Who Should Do?
Strength Training Enthusiasts
If your goal is to boost your upper body strength for the bench press or other pushing movements, include the EZ Bar lying triceps extension in your routine. It will improve your triceps strength, mainly targeting the long head, which powers the initial part of the bench press push.
Bodybuilders
The EZ Bar lying triceps extension will help build mass through all three triceps heads. This exercise is an effective triceps isolator, as the triceps is the only muscle worked during the exercise. This promotes muscle growth and adds to a more sculpted physique.
This exercise allows easy weight adjustments, making it ideal for progressive overload. By gradually increasing the resistance, bodybuilders can continuously challenge their muscles, leading to consistent strength and size gains.
Fully developed triceps deliver the much sought-after horseshoe shape when straightening the upper arm. This exercise is one of the best ways to build the long head of the triceps, adding thickness and definition.
Athletes
Strengthening the triceps will improve the performance of a range of athletes, including swimmers, basketball players, and footballers. The EZ Bar triceps extension will help develop the functional strength needed for explosive movements such as throwing or pushing
Fitness Enthusiasts
Anyone wanting to tone and strengthen their arms will benefit from the EZ Bar lying triceps extension. It will help define and shape the back of the upper arm, giving it an athletic, healthy appearance. Strengthening the triceps will also improve a person’s ability to carry out daily lifting and pushing activities.
Who Should Not Do?
People With Elbow Pain
People with a pre-existing elbow issue, such as joint pain or tendinitis, may have difficulty with this exercise. Lowering the barbell places significant stress on the elbow joint and tendons.
People With A Shoulder Injury
The EZ bar lying triceps extension requires about 90 degrees of shoulder flexion. The long head of the triceps attaches to the shoulder blade (scapula), so we need to elevate the arm to target this portion of the muscle. People with a shoulder injury may find this position painful or may not have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly.
People With Limited Flexibility
Limited overhead flexibility will make elevating the arms overhead and bending the elbows in a full range to lower the EZ bar challenging. The triceps cable pushdown may be a better option, where the arms remain at your sides.
Benefits Of The EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extension
Builds Muscle And Strength
The EZ Bar lying triceps extension isolates the triceps, which receives all the overload stress in this exercise. This results in microtears in the muscle fibers. With rest and protein-rich nutrition, the muscles will repair, become stronger, and slightly bigger.
By bringing the arms overhead, the lying triceps extension slightly emphasizes the long head of the triceps. This head has the most significant growth and strength potential out of the three triceps heads.
Improves Lockout Strength
The EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extension will improve your lockout strength, which is the ability to extend your arm at the elbow joint fully. Improving lockout strength will significantly increase your performance on pushing exercises such as bench presses and overhead presses.
Enhances Athletic Performance
The stronger your triceps are, the better you will be at various athletic activities, including pushing, throwing, and extending your arms. Strong triceps will improve your performance, whether you’re throwing a ball, pushing against an opponent, or powering through the water.
The EZ Bar lying triceps extension will help develop the triceps strength and endurance you need to succeed as an athlete.
Easy To Modify And Progress
The EZ Bar triceps extension is a versatile exercise. It can easily be modified to meet different training goals. You can adjust the weight, change the bench angle, and alter your grip on the bar to work the triceps slightly differently.
An incline angle will emphasize the long head of the triceps, while a slight decline will shift the focus to the lateral and medial heads. A narrow grip will also emphasize the long head, while a wider grip will target the lateral head better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It allows you to lengthen the long head of the triceps through a full range of motion through overhead extension. You do not get this result with triceps exercises where your arms remain at your sides, such as the triceps cable pulldown.
The EZ Bar places less strain on the wrists when doing the lying triceps extension. The angled bar position allows for a more natural wrist and hand alignment. As a result, many people find the EZ bar version to be more comfortable.
There are no curling exercises for the triceps. Their only function is triceps extension, which is a pushing movement. The lying triceps extension, or skull crusher, is considered among the best exercises to work all three heads of the triceps.
No, you should not train triceps every day. Like all muscles, the triceps require about 48 hours to recover and grow between workouts. If you train them within that time frame, you will not be able to make progress.
Resources
- Sumiaki Maeo, Wu, Y., Huang, M., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Hiroaki Kanehisa and Tadao Isaka (2022). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. EJSS/European journal of sport science, [online] 23(7), pp.1240–1250. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279.
- Kholinne, E., Rizki Fajar Zulkarnain, Yu Cheng Sun, Lim, S., Chun, J.-M. and Jeon, I.-H. (2018). The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica Turcica/Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, [online] 52(3), pp.201–205. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005.
- Peake, J.M., Neubauer, O., Della, P.A. and Kazunori Nosaka (2017). Muscle damage and inflammation during recovery from exercise. Journal of applied physiology, [online] 122(3), pp.559–570. doi:https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00971.2016.