The French press is a tricep building exercise that will help target all three heads of the tricep muscle, so is an excellent option for ensuring that you’re bringing balance into your workout routine.
If you’re ever short in time while in the gym and are hoping to get in and out quickly, this one is very efficient because it ensures no muscle fiber in the triceps goes untouched.
execution
- 1Grab an E-Z bar and lie down on the flat bench
- 2Hold the bar at shoulder width and keep it over and slightly behind the head
- 3Let the bar go down and behind the head slowly
- 4Push the bar up explosively, contracting the triceps carefully up top
When doing this one, you’ll want to angle your arms back slightly so that the beginning position is behind your head, not over your chest as many guys do.
This is key because starting in the wrong position will change the nature of the stress loading pattern and render this exercise far less effective.
This is one of those tricep exercises that you probably won’t use as much weight on, so avoid ego lifting and know your limits.
You want to do it in a slow and controlled manner and feel each muscle working as you go through the movement.
