The exercise we are about to learn is called French bench press. This exercise specifically develops the triceps brachii muscle. The peculiarity of this exercise is that it affects our triceps in isolation. For example, if you take exercises such as close-grip bench press or dips, they are considered basic exercises. Basic exercises- this is a type that involves several joints and uses a huge number of muscle groups, including large muscles.
In our case, the exercise concentrates the load on the triceps as much as possible, and a minimum of muscles and only the elbow joints are involved in the work due to the fact that the shoulders are in a fixed position.
When performing a French press and lowering the bar to the forehead, the medial and lateral heads of the triceps are involved, but if a person lowers the barbell behind the head, in this case the long head of the triceps works more.
TECHNIQUES OF PERFORMING THE EXERCISE “ARM EXTENSION WITH A BARBERL STANDING BEHIND THE HEAD”
1. Lie down on a bench in a horizontal position, ask for a barbell to be handed to you. Take the bar slightly narrower than shoulder level, and straighten your arms completely. This exercise is best performed with an EZ bar, but you can do without it. When you take the barbell, tilt it slightly away from the vertical, this will help increase the impact on the triceps at the top. This will be your starting position.
2. As you inhale, bend your arms and smoothly lower the barbell towards your head.
3. Having reached the bottom point, as you exhale, straightening your arms, lift the barbell to its original position; your shoulders should not move during this movement. The movement occurs only in the elbow joint, so that it works as efficiently as possible triceps.
4. Complete the required number of repetitions. Usually 8-12 repetitions, 3 sets are enough.
1. When performing a French press, you must carefully monitor your technique so as not to shift the load from the triceps to other muscles. Lock your elbows in one position. Only the triceps should work. Movement is only in the elbow joint. You can't spread your elbows too far to the sides.
2. For a more isolated workout of the triceps, you can put your feet not on the floor, but on a bench. In this version of the exercise, a person simply will not be able to use “cheating” and the triceps will receive the maximum impact.
3. If for some reason you cannot use the barbell, it is busy or completely missing, take dumbbells. About French bench press with dumbbells we'll talk a little later. This option also has its own nuances in the technique of performing the exercise.
4. The bar can be lowered onto the nose, or it can be lowered behind the head. Personally, I like the first option. But I always don’t stand still and do both the first and second options. Why is the second option so good? By lowering the barbell behind the head, we thereby increase the amplitude of movement, contracting our target muscle more and better, which helps us pump it more effectively.
5. If you want to diversify your workout in some way, I advise you to familiarize yourself with the ““ exercise.
The French bench press pumps the back (long) head of the triceps, namely its lower part. Shapes, lengthens and expands the lower triceps.
Execution technique
- Lie down on a horizontal bench and place your feet firmly on the floor. Raise your arms straight up, they should be perpendicular to the floor, and ask your partner to hand you the barbell.
- It is better to take a barbell with an EZ bar, or if it is not in your arsenal, then it is not a sin to perform the exercise with a simple barbell with a straight bar.
- Grab the bar with an overhand grip and press the barbell up. Fully align your arms with the barbell and move them back (toward the top of your head) 40-50° from the vertical. This is the starting position.
- Take a deep breath and hold your breath. Keeping your upper arms (shoulder to elbow) locked, slowly bend your elbows and lower the barbell behind your head toward the back of your head. From below, the angle at the elbow joint should be 90°.
- When you reach the bottom point, don't stop moving! Quickly change the course of movement and, straightening your elbows, return the bar to its original position. When lifting the barbell, do not exhale or extend your elbows forward. The part of the arms from the elbow and above should remain secured until the end of the set.
- As soon as you straighten your arms as much as possible, pause for a couple of seconds, exhale and use auxiliary force to tighten your triceps even more.
- Don't use too much weight for this exercise; you'll be better off using the correct technique with a lighter weight rather than using the wrong technique with a heavier weight, which will result in less muscle contraction. If the barbell is very heavy, you will not be able to hold it with level hands at an angle of 40-50° to the vertical and you will reflexively pull your elbows forward. And this significantly reduces the contraction of the triceps.
- Fixing the upper arms in a tilt at an angle of 40-50° to the vertical is the main point of the exercise.
- Straighten your upper arms as much as possible. Otherwise, you will not reach the maximum load on the triceps.
- Although French bench press involves all three heads of the triceps, however, the center of the load falls exactly on the long head of the muscle. It is located on the back of the hand and stands out perfectly when looking at the hand from the side.
- It is prohibited to place your feet on the bench. They should rest firmly on the floor. Otherwise, you risk losing your balance and getting injured.
