightly while your elbows keep pointing up and stay about shoulder-width apart.
- Lower slowly, over 2 to 3 seconds, until the bell is behind your head, or as deep as you can go without your elbows flaring or your back arching.
- Straighten your elbows to bring the bell back up, moving mostly at the elbows, until your arms are straight above your shoulders again.
- Repeat for the set, then bend your elbows and bring the bell down to your chest before sitting up.
Common Mistakes
Flaring the elbows
Letting the elbows drift out to the sides turns part of the rep into a press and shifts stress from the triceps to the shoulders.
Turning it into a pullover
Letting the upper arms swing far back as the bell lowers and pulling them forward to lift it moves the work from the triceps to the lats and chest.
Arching the lower back
Lifting the ribs or hips off the bench to make room for the bell loads the lower back and takes tension off the triceps.
Dropping into the bottom
Lowering fast and bouncing out of the deepest position stresses the elbows and triceps tendon and lets the bell swing, so take 2 to 3 seconds on the way down.
Forcing extra depth
Pushing the bell further behind the head than your shoulders allow makes the elbows flare and the back arch, so stop at the depth you can hold cleanly.
Loose grip on the horns
A loose grip lets the bell twist and swing close to your head and bends the wrists back, so wrap both hands firmly around the horns.
Injuries
Kettlebell Lying Triceps Extension is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. It moves only the elbows under modest loads, but the bell travels close to and behind the head, so control matters more than load.
The elbows and the triceps tendon just above them take the most stress, especially at the bottom of the rep, where the elbows are deeply bent and the triceps is stretched under load. Lying extensions are one of the exercises where lifters most often first notice pain at the back of the elbow, usually after piling up heavy sets or bouncing out of the bottom. The shoulders and lower back take over when form slips: letting the elbows flare or the upper arms fall far behind the head loads the shoulders, and arching the back to make room for the bell loads the lower back. Lower the bell over 2 to 3 seconds, stop at a depth where the elbows stay in place, keep the ribs down and the feet planted, and warm up with a light set first. Bring the bell to your chest before lying back and return it to your chest after the last rep, so it never hangs over your face while you get into or out of position.
To regress, shorten the range by doing the movement on the floor, where the floor stops the bell and the upper arms early, or switch to the Band Triceps Pushdown. To progress, add reps, slow the lowering or pause at the bottom before moving to a heavier bell. Kettlebells usually come in bigger weight jumps than dumbbells, so the EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extension is a good next step when you need smaller increases.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain at the back of the elbow or in the shoulder, or numbness or tingling into the hand. Elbow pain that lingers into the next day and builds from session to session needs less triceps volume and a slower build back up. Sudden pain with clear weakness when straightening the arm should be checked by a doctor straight away.
- Primary Focus
- Triceps
- Equipment
- Kettlebell and bench
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is this different from a skull crusher?
A skull crusher lowers the weight toward the forehead with the upper arms close to vertical, while here the upper arms tilt slightly back and the bell travels behind the head. That gives a longer range at the elbow and a longer stretch on the triceps, at the cost of a somewhat lighter weight than a Barbell Skull Crusher allows.
- Q: Should I use one kettlebell or two?
One bell held by the horns with both hands, as shown here, is the easiest to control behind the head and the simplest to get into position. Two lighter bells, one per hand, train each arm on its own, but they are harder to keep steady close to your head, so learn the one-bell version first.
- Q: Can I do it on the floor instead of a bench?
Yes. On the floor the bell and upper arms meet the floor before the deepest position, so the range is shorter, which is easier on sensitive elbows and shoulders but gives the triceps less stretch than the bench version.
- Q: Should my upper arms stay completely still?
Almost. A small backward tilt of the upper arms is what lets the bell pass behind your head, but the elbows should do nearly all of the moving, and if the upper arms swing through a large arc the rep is becoming a pullover.
- Q: How many sets and reps should I do?
Moderate to higher reps suit this exercise, such as 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps. Very heavy, low-rep sets put more stress on the elbows in the deep bottom position without adding much for the triceps.