Wide Reverse grip bench press, RP style
Steely youve out done yourself. Looking forward to the rest of the thread. My tris are lagging, of which i realised after speaking to u in the 19" thread. So thanks, now ive got new info to use.
I’m a fan of the weighted bench dip. I and change my hand position to focus on diff heads.
Anybody else using these?
[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
I’m a fan of the weighted bench dip. I and change my hand position to focus on diff heads.
Anybody else using these? [/quote]
Loudog-- of all the triceps movements, this one kills my shoulders more than anything else. I absolutely just cant do them. I’m just getting back into the groove with dips, which are feeling great.
Having my hands back like that just tears me up.
It doesn’t seem like any of you are very big on the traditional tricep exercises.
Close-grip bench, sure, but pushdowns? DB overhead extensions, skullcrushers?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilder that doesn’t do pushdowns as a staple in their tricep routine.
[quote]mr popular wrote:
It doesn’t seem like any of you are very big on the traditional tricep exercises.
Close-grip bench, sure, but pushdowns? DB overhead extensions, skullcrushers?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilder that doesn’t do pushdowns as a staple in their tricep routine.[/quote]
For me, these end up putting way too much stress on my shoulder and elbow joints to be effective. Whenever I do pushdowns its usually with a much lighter weight than I can use. One staple for me though is a reverse pushdown (not sure what the exact term is but Its just a reverse curl on the pulleys)
[quote]mr popular wrote:
It doesn’t seem like any of you are very big on the traditional tricep exercises.
Close-grip bench, sure, but pushdowns? DB overhead extensions, skullcrushers?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilder that doesn’t do pushdowns as a staple in their tricep routine.[/quote]
This was the triceps part of my ‘arm-day’ workout last night:
Cable Tri P/D (v-attach, although I vary that wk2wk):
several sets ramping wt: 20-12 reps
Dip:
several sets 16-10 reps
Rev. Grip Sm. Press:
several sets ramping wt: 12-10 reps
EZ bar Sk. Crush (or variation of deadstop floor or pjr pullover style):
several sets ramping wt: 12-6 reps
I do CGBP’s on chest/bench night and rotate in db floor presses, tate presses, oh cable extensions on triceps days. Rep ranges vary as well.
These are staples.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
I’m a fan of the weighted bench dip. I and change my hand position to focus on diff heads.
Anybody else using these? [/quote]
Loudog-- of all the triceps movements, this one kills my shoulders more than anything else. I absolutely just cant do them. I’m just getting back into the groove with dips, which are feeling great.
Having my hands back like that just tears me up.[/quote]
Same here… I also think that for the amount of weight I can use on dip variations, I’m really not getting the tricep size out of them that I would expect… I’d rather go with PL CGP (stable base, shoulders supported etc) which allows me pain free training even with maximal weights…
To me, they’re a bit like standing military presses… Ok and fun and all, but there are too many superior and safer alternatives available for me to achieve my goals.
[quote]mr popular wrote:
It doesn’t seem like any of you are very big on the traditional tricep exercises.
Close-grip bench, sure, but pushdowns? DB overhead extensions, skullcrushers?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilder that doesn’t do pushdowns as a staple in their tricep routine.[/quote]
I just don’t get any real size out of them (pushdowns)… Plus most of the stacks and pulley machines here are terrible (weight jumps too big or not enough total weight, and most don’t use a cable but a kind of non-stretchable band which builds up too much slack when you go even semi-explosive… Also feels terrible on the elbows at lockout or near lockout with most of our attachments).
Both dips and pushdowns are pretty much contracted position exercises, maybe that’s the reason they don’t work well for me… Apart from the discomfort on the shoulders/elbows…
Traditional skullcrushers to the nose or forehead are the worst thing anyone can do for their elbows imo, esp. long-term… I just bring the bar down behind the head and turn them either into pullover+extensions or dead stop extensions… Much easier on the elbows for me.
DB overhead extensions… Also not so great on the elbows, and they feel awkward as hell on my shoulders.
Same goes for many other bodyparts btw: I prefer variations of the traditional exercises over the actual “traditional” ones most of the time because they are easier on the joints/tendons or simply superior in terms of how much size I get out of them vs. weight I’m adding…
And btw, scott extensions are at least as “traditional” as pushdowns, they were used by Larry Scott, the Barbarian Brothers etc back in the day already… Pretty much from the day pulley stations became available…
[quote]mr popular wrote:
It doesn’t seem like any of you are very big on the traditional tricep exercises.
