Elbows Tucked or Flared?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

When doing decline close-grip barbell bench press for your triceps, is it better to keep you elbows tucked to your sides when pressing, or flared outwards (i.e. your upper arms being perpendicular to you body)?

Thanks. Remember I’m doing this for tricep emphasis, not any other reason.

2

Tucked.

3

Tucked does isolate the triceps more…

However flared will shift the emphasis to the outer (lateral) tricep head and allow more weight as the Pectoralis Major is in a more advantageous position.

I choose flared for my close grip benching generally as i like to use it for lateral head mass. :wink:

4

In my personal experience (to avoid shredding my shoulders - impingement helloooo) I lift tucked - to warm up I go flared but once it goes past 135-185 lbs I tuck them in - (mini hijack starts… now - to strengthen your tris Dave Tate had a good exercise from before where you do similar to an an incline press but instead of pressing the DBs up you break at the elbows & bring the 'bells to your sternum & so your fists are facing in towards each other) That really torches the long head of your tris.

Don Alessi also had a good triceps warmup exercise as well - Exercises You've Never Tried 7

5

Tucked

6

for some reason when my triceps are tucked i get more chest involvment and when there flared they seem to take more of the work.

7

just to clarify, what effects does flared or tucked have on other presses like benching. i’ve wondered if theres a norm for which should be done when.

8

[quote]jaybvee wrote:
In my personal experience (to avoid shredding my shoulders - impingement helloooo) I lift tucked - to warm up I go flared but once it goes past 135-185 lbs I tuck them in - (mini hijack starts… now - to strengthen your tris Dave Tate had a good exercise from before where you do similar to an an incline press but instead of pressing the DBs up you break at the elbows & bring the 'bells to your sternum & so your fists are facing in towards each other) That really torches the long head of your tris.

Don Alessi also had a good triceps warmup exercise as well - Exercises You've Never Tried 7 [/quote]

I love elbows out extensions. It’s one of the only tricep exercises that doesn’t hurt my elbows.