PS-Triceps

[hippahips]

Why is it that when I do those close-grip presses, I feel them in my chest and anterior delts, and HARDLY in my triceps? I have my elbows clipped to my sides, my arms in a 90-degree angle, my wrists straight. Even if I lead the movement with my elbow, I feel it in my chest and delts more and feel like I'm not doing the exercise correctly. I suspect that the chest and shoulder workouts have fatigued me by the time I do triceps that I feel them more. I checked a bodybuilding book, which said that this exercise also works out the chest but only secondary to the triceps.

Anyway, I've been doing 2 sets of 12 slow one-armed kickbacks while Cathe and crew do the presses. It's been working for me just fine but I've always been wondering if I'm missing something. Please clue me in. Thanks.

Pinky

 

[kathryn]

Chest and front shoulder are definitely also used in this move. I find that if I concentrate on bending the arm a bit more at the bottom (since the tricep works to straighten the arm), I feel it more in the triceps. When you bring the weight down, don't just lower it straight, the way you would in a regular chest press, but while you are lowering, bend the elbow so that the hands come closer to the neck (rather than staying in the same line that they are in at the top of the move). Then, when you press up, you are doing more of a straightening-the-arm move, which will engage the triceps more. Start with lighter weight until you get the hang of this.

 

[AllisonT]

Thanks for those tips, Kathryn - PS chest/shoulders/tris is my workout for Saturday and, like Pinky, I substitute something for those extensions because I NEVER feel the move in my triceps. I'll try again on Saturday.

 

[kathryn]

Another idea: change the order of the exercises, so that you are doing this as the final exercise (unless it already is: I haven't done PS for a while so I forget). If you've already pre-exhausted the triceps with other moves, they will feel the movement more.

 

[hippahips]

Kathryn, as always your suggestions have been most helpful. I saw your post last night and tried it with 5's. That bend in the arm where you bring your hands closer to the neck makes a whole lot of difference. I did feel a "kick" in my triceps that I never felt before.

Also, I tried the posterior delt exercise that you suggested, with the most minimal bend in the arm. Wow! I felt it where I wanted to feel it. I used 8's. 5's were quite light; 10's were heavy. So I'm going to do that post delt exercise from now on instead of the angled ones that Cathe does in PS-CST, which I also feel in my trapezius and a bit in my upper back. I think I can handle 12's for this exercise because other muscles come in and help. The method you suggested isolates my posterior delts more, thereby limiting the weight I can handle.

Many thanks,
Pinky

 

[kathryn]

Glad I could help!

 

[LAEnggren]

Pinky
2 ? what post delt exercise would love to know Also the tricep one is it the dumbell presses over the head or the first exercise she does witht he dumbells heavy close grip dumbell presses I htink is what she calls them Coull you elaborate for me abit here
Thanks Lisa
some more pointers please

 

[hippahips]

Lisa, you can read about the post delt exercise here:

http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=3&topic_id=28588&mesg_id=28588&page=

As for triceps, we're talking about the close-grip DB presses in PS-CST, the first exercise that Cathe does in the triceps section. Kathryn's suggestion, above, is great and definitely worth a try.

Pinky