Ez Bar Lying Triceps Extension

The triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arms. So, to get big, strong arms, you’ve got to give them some serious attention. One of the best exercises to build strength and increase size in the triceps muscle is the EZ bar lying triceps extension.

 This guide will provide detailed instructions on the proper form and technique to get the most from the EZ bar lying triceps extension. We’ll also discuss the best rep and set scheme to match your workout goals. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter, you will find valuable tips and techniques.

How to do

  1. Load an EZ curl bar with the appropriate weight and secure the collars.
  2. Lie on your back on a flat bench with the bar held directly above your upper chest at arm’s length. Place your feet on the floor.
  3. Hold the bar on the inner bar angle and align your elbows with your torso.
  4. Bend your elbows to lower the bar beyond your forehead to lengthen the triceps fully.
  5. Extend your elbows to return to the starting position. Stop just short of lockout to maintain a slight bend in your elbows.

Tip From Expert

  • Do not allow your elbows to flare out; keep them in line with your torso.
  • Control the descent of the bar at all times.
  • Do not move the shoulders or upper arms; the only movement should be through the forearms.
  • Stop the ascent of the bar just short of lockout to keep a slight bend in your elbows and to maintain tension on the triceps.
  • Pause momentarily in the bottom position to stretch the triceps, mainly the long head. 
  • Keep your hips on the bench at all times.
  • Breathe in as you lower the bar; breathe out as you raise the bar.

Optimal Sets and Reps

The number of sets and reps you perform on the EZ Bar lying triceps extension should be targeted to match your training goals. Use this guide to help determine your optimal workout strategy.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 3 5–8
Hypertrophy 4 8–12
Endurance Training 3 12–30
Power Training 3 4–10

How to put in your workout split

The EZ bar lying triceps extension builds strength and size in the triceps muscle. While it works all three heads of the muscle, the emphasis is on the long head. The grip that the EZ curl bar allows puts your hands in a more natural position, helping to prevent wrist strain.

This exercise, also known as the skull crusher, is a great movement to start your triceps workout. Perform three or four sets using the chart above as your rep reference guide.

