Triceps Extensions

Triceps Extensions

In this lesson you will learn how to do triceps extensions. When we talk about triceps extensions, we usually mean lying triceps extensions with an EZ-bar, a triceps bar or a barbell. However, this exercise can also be done standing, sitting or with a dumbbell. There are 2 variations of the lying triceps extension, over the head and behind the head. In the over-head variation you keep your upper arms 90° to your upper body and move your barbell towards your forehead. In behind-the-head triceps extensions you lower your bar behind your head, towards the bottom of your bench. This variation also trains the shoulders and the back muscles. What's always consistent, is that you keep your arms parallel and your elbows still. Find more triceps extensions at weight training main.

Execution

  • Lie down on a flat bench and and hold your barbell or a EZ-bar over your head. Grasp the bar with your palms facing forward (thumbs and fingers on the same side of the bar). Breathe once before the first repetition. In this instruction I will explain how to do triceps extension to the forehead.
  • Move your bar towards your forehead and inhale slowly. Make sure you don't open your elbows sideways. Your upper arms should stay completely still.
  • Then push the weight back up and exhale. The up-motion can be slightly faster then the down-motion. Squeeze your triceps at the end of the movement and then do another repetition.

Advice

  • Keep your elbows close together and don't create momentum.
  • Stretch your triceps between sets and exercises.
  • I recommend 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetition.
  • Triceps extension with a straight bar work the inner head of your triceps. If you use an EZ- bar or even a triceps bar with parallel handles, you emphasize more on the outer, longer head of your triceps. A lot of people also think that using a triceps bar it healthier for the elbows.
  • Superset recommendation: Triceps Extensions + Dips