KINESIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS APPLIED TO TRICEPS EXERCISES
PART IV

By Professor Maur�cio de Arruda Campos
IFBB Education & Research Committee



Dumbbell Kickback
The Dumbbell Kickback exercise is a very good exercise that hits all the three heads of the triceps brachii muscle. The anconeus, the small muscle that helps on the extension of the elbow, has a synergistic function on this movement.


Picture 1- Initial position / Picture 2 � Final position

When you keep your upper arm in place alongside your torso or slightly above (as you can see in the picture 1), only the triceps brachii is involved. The posterior deltoid and Latissimus dorsi, by isometric contraction, are mainly responsible for keeping the shoulder joint in static position.
The triceps kickback is crucial not only for bodybuilders in developing and defining the back of the upper arm but also for athletes in many sports.
One very good feature of this exercise is the fact that it is an unilateral movement. Unilateral movements help to increase the focus on the target muscle and also demand different muscle contractions for stabilization purposes. Some bodybuilders perform this exercise with both arms at the same time. This variant is effective but requires great strength to maintain a level torso position; you have no external support and must rely solely on the muscles of your hips and lower back to remain stable. Ii is also very difficult to fully raise your arms to shoulder level or above, which can compromise your range of motion.

In elbow-joint extension, the upper arm must remain stationary and the forearm moves away from it until the arm is fully extended.

As the triceps is a two-joint muscle (crosses the elbow and the shoulder joint), the position of the upper arm a little higher than horizontal helps to produce much more tension in the muscle.
For the same reason, this position brings active insufficiency for the triceps at the end range of motion, thus the individual usually is not able to perform this exercise with the same loads than with another elbow extension movements.

� To place maximum resistance on the triceps, your torso must be stabilized in the horizontal position.
� Holding your breath during the concentric half of the exercise is very important in stabilizing your torso and helping you keep your torso level.
� Strict execution is critical.


Picture3 � The professor helps the athlete to perceive the correct position of the elbow and forearm in the initial position. / Picture 4 � The professor establishes one point where the elbow joint must be kept to guarantee that the axis of the movement is on this joint.


Don't use excessively heavy weights, which prevent you from moving through a full range of motion. Heavier weights might also lead you to forcefully swing the dumbbell at the beginning to get the weight back in one motion. This prevents full involvement of the triceps long head and posterior deltoid, and shortens your range of motion.
� As you lower the weight, don't bring it too far past perpendicular to the floor (elbow at 90 degrees) because this will bring the focus to the biceps brachii muscle (the antagonist of the triceps)
Position your arm alongside your body and use your elbow as a hinge, kicking the weight straight back without using momentum.

One good variation to place even greater emphasis on the long head of the triceps is to perform the exercise in two parts. First, bring your upper arm alongside your body (via elbow extension) and you fully extend it. Then you raise your straightened arm as high as possible (via shoulder extension) above the level of your back. Pause slightly between each phase of the movement.

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