Barbell Overhead Extension

Muscles worked by the Barbell Overhead Extension

Primary

TricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: tricep, triceps, triceps brachii, horseshoe, tris.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Barbell Overhead Extension

1. Load a barbell with an appropriate weight and stand or sit with a neutral spine.
2. Grip the barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip, and press it overhead.
3. Slowly lower the barbell behind your head by flexing your elbows, keeping your upper arms stable.
4. Extend your elbows to press the barbell back to the starting overhead position, squeezing your triceps.
5. Maintain control throughout the movement, avoiding momentum.

Form tips

• Keep your elbows tucked in and pointing forward to maximize triceps engagement and protect your shoulders.
• Control the eccentric (lowering) phase to enhance muscle tension and growth.
• Avoid arching your lower back excessively; brace your core to maintain stability.

At a glance

Barbell Overhead Extension in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Dumbbell Tricep Extension
• EZ-Bar Overhead Tricep Extension
• Kettlebell Overhead Tricep Extension
• Overhead Tricep Extension
• Seated Dumbbell Tricep Extension
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension
• TRX Triceps Extension
• Banded Triceps Stretch

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "barbell-overhead-extension",
  "name_en": "Barbell Overhead Extension",
  "name_de": "Langhantel-Überkopf-Extension",
  "name_es": "Extensión de Barra por Encima de la Cabeza",
  "description_en": "This isolation exercise effectively targets the triceps brachii by extending the elbows overhead, promoting muscle hypertrophy and strength.",
  "description_de": "Diese Isolationsübung zielt effektiv auf den Trizeps ab, indem die Ellbogen über dem Kopf gestreckt werden, was Muskelhypertrophie und Kraft fördert.",
  "description_es": "Este ejercicio de aislamiento trabaja eficazmente el tríceps braquial al extender los codos por encima de la cabeza, promoviendo la hipertrofia y fuerza muscular.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "upper_arms",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "arm_day",
    "push_day"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-tricep-extension",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Load a barbell with an appropriate weight and stand or sit with a neutral spine.",
    "Grip the barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip, and press it overhead.",
    "Slowly lower the barbell behind your head by flexing your elbows, keeping your upper arms stable.",
    "Extend your elbows to press the barbell back to the starting overhead position, squeezing your triceps.",
    "Maintain control throughout the movement, avoiding momentum."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Lade eine Langhantel mit passendem Gewicht und stehe oder sitze mit neutraler Wirbelsäule.",
    "Greife die Langhantel im Obergriff schulterbreit und drücke sie über deinen Kopf.",
    "Senke die Langhantel langsam hinter deinen Kopf, indem du die Ellbogen beugst und die Oberarme stabil hältst.",
    "Strecke deine Ellbogen, um die Langhantel zurück in die Startposition über dem Kopf zu drücken, und spanne den Trizeps an.",
    "Behalte die Kontrolle während der gesamten Bewegung und vermeide Schwung."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Carga una barra con el peso adecuado y ponte de pie o siéntate con la columna neutra.",
    "Agarra la barra con un agarre prono, al ancho de los hombros, y presiónala por encima de tu cabeza.",
    "Baja lentamente la barra detrás de tu cabeza flexionando los codos, manteniendo los brazos estables.",
    "Extiende los codos para presionar la barra de vuelta a la posición inicial por encima de la cabeza, contrayendo tus tríceps.",
    "Mantén el control durante todo el movimiento, evitando el impulso."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep your elbows tucked in and pointing forward to maximize triceps engagement and protect your shoulders.",
    "Control the eccentric (lowering) phase to enhance muscle tension and growth.",
    "Avoid arching your lower back excessively; brace your core to maintain stability."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte deine Ellbogen eng und nach vorne gerichtet, um die Trizeps-Aktivierung zu maximieren und die Schultern zu schützen.",
    "Kontrolliere die exzentrische (senkende) Phase, um die Muskelspannung und das Wachstum zu verbessern.",
    "Vermeide übermäßiges Hohlkreuz; spanne deinen Rumpf an, um Stabilität zu bewahren."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén los codos pegados y apuntando hacia adelante para maximizar la activación del tríceps y proteger tus hombros.",
    "Controla la fase excéntrica (descenso) para mejorar la tensión muscular y el crecimiento.",
    "Evita arquear demasiado la espalda baja; contrae tu core para mantener la estabilidad."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/barbell-overhead-extension-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/barbell-overhead-extension-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "barbell-overhead-extension");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.