Application
Intended for: Everyone, from beginners to professionals.
When: At the beginning of the workout, work on the triceps muscles. But first before French bench press perform with a narrow grip or. After French bench press perform by straightening your arms at the elbows with weights from behind your head and straightening your arms with weights at an angle.
How many: 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
Sports instruction: In weightlifting French bench press needed for general improvement of the triceps, but primarily for maximum load on its long head, in order to emphasize and lengthen its bottom. The wider this triceps head, the more powerful the upper arm appears when viewed from the side.
Extension of the arm raised behind the head in the elbow joint, performed due to the work of the triceps, is the main movement in various sports: basketball (throwing the ball from behind the head), volleyball (passing the ball, athletics (pole vaulting), martial arts (strikes) edge of the hand from top to bottom).
Video - French bench press with a barbell
Video - French bench press with a barbell at the lower block
The French press is one of the most common exercises for working all triceps bundles.
French bench press with EZ bar. Pavel Kirilenko. YouGifted channel.
Despite the fact that it is not one of the basic ones, there are many different variations of the press, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Below we will discuss in detail the most popular variations of the exercise, features of the technique and existing alternatives.
Basic triceps exercises include: close-grip bench press and classic dips (). However, during such exercises, the shoulder joint takes on a significant part of the load. The back and chest are also included in the work, reducing the level of positive load on the triceps.
The French press has many advantages over basic exercises, providing the opportunity to isolatedly work the triceps muscle. There are various techniques for performing the French press:
Lying down with barbell and dumbbells
It is most convenient to perform the exercise with the help of a partner, who will deliver the barbell before performing the approach and remove it after completion.
To perform a French bench press with a barbell, you need to take a comfortable position on a horizontal bench, and then grab the bar using an overhand grip.
The further algorithm looks like this:
- To get into the starting position, you need to take a deep breath and lower the bar behind your head or directly to your forehead.
- The arms should be bent at the joints at right angles.
- As you exhale, your arms straighten at the elbows, but you should not straighten them completely to avoid “snapping” of the joints.
The best way to perform this exercise is the EZ bar, which has a curved shape that allows you to pump both the internal and external parts of the triceps muscle.
It is best to perform French. The bench press requires a grip slightly narrower than shoulder width.
In the case when the bar touches the area of the bridge of the nose and forehead, the lateral and medial heads of the triceps are exposed to the main load. At the moment of slowly lowering the barbell behind the head, most of the load is shifted to the long head.
Instead of a barbell and weights, you can use dumbbells. The technique will be virtually identical to the French one. bench press with a barbell, but here you need to take into account several important nuances. See below.
- The elbows need to be moved closer to each other as much as possible;
- If pain occurs in the wrist area during the exercise, you need to use special wristbands or boxing bandages.
To ensure that the positive load during this exercise is directed primarily at the triceps muscle, make sure that your shoulders are always parallel to each other.
Standing press
Many athletes believe that the French press must be performed exclusively in a prone position, because only in this case can impressive results be achieved. However, this is not entirely true, and a considerable part of the load falls on the chest and shoulders.
When performing the exercise while standing, you can achieve the most comfortable position of the elbows, ensuring optimal isolation of the triceps muscle bundles and the best stretching of the muscle fibers.
The French press from a standing position is also good because it allows you to achieve not only high-quality muscle pumping, but also minimal wear on the joints.
Despite the fact that the exercise is performed while standing, the load on the spine in this case is not critical, since the athlete uses fairly modest weights.
Do French The standing press should be done in the following order:
- First you need to take the starting position: shoulders straightened, pelvis slightly pulled back. The head should remain motionless throughout the entire exercise.
- The barbell is grasped with a grip slightly narrower than shoulder width. The elbows are parallel to each other and pointing upward. The shoulder forms an angle of 90 degrees with the floor surface.
- The bar slowly lowers behind the head, after which the arms straighten at the elbows. It is not recommended to fully straighten your elbows. After completing the required number of repetitions, the barbell is carefully placed on a rack or on the floor.
To fulfill the French The standing press can be used either straight or EZ bar. It helps to work out the inner part of the triceps muscle well, and thanks to the comfortable position of the elbows, it is possible to stretch the muscle tissue well.
Performing a standing press with dumbbells is more gentle on joints than with a barbell.
The athlete adjusts the position of his hands with the apparatus so as not to injure his wrists.
- Before performing an exercise with a dumbbell, it is important to check the security of the fastenings.
