Lying French press: tighten your triceps with this fundamental movement - Perfect Form

Technique

* Lie faceup on an exercise bench with your head, shoulders and hips fully supported. Your legs should straddle the bench with your knees bent about 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor.

* Hold the EZ-bar with extended arms and a pronated (palms away) grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart but conforming with the grooves in the bar.

* With your arms vertical, inhale slightly more than usual and bend your elbows until the bar comes close to touching your forehead.

* Continue holding your breath as you reverse direction and press the bar upward until your arms are fully extended.

* Exhale as you pass the most difficult point as you extend your arms.

* When your arms are fully extended and elbows locked, pause momentarily and prepare for the next repetition.

* When lower the EZ-bar, keep it under control at all times so that you don't hit your head with the weight.

performance

* For the greatest emphasis on the triceps, keep your upper arms vertical and your elbows in place throughout the up and down phases of the exercise. Moving your elbows so that you involve the shoulder muscles during execution defeats the main purpose of this exercise. Use your elbows only as hinges.

* To place even greater stress on the triceps muscles, position your arms back toward your head approximately 30-45 degrees. You'll lower the bar behind your head and raise the bar directly above it. You'll also avoid any possibility of hitting your head with the bar.

* Use as narrow a grip as possible to maximize stress on the triceps and allow a greater range of motion. If you take a wide grip, your arms will be angled out to your sides and you'll perform medial rotation in the shoulder joint as opposed to only elbow extension.

* Breathing rhythm in this exercise is very important for safety and maximum effectiveness. When you hold your breath as you start to raise the weight, maximum stabilization of the shoulder joint allows for precise and safe execution of elbow extension. Exhaling too soon or on the lowering phase can cause you to lose control of the weight and incur injury.

* If you use fairly heavy weights, exhale after you pass the sticking point on the elbow-extension phase to relieve the built-up intrathoracic pressure.

* Don't use excessively heavy weights--it will lead to a decreased range 01: motion. You may also be forced. to first bring your arms backward and forward to overcome the resting inertia before elbow extension begins.

* Although this exercise is most effective For developing the middle portion of the triceps (medial head), you also get effective development of the long head if you fully extend your arms and lock your elbows at the top.

* Don't hyperextend the elbow joints. Your arms should remain straight at the top position.

primary muscles involved

Only one major muscle is involved in the lying French press--the triceps brachii, a large muscle that covers the entire backside of your upper arm. It's divided into three parts known as the lateral, medial and long heads. The lateral and medial heads originate on the upper arm, but the long head originates on the scapula, making it a two-jointed muscle. All three heads run into a common tendon that crosses the elbow joint and inserts on the olecranon process on the ulna bone in the Forearm. The olecranon process extends beyond the elbow joint and assists in keeping the elbow From hyperextending.

sports

Elbow extension and the muscles involved are needed in all activities that require downward and backward actions, such as when pushing yourself up and Forward out of a chair. The action is also used in all Forward pushing actions as when pressing a weight overhead or upward. For women, this exercise is crucial For. Fully strengthening the triceps and For developing and defining the entire back of the upper arm, especially the middle portion.

The lying French press is critical in the iron sports, including the jerk in weightlifting and the bench press in power-lifting. It plays an important role in the racket sports when performing overhead serves and smashes, and in basketball shooting. The elbow-extension action is required in many hitting actions as in softball, golf and hockey, and when passing as in lacrosse, basketball and other sports. This motion is also seen in gymnastics in the execution of many stunts on the apparatus and in Free exercises.

Muscle/joint actions

In elbow-joint extension, the forearm moves away from the upper arm in an arm-straightening action. The medial head of the triceps is most involved in the initial stages of elbow extension, with the lateral head coming into play when the resistance is increased. The long head plays its major role near the end of the movement, but also comes into play sooner when the resistance is sufficiently great or the speed of movement is relatively fast.

RELATED ARTICLE: the champ's training diary

Susie Curry

2000-01 FINTNESS OLYMPIA CHAMPION

tips from a pro

* The lying french press is a good strength movement that really works all three heads of the triceps when done correctly. I usually do it second in my workout, following a power movement like the close-grip bench press. I'll typically finish off my triceps workout with a one-arm-at-a-time shaping movement.