sore elbows? a unique triceps exercise

[alfresco]

Anybody who has ever handled any serious iron
will, at some point in time, experience aches and
pains in the elbow joint. I know I have and it's
nothing to laugh about. It's painful that's a given,
but it also interferes with your workouts and could
be a precursor to something worse. Not good.

So . . . try this the next time your elbows flare up due to
heavy triceps isolation movements.

Take a minimum shoulder width curl grip (yes, a curl grip)
on a empty Olympic bar to start with. Lie down of a bench
just like you were going to do a normal lying triceps extension;
only this time the palms of your hands will be facing you.
Keep your elbows perpendicular or there abouts depending on
your style, and lower the empty bar to your face or behind
your head. And then extend your arms, keeping your elbows
stationary.

This movement may take some getting used to. Don't worry
about dropping the weight on your face; trust me, it won't happen
thanks to your powerful prehensile thumb.

Concentrate, keep the weight light and reps high to start with
until you gain the flexibility in your wrists and hands. Eventually,
if you stick with it, you will be able to handle heaver and heavier
weights and your triceps will grow with zero pain in your elbows.

As with any completely new exercise you will enjoy a tremendous
muscular pump, and if your elbows have been bothering you, you will
have the added benefit of them being virtually pain free, at least that
has been the case with me.

When I do this exercise, I typically do it immediately prior to another
triceps exercise like in a super-set. It has the benefit of warming up
the triceps, pre-exhausting them, before you perform a heavier
movement.

I saw this exercise being performed many years ago by a man at
a gym I once to belonged to. Only he was doing them standing, and
behind the neck, with an Olympic bar loaded with a 45 on each end.
You do the math. And his triceps were simply enormous. This was
the only isolation triceps exercise I ever saw him doing. He would
super-set these with dips, followed by palm close together pushups
with his feet elevated on a bench. But I credit his triceps development
to this one exercise.

I have seen a few people do what I call a reverse grip pushdown,
but I have never seen anybody do this exercise the way I have
described it and never the way I saw it performed many years ago.

Try it, you just might like it.

And as someone once said to me when they saw me performing this
exercise . . . "I've been working out for a lot of years and I thought
I'd seen everything" to which I replied . . . "well, I guess you have
seen everything now."

 

[bigdfk]

Interesting article... I think what you are describing is commonly known as a "skullcrusher" and is actually a fairly common exercise. I find that even they, if done too heavy, can cause elbow pain. I think they are especially effective if they are super setted with close grip bench press.

 

[Fa Seeshus]

i do most of my tri work with a reverse grip. it just seems to put alot less torque on my elbows.

once your forearms get used to it, the poundages will go up.

 

[MAINEVENT]

Sounds interesting, im going to give this a try.

 

[big E]

Always up for a new exercise! My opinion is that it mimicks the reverse grip pushdowns, but I like the free weights better so this is one I will try!

 

[VTliftVT]

Interesting article... I think what you are describing is commonly known as a "skullcrusher" and is actually a fairly common exercise. I find that even they, if done too heavy, can cause elbow pain. I think they are especially effective if they are super setted with close grip bench press.

i think this would be more of a "reverse skull crusher." Reason being he stated the palms are facing you...not away from you. This is why he reccommended a lower weight usage.

VT

 

[CB]

Must have read my mind. I was just thinking how sore my elbow have been lately. I'll give it a try.

 

[luckyone]

i do most of my tri work with a reverse grip. it just seems to put alot less torque on my elbows.

Same for me. It's worked great!!

your brother in Christ,

Lucky

 

[bigdfk]

i think this would be more of a "reverse skull crusher." Reason being he stated the palms are facing you...not away from you. This is why he reccommended a lower weight usage.

VT

ah, well there were a lot of words there... can't said I read it too carefully. Alright I'll give it a try then.

 

[asleep]

wow! i was just talking to my chiropractor about my right elbow problem. happened last summer, benching too much weight. i have been trying to figure out what to do, since i'm having a problem doing any kind of serious weight for my tri's . i will def. try this "reverse nose breaker". ( we called 'em nose breakers in the 80's.)

 

[Ironmanpits]

Wrap your elbows = most problems will be solved.

 

[oldfella]

I do a fair bit of reverse grip work for tris including push/pulldowns. keeps the stress off the elbow joint and puts a wicked pump into the tri's.

 

[VanR__]

I will try this.

 

[MrDeflation]

seems dangerous to be holding a weight over my face only protected by my thumb grip... if it slips

 

[CB]

Wrap your elbows = most problems will be solved.

I've actually wondered how many of you on here wrap your elbows. I know a few guys on here that do, but i imagine they are in the minority. I've thought about it, but never have.

 

[rhinofight]

I"m going to try this too as I'm having some pain myself. Have any of you guys tried the JM press? It's like a mix between a skull crusher and a close grip bench and focuses all the weight into the elbow and surrounding muscles in the forearms and triceps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxfzWbEKd6s

 

[Pekkerwood]

Thanks for the info Alfresco. Very timely. Last night I cut my tricep work short due to elbow pain ( I have a low tolerance for injury these days) and didn't even think of reversing my grip (DOH!) It's amazing how knowledge can leave me these days when I need it. Why in the world did I short my workout instead of thinking through it?

Thanks again.


Pekkerwood

 

[willylee]

Good info! You can also take some of the pressure off your elbows by doing decline skull crushers and push the weight out a bit more than directly over your head. This works for me when my elbows are a bit sore.

 

[abadseal]

The only time I ever experience elbow pain in when my tricep and elbow joint isn't warmed up and ready for the pounding. I simply do a few more light sets and BAM! the pain is gone.

 

[Pekkerwood]

Thanks Willylee, will try that adjustment tonight.