- Having risen to the starting position, the shoulders are pressed to the head, and the dumbbell is grasped behind the head with two hands located parallel to each other.
- As you exhale, raise your arms above your head and straighten almost to the end.
- As you inhale, the projectile is lowered to its original position until it lightly touches the neck.
There is an option for performing the French press exercise with dumbbells, which is performed with one hand. If the elbow cannot be fully extended, it is necessary to replace the dumbbell with a lighter weight one.
During the exercise, you need to ensure that your back is as straight as possible and your shoulder blades are brought together.
Moving your shoulders is prohibited. To increase stability, the legs can be slightly bent at the knee joints.
What muscles work
The French press is an excellent exercise that targets all fascicles of the triceps muscle, especially the long and superior muscles. Its regular implementation allows you to visually enlarge your arms in volume. It should be noted that developed triceps are important not only in powerlifting and bodybuilding, but also in sports such as boxing, volleyball, basketball, rugby and tennis.
Thanks to a correctly selected range of movements, it is possible to achieve a high load on the long bundle of the triceps muscle, which beginners often have problems working out. In addition to the triceps heads, during the exercise the load falls on the muscles of the elbow, forearm, as well as the deltoid muscles (mainly the anterior bundles). When performing the exercise in a lying position, the pectoral muscles and shoulders are involved.
Alternatives to the French Press
Considering the fact that the French press is a classic example of an isolated exercise aimed at comprehensively working the triceps, it is not so easy to find a full-fledged alternative to it. The closest thing to this exercise is the parallel bar push-up.
In the case of working out the triceps on the uneven bars, it is necessary to ensure that the position of the body is strictly perpendicular to the ground level. When leaning forward, the load falls on the chest muscles. It is also important to ensure that the arms extend as much as possible at the elbows after reaching the highest point. You should try to use V-shaped parallel bars with a narrow grip, which can be found both within the walls of the gym and on the yard.
In addition to the long triceps bundles, the pullover also engages the latissimus dorsi and pectoral muscles.
The technique of performing the French press is in many ways similar. The exercise can be “breathing” or “strength”. The former allow you to increase the volume of the chest by stretching the intercostal cartilages, the latter are aimed directly at developing and strengthening the muscles involved in the work.
Causes of joint pain
Pain during the exercise, localized in the elbows or wrists, indicates insufficient joint mobility coupled with overload of the anterior deltoid muscles. Beginners who abuse block simulators often encounter a similar problem.
Discomfort can be associated with the anatomical structure of the shoulder joint or arm, as well as with various postural disorders caused by sedentary work.
Some athletes note that when performing the French press, crunching and pain in the elbows often occur. In such cases, the following recommendations can be given:
- Use special rubs and ointments, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Supplement your diet with products that strengthen tendons, such as jelly or agar-agar.
- Spend more time fully warming up your shoulder joints and triceps before performing the exercise.
- Use elastic bandages.
- Do French presses with an EZ bar instead of a straight bar.
Pain syndrome localized in the elbows or wrists, which is chronic, most likely indicates an inflammatory process or destructive changes in the connective tissue or cartilage structure. Athletes who use “cheating” and prefer explosive training with heavy weights often suffer from problems with shoulders, wrists and elbows during exercise. In such a case, you can make a recommendation to reduce the working weight or cross out the French press from your program for several weeks.
- Beginner athletes should start the exercise, gradually increasing the working weight. Otherwise, there is a high risk of tendon ruptures and microtrauma of the joints.
- To maximize contraction of the triceps at the top point, you must ensure that the dumbbells are positioned with their ends facing each other.
- Elbows should be fixed motionless and not diverge in different directions.
- Since the French press is not a basic exercise, it should be performed third or fourth on the day set aside for arm training.
Be sure to read about it
The French press is an incredibly popular exercise that develops the triceps muscles. Nobody knows why it is French and some also call it the extension of the arms with a barbell or dumbbells, lying or standing. Agree that the French press is not a press at all in its essence, since the movement occurs only when the arms are extended, but the substitution of terms does not prevent the French press from being an effective exercise.
Anatomy exercises
It should be noted that the French press is an isolated exercise, since only the elbow joint is involved in the work and the main load falls on the triceps brachii muscle. More precisely, the lateral, medial and long heads of the triceps work. In addition, the elbow muscles are involved, and the static load is placed on the core stabilizer muscles, depending on the position of the body during execution.
Pros and cons of the French press
The French press has undoubted advantages, since this exercise perfectly develops the triceps brachii and, in addition to the aesthetic side, in the form of a powerful appearance of the upper arm, which is especially important for bodybuilders, it also increases the strength of the arm, and this is important for many sports.