Close-grip bench, sure, but pushdowns? DB overhead extensions, skullcrushers?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilder that doesn’t do pushdowns as a staple in their tricep routine.[/quote]
It depends on what “style” of pushdowns and skullcrushers you mean. I do pushdowns like Meat does them in the video posted above, or like Skip La Cour does them in this video. I also, like C_C don’t do skull crushers to the nose/forehead, but instead let the bar go behind my head and turn them into a pull-over + extension (I believe this movement was at one time known as a lying “french press”), which again you can see Skip doing in this video. Doing them that way hits the long head much better, and like was already said, puts less stress on the elbow joint:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=136119756477
Overhead DB extensions can work, I just don’t feel like I get anything out of them that PJR’s, pull-over+extensions/deadstop extensions, and Scott extensions don’t do better. It also becomes a pain in the ass trying to hoist up a really heavy DB into position to do them if you don’t have a reliable training partner to hand you the DB (which I don’t usually have).
But hey, if you think they work well for you then keep doing them.
Sento – re: Skip LeCour video.
Can you comment on hand placement? I’ve been doing those like skip, but with a much closer grip (index fingers aligned with smooth part of inner-EZ bar). They feel comfortable to me that way, so just wondering if there is any real advantage (besides joint comfort) to the wider vs. closer grip on those.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Sento – re: Skip LeCour video.
Can you comment on hand placement? I’ve been doing those like skip, but with a much closer grip (index fingers aligned with smooth part of inner-EZ bar). They feel comfortable to me that way, so just wondering if there is any real advantage (besides joint comfort) to the wider vs. closer grip on those.[/quote]
Closer feels more comfortable for me as well. It’s just a matter of preference really. Do what feels comfortable for you.
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]mr popular wrote:
It doesn’t seem like any of you are very big on the traditional tricep exercises.
Close-grip bench, sure, but pushdowns? DB overhead extensions, skullcrushers?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilder that doesn’t do pushdowns as a staple in their tricep routine.[/quote]
It depends on what “style” of pushdowns and skullcrushers you mean. I do pushdowns like Meat does them in the video posted above, or like Skip La Cour does them in this video. I also, like C_C don’t do skull crushers to the nose/forehead, but instead let the bar go behind my head and turn them into a pull-over + extension (I believe this movement was at one time known as a lying “french press”), which again you can see Skip doing in this video. Doing them that way hits the long head much better, and like was already said, puts less stress on the elbow joint:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=136119756477
Overhead DB extensions can work, I just don’t feel like I get anything out of them that PJR’s, pull-over+extensions/deadstop extensions, and Scott extensions don’t do better. It also becomes a pain in the ass trying to hoist up a really heavy DB into position to do them if you don’t have a reliable training partner to hand you the DB (which I don’t usually have).
But hey, if you think they work well for you then keep doing them.[/quote]
So you guys just aren’t big on the lighter more isolated exercises I guess?
I always thought having a combination of both heavy rapid-overload exercises and lighter pump/contraction exercises was beneficial.
In fact, I used to have elbow pain during certain exercises that didn’t go away until I started doing overhead DB extensions (single arm) - I’m assuming because one part of my tricep wasn’t as strong as the other parts, and I needed to isolate it in order to bring things back into balance (also created a visual difference to my tricep shape).
Although I agree wholeheartedly with everyone who says don’t do skullcrushers down to the face, those never felt right to me. I always go behind the head and keep my upper arms closer to my ears rather than vertical.
[quote]mr popular wrote:
So you guys just aren’t big on the lighter more isolated exercises I guess?
I always thought having a combination of both heavy rapid-overload exercises and lighter pump/contraction exercises was beneficial.
In fact, I used to have elbow pain during certain exercises that didn’t go away until I started doing overhead DB extensions (single arm) - I’m assuming because one part of my tricep wasn’t as strong as the other parts, and I needed to isolate it in order to bring things back into balance (also created a visual difference to my tricep shape).
Although I agree wholeheartedly with everyone who says don’t do skullcrushers down to the face, those never felt right to me. I always go behind the head and keep my upper arms closer to my ears rather than vertical.[/quote]
The other guys posting are much more experienced but for wat its worth I do several “isolated” exercises.
I do skull crushers the same way you do (although not becaust of shoulder pain, it just feels like i’m working the long head harder) Sometimes I also do these deadstop fashion lying on the floor, resting the bar on the ground behind my head.
I’ve recently (last 2 months) swiched to doing overhead db extensions single arm and I love them, really feel the stretch when doing them and doms the next day! (never used to get doms in arms)
Pushdowns I use as a finisher, have been doing them with a v bar but the stack is too light now so just starting to do them with a rope attachment (also trying to pull apart) which is MUCH harder for me (Sento or someone else if you could give me an explination I would be gratefull)
Dips (paralel bar) like em, increased the weight easily but not sure if they are as effective size builders as other exercises.
