No Gym Membership? No Problem! Here Are 4 Triceps-Blasting Exercises You Can Do At Home With Dumbbells

There are just some days when you cannot make it to the gym; plain and simple. Especially in this never-ending winter with shitty driving conditions. Or you just want to get in a quick workout for a two-a-day split routine and have a short window of opportunity to do so.

However you look at it, there will be those days when you have to bang out a few sets at home. So take advantage of the body parts that can be trained with minimal equipment. For instance, not many people have a squat rack in their spare room, so you have to pick and choose what you can get away with in the comfort of your own home. And triceps is the perfect example of one.

A set of dumbbells and a chair (or one part of a couch) will do the trick and while you may not get the best workout you have ever had, you can certainly get a functional one in if you are a little creative. Here are some exercises that you can do if your snowed in and a recommendation on sets and reps. The amount of weight is up to you, obviously, as you are the one who knows what you can handle. 

SEATED SINGLE ARM FRENCH OVERHEAD PRESSES (3 sets, 12 reps each)

This is a very good warm-up exercise and one that has a wide range of motion to stretch out your triceps and prepare them for the rest of the routine. What makes it even more effective is the odd and specific angle that the triceps are being hit from with the motion used.

DUMBBELL SKULL CRUSHERS (3 sets, 12 reps each)

No bench? No problem! Just lean your head and shoulders on the chair or couch and form a bridge with your body, feet firmly planted on the floor. Just holding yourself like this will work your core, too, but that’s just the bonus.

Hold the dumbbells up with your palms facing in and bring them down together as if you were using an E-Z or straight bar for skull crushers at the gym. Stop right before you slam them into your forehead and go back up. It may feel awkward at first, but these are just as effective.

CLOSE GRIP DUMBBELL PRESSES (3 sets, 12 reps each)

Do these as a super set with the dumbbell skull crushers and you will feel the burn. Start with the dumbbells up high as if you were doing flat dumbbells bench presses for chest. Let the inner plates touch and keep them together as you begin to go down towards your chest, but turn the outer plates out and up slightly. When you hit bottom, your wrists should be turned upwards with your pinkies highest.

Turning the weights this way will put added tension on your triceps and you will know right away when you are doing them correctly. Go back up to the starting position and repeat.

TRICEPS KICKBACKS (3 sets, 12 reps each)

These can be done either together or by alternating arms, with both using a bent-over stance (45-degree angle). The key is to extend your arm fully on the back end and lock out your elbow to fully engage the triceps muscles. If you are swinging the dumbbell and not locking out, the muscles are not being worked all the way.

If you prefer alternating your arms, use your free hand to brace yourself by putting it on your knee firmly. When doing them together, go out on an angle so that you are forming a ‘V’ shape with your arms.