Many people use this exercise to strengthen the muscles at the back of the arm, which shake and droop to the horror of their owner, but often the French press is useless in this without eliminating the main cause of jelly on the arms - excess weight.
The main disadvantage of arm extension is its risk of injury. There are very frequent cases of injuries to the elbow joints, which can knock an athlete out of the training process for several weeks. That's why many people recommend using the French press. no more than once every 2 weeks with moderate weights. Heavy weights can also cause injury if you drop a projectile on your forehead, for example, but these cases are less common. Therefore, correct technique and moderate weight are the key to the safety and effectiveness of the French press.
The French press is recommended for experienced athletes who aim to improve the shape of their shoulder muscles, as well as athletes who are interested in increasing triceps strength. Beginners who want to gain weight or lose weight should pay more attention to basic exercises and anaerobic exercises, respectively. And only after moving forward should you include arm extensions in your program. But you need to start with little or no weight and no more than once every 2 weeks. Since the triceps is a small muscle, it should be worked with a large number of repetitions with an average weight. If you use a heavy apparatus, you will involve the muscles of the core and legs in the work, which interferes with the main goal of the exercise. Average rep recommendations:
The French press is contraindicated for injuries to the elbows and wrist joints. For a more natural arm position, use an EZ bar (curved) or perform dumbbell presses.
French press variations
All versions of the French press can be divided into:
| by body position: | Peculiarities |
| lying on a horizontal bench | The simplest and most common type. As with all types of French presses, keep your elbows and shoulders still. Only the elbow joint works. |
| lying on an inclined bench upside down | Dangerous form of exercise. Use lighter weights and be sure to use a bench with foot supports. Large load on the long head of the triceps. |
| lying on an incline bench upside down | The lateral head works more. |
| standing | Performed behind the head. Possibility to stretch the triceps to the maximum. Stabilizing muscles work. |
| sitting | Relieves stress from the spine. |
| on the use of the projectile: | |
| with a barbell | Inconvenient position of the hands. |
| with EZ barbell | Natural position of the wrist joints, maximum comfort. |
| with 2 dumbbells | Includes muscle stabilizers in the work. |
| With 1 dumbbell (or barbell plate) | Allows maximum concentration on the working muscles of the hand. |
| by lowering the projectile: | |
| bending lying to the forehead | Load on the lateral and medial triceps |
| bending while lying behind the head |
This may not be a complete list of French press variations. You can do triceps extensions in a special machine or crossover, do them on the floor or in an inclined position, one thing is similar - the triceps work. For more detailed instructions, see the French press video and read the materials below.
French press exercise video
The French press is the main exercise for developing the triceps brachii muscle. The most common version is the French bench press on a horizontal bench.
But these are statistics. As for practice, alternative exercises while standing, sitting, as well as similar exercises with dumbbells are no less beneficial. In general, there are many variations of the French press.
They are all impressive, but by knowing your anatomy very precisely, you can find the most suitable exercise for a specific purpose.
In theory, it is believed that for tremendous development of strength and mass of the triceps, you need to press while lying down, with a grip at shoulder level or even narrower. This is not entirely true. In the bench press, a close grip works the shoulder girdle and triceps muscles of the arms.
But in practice, this exercise sometimes turns out to be practically useless. And the reason is that the shoulders prevent the triceps from fully engaging. Because of this, the triceps will not be fully activated, which is the main reason for their stagnation.
When performing a French press, an athlete uses the triceps without the help of other muscles. Of course, whole-body synergy plays a role, but it doesn't stop the triceps from working at their full potential. By performing this exercise, any athlete will build triceps that look like horseshoes.
The main thing is to choose the appropriate version of the French press. Of course, later, when you have arms of 45 centimeters or more in girth, you will need other exercises to correct the short and outer heads of the triceps.
French press technique
When performing a French press, only your forearms should move. The upper arms should be perpendicular to the floor and remain fixed throughout the entire approach. Slowly curl your arms with weights until the main head of the triceps is fully stretched. Then, without the slightest hesitation, take the starting position. The starting position is when your arms with weights are almost completely straightened. Do not straighten your arms completely - this relaxes the triceps, which makes the exercise less productive.
Even the best exercise will provide no benefit (or, at best, very little benefit) to your muscles if you neglect technique. If the work is not performed correctly, the muscles are not fully activated. Cheating with heavy weights will provide certain benefits... to advanced athletes, and even then not for long and not for everyone. For example, “forced” French presses are useful for those who already bench press about 200 kg and have difficulty developing triceps strength.
