Execution
• Assume a back lying position on an exercise bench with your head, shoulders and hips in full support. Legs should straddle the bench with the knees bent 90º and the feet flush on the floor.
• Hold the barbell on extended arms with a pronated (palms away) grip slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
• With the arms held in a vertical position inhale slightly more than usual and then bend the elbows until the barbell comes close to touching your forehead.
• Continue holding your breath and then reverse directions and press the bar upward until the arms are fully extended.
• Exhale as you pass the most difficult point as you extend the arms upward.
• When the arms are fully extended (locked elbows) pause momentarily and prepare for the next repetition.
• When you lower the barbell keep it under control at all times so that you don’t hit your head with the weight.
TRAINING TIPS
• For the greatest emphasis on the triceps when executing this exercise, be sure to keep the arms vertical and the elbows in place at all times during the up and down phases. Moving the elbows so that you involve the shoulder muscles during execution defeats the main purpose of this exercise.
• To place even greater stress on the triceps muscle, instead of holding the arms vertical, hold them back above the head approximately 30-45º and then execute the exercise. In this case, the bar will be lowered behind your head and raised above and behind your head. It also avoids any possibility of hitting the head.
• Use as narrow a grip as possible in this exercise to maximize stress on the triceps and to go through a greater range of motion. If you have a wide grip, your arms will be angled out to the side and you will be performing 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 raise the weight, you have maximum stabilization of the shoulder joint to allow for precise and safe execution when you do elbow extension. Exhaling on the exertion or lowering phase can cause you to lose the weight and cause injury.
• If using very heavy weights, be sure to exhale after you pass the sticking point on the elbow extension phase to relieve the built-up intra-thoracic pressure.
• Do not use excessively heavy weights as it will lead to a decreased range of motion. In addition it will force you to first bring the arm backwards and forward before the elbow extension begins in order to overcome the resting inertia. In addition, you may not be able to fully extend the arms.
• Although this exercise is most effective for development of the middle portion of the triceps muscle (medial head) if you fully extend the arms and lock the elbows at the conclusion of the up phase, you also get effective development of the long head. This is why it is important that you go to full extension.
• If you lock the elbows, be sure that you do not hyperextend the elbow joint. The arms should remain straight.
MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
There is only one major muscle involved in execution of the lying French press. It is the triceps brachii, a large muscle that covers the entire backside of your upper arm. It is 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 which 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.
MUSCLE/JOINT ACTIONS
In the elbow joint the major action is extension in which the forearm moves away from the upper arm in an arm straightening action. The medial head 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.
SPORTS USES
Elbow extension and the muscles involved are needed in all activities that require downward and backward actions as for example, pushing yourself upward and forward out of a chair. The action is also used in all forward pushing actions as for example, pushing a weight overhead or upward. For women, this exercise is very important for full strengthening of the triceps and for developing and defining the entire back of the upper arm, especially the middle portion. This exercise is critical in the iron sports, as for example, in the jerk and weightlifting and in the bench press in powerlifting. It plays an important role in the racquet sports in execution of overhead serves and smashes and in basketball shooting. The elbow extension action is also needed in many hitting actions as in softball, golf, hockey and in passing as in lacrosse, basketball and other sports. This motion is needed in gymnastics in execution of many stunts on the apparatus and in free exercises.