These exercises I attribute to improving my triceps which I used to think lagged behing my bis. Now they are looking good for my level of development.
I have just started doing tate presses rather than dips or scull crushers as my first tri exercise because of wrist pain, so far very good.
Never liked CGBP or any variation with the exception of lockouts off the pins.
As a side note I usually do three exercises for tris, first one I focuss on explosiveness or just heavy weight and lower reps. The others I use higher reps and try and keep constant tension. I always include an exercise which brings my arms over my head to hit the long head.
I’m really liking reverse grip bench in the smith machine, seems to isolate the Tri’s more than doing them live, I do them heavy as I can and as of late 5x5, I was doing 5x15 light but after awhile it seemed to be more of a chest exercise.
Doyle, how were you doing your close-grips ? (setup, grip-width etc)
[quote]dday wrote:
I’m really liking reverse grip bench in the smith machine, seems to isolate the Tri’s more than doing them live, I do them heavy as I can and as of late 5x5, I was doing 5x15 light but after awhile it seemed to be more of a chest exercise.
[/quote]
If you set up right and press towards your feet while pressing up, then your chest should not be in there much at all even with the wide grip… Keep your upper back as tight as possible.
And yeah, one of my fav. tricep exercises too.
[quote]mr popular wrote:
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]mr popular wrote:
It doesn’t seem like any of you are very big on the traditional tricep exercises.
Close-grip bench, sure, but pushdowns? DB overhead extensions, skullcrushers?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilder that doesn’t do pushdowns as a staple in their tricep routine.[/quote]
It depends on what “style” of pushdowns and skullcrushers you mean. I do pushdowns like Meat does them in the video posted above, or like Skip La Cour does them in this video. I also, like C_C don’t do skull crushers to the nose/forehead, but instead let the bar go behind my head and turn them into a pull-over + extension (I believe this movement was at one time known as a lying “french press”), which again you can see Skip doing in this video. Doing them that way hits the long head much better, and like was already said, puts less stress on the elbow joint:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=136119756477
Overhead DB extensions can work, I just don’t feel like I get anything out of them that PJR’s, pull-over+extensions/deadstop extensions, and Scott extensions don’t do better. It also becomes a pain in the ass trying to hoist up a really heavy DB into position to do them if you don’t have a reliable training partner to hand you the DB (which I don’t usually have).
But hey, if you think they work well for you then keep doing them.[/quote]
So you guys just aren’t big on the lighter more isolated exercises I guess?
I always thought having a combination of both heavy rapid-overload exercises and lighter pump/contraction exercises was beneficial.
In fact, I used to have elbow pain during certain exercises that didn’t go away until I started doing overhead DB extensions (single arm) - I’m assuming because one part of my tricep wasn’t as strong as the other parts,[/quote] I have some theories in regards to that stuff, but need more data…
Which head of your tris hurt/where was the pain and on which exercises and which part of the ROM?
[quote] and I needed to isolate it in order to bring things back into balance (also created a visual difference to my tricep shape).
Although I agree wholeheartedly with everyone who says don’t do skullcrushers down to the face, those never felt right to me. I always go behind the head and keep my upper arms closer to my ears rather than vertical.[/quote]
I don’t mind more isolating exercises. As I’ve posted elsewhere, I don’t give a crap about whether it’s supposed to be a compound or isolation exercise or whatever,
I just do what gets the job done best in my opinion.
Every exercise in my routine has a specific purpose… Of course if I just want to pump my tris up at the end of a session, pushdowns work perfectly well… But for heavier/progression work, I just have better options…
Same story as standing military press. Too many superior options in every aspect which matters for what I’m trying to accomplish.
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
Doyle, how were you doing your close-grips ? (setup, grip-width etc)
[/quote]
Set up similar to flat bench as far as body placement, arch and back tightness. The grip I liked best was a bit narrower than shoulder width, I tryed using a really narrow grip but my wrists hated it.
I lower the bar to the lowest part of my sternum.
I hope thats gives you an idea. I go to the uni gym so there are no experienced lifters who do them.
When i flat bench I really feel it more in my chest so I think I’m naturally a chest bencher.
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
[quote]dday wrote:
I’m really liking reverse grip bench in the smith machine, seems to isolate the Tri’s more than doing them live, I do them heavy as I can and as of late 5x5, I was doing 5x15 light but after awhile it seemed to be more of a chest exercise.
[/quote]
If you set up right and press towards your feet while pressing up, then your chest should not be in there much at all even with the wide grip… Keep your upper back as tight as possible.
And yeah, one of my fav. tricep exercises too.
[/quote]
Thanks CC, I’m likely losing form on the later reps when I get tired causing me to use my chest. Next time I’ll try to focus on form more.