At the intermediate or beginner level, cheating is unacceptable. This will only prevent the athlete from developing muscles fully. Working with extreme weights and poor technique will negatively affect joints and weak ligaments. The consequence is microtrauma of the muscles being trained, or pain in the joint directly involved in the exercise.
Variations of French presses
The most common variations of triceps exercises are the classic French press with a curved bar, lying on a bench, and its variation with a dumbbell, sitting on a Roman chair with an inclined back. The second option will be more productive for those athletes whose triceps are long, that is, they have an attachment point below the elbow bend.
For those with short triceps arm muscles (the triceps attachment point is located above the elbow bend), the most common version of the French press is more suitable - lying on a horizontal bench.
Of course, any athlete will benefit from any version of the French press, but it is better to look for an exercise that suits you in all respects. It was this technique that outstanding athletes of the early second half of the last century adhered to. The most suitable exercise for a specific muscle group, performed in the appropriate mode (number of sets and repetitions) has helped many athletes build mind-blowing triceps.
What is better for triceps - a barbell or dumbbells? This question can be heard from novice athletes who are completely incompetent in athleticism, but want to quickly build huge arm muscles. In such cases, experienced trainers answer: “What suits you is better. For a certain purpose - a certain exercise, a certain apparatus” It is impossible to unequivocally answer which exercise is better - the French press with dumbbells, or with a barbell, standing or lying down.
French bench press with barbell
Arm extensions lying on a bench with a barbell are a favorite exercise of all athletes. Powerlifters, bodybuilders, weightlifters and ordinary fitness enthusiasts enjoy doing it.
Still would! After all, by performing the classic French press, you can get a good feel for the triceps. A similar exercise with dumbbells, contrary to popular belief, is not a complete analogue.
This exercise, like its barbell counterpart, works all the heads of the triceps. But with dumbbells it is impossible to put maximum stress on the triceps ligaments and tendons. Therefore, for the “strength” period, a barbell is better, and for the “pumping” period, dumbbells are better.
French bench press with dumbbells
During training for the development of mass and “drying”, it is better to prefer the French bench press with dumbbells. By working with dumbbells, you can place more emphasis on the muscles being trained.
The same can be done with a barbell, but for those who don’t really like “pumping” workouts, exercises with dumbbells will be more productive. Such training has another advantage - the strength developed in the “strength” cycle will be preserved.
When performing a French bench press with dumbbells, the athlete uses almost all the heads of the triceps to the maximum, completely eliminating the slightest force of inertia. The short head of the triceps muscle of the arm is used a little less than the others, but it gets its due during the “drying” period - when the athlete performs a special exercise especially for it - arm extension, standing in an incline.
French press with dumbbells
The two previous exercises are ideal for “pumping up” training for athletes with short or medium triceps. For athletes whose triceps attachment point is below elbow level, French presses with dumbbells in a standing position are better suited.
Similar seated presses will be no less productive for them, but standing you can develop greater strength - due to the synergy of the whole body. In a sitting position, this effect is absent - insofar as the legs and torso do not form one straight line.
When your torso is perpendicular to the floor, your triceps will stretch more during extensions than if they were horizontal. This is very productive for activating the long triceps.
The main thing is to not allow your arms to fully straighten at the top of the movement and to do the repetitions non-stop. The ideal tempo for pumping up the triceps is 2010, - 2 seconds per negative phase, without delay at the bottom point, proceed to the positive phase - 1 second, and, without delay at the top, proceed to the next repetition.
French press with a barbell
For fans of “pumping” during training for relief and mass, the French bench press with a barbell is also quite suitable. Moreover, this exercise will be productive for absolutely all athletes, regardless of muscle shape. During the period of strength development, it is better to exclude this exercise - since it is extremely uncomfortable to work with extreme weights.
Which bar should you use for this exercise – curved (W-shaped) or straight? Here you also need to decide. Experimenting and finding what you need is the destiny of all athletes, and especially bodybuilders and strength athletes.
Bottom line
Having found the best version of the French press for yourself, any athlete, regardless of age, body type and level of training, is guaranteed to transform their arms.
An arm circumference of 45 centimeters or more is a very real task, which many bodybuilders have successfully coped with. Their main tools were: iron will, regular exercise and a constant desire to find productive training methods for themselves.
Personal trainer, sports doctor, physical therapy doctor
Draws up and conducts personal training programs for body correction. Specializes in sports traumatology and physiotherapy. Conducts classical medical and sports massage sessions. Conducts medical and biological monitoring.
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