Let's talk Tricep muscle

[Taramisu]

Tricep dips are my least favorite tricep exercise, after seeing this I may just sub a different exercise from now on. I like french presses, tricep kickbacks, or lying tricep extensions. I don't like tricep pushups either.

Plus tricep dips are uncomfortable to do on my high step, therefore I drag out my club step so I can put my hands a little further apart. What a pain!

So yeah...no more tricep dips for me, especially if they aren't that safe anyway.

Thanks for this thread!

[Joni O]

I hate tricep dips, too, and rarely do them. In an early Cathe DVD, Pat does French presses when everyone else does tricep dips, so I figured they're a good substitute.

I love skull crushers, cross body kickbacks and tricep presses - all on the bench. I wish they were all in the same DVD.

Thanks for the links NoraKate. I don't understand why these are done on DVDs by supposed fitness professionals. Cathe does them all the time. The MetRx 180 programs does them and he's been a trainer for many years. They're everywhere.

Same with the upright row. I've seen the safety of this move explained as both positive and negative by different people. How are we supposed to know who to believe? Wait until we have an injury?

[imhere2dance]

Originally Posted by Joni O

Same with the upright row. I've seen the safety of this move explained as both positive and negative by different people. How are we supposed to know who to believe? Wait until we have an injury?

I pulled a chest muscle twice from doing upright rows. I didn't know how I hurt myself the first time. It happened again within 6 months and I figured it had to have been from that exercise, so I haven't done them since. That was about 2 years ago and I haven't gotten injured again.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how painful it was...or how long it took to heal. I couldn't get in or out of a car without feeling it.

[tytbody]

French presses when everyone else does tricep dips, so I figured they're a good substitute.

so the french press is when you use a barbell and when you use a dumbbell it's a scull crusher?

Same with the upright row. I've seen the safety of this move explained as both positive and negative by different people. How are we supposed to know who to believe? Wait until we have an injury?

what's wrong with the upright row? lower back injury?

[firmaniac]

...yikes! Didn't know that about tricep dips-glad I saw this! Personally, I have been able to grow my tricep muscle by doing skull crushers- a used a certain video at least once a week this last year that has a good section of bench/floor work. The sequence includes pec fly, bench press and then go into skull crushers and tricep press..I just hold one 15 or 20# in each hand and smoothly work through the sets. It would be effective with any size weight since there isn't a lot of room for momentum or 'cheat'...thanx again for the info on the tricep dips backwards off the bench!

[kirov2]

The very best triceps exercise I ever did was to cut up long panels of corrugated cardboard, using long strokes and a Swiss knife. I felt my triceps worked like no DVD-move ever! (In fact, this thread has inspired me to take some rubber bands and my door-attachment to see if I can simulate this move without boxes)!

[slysam]

The professional association ACE has a number of research reports and reviews on their website and one of these is about tricep exercises. You can download a pdf of the report, it isn't about safety though, the hook electrodes up to the muscles and have subjects do a variety of exercises to see which ones activate the most. (Probably poorly described it has been a while since I've read this report). The link:
http://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/1562/

[Debbie S.]

Originally Posted by tytbody

so the french press is when you use a barbell and when you use a dumbbell it's a scull crusher?



what's wrong with the upright row? lower back injury?

French presses and skull crushers should be the same exercise.

[CatInTheHat]

I thought French Press was when you are standing and doing the tricep behind you, and skull crushers were when you were lying down - but I've seen them called skull crushers with either a barbell or a dumbbell.

[Joni O]

Yes. French press standing up lowering and raising one dumbbell behind your head with both hands. Skull crusher with 2 dumbbells or a barbell laying on a bench. I suppse you'd only crush your skull if you dropped the barbell, though. The dumbbells would be to either side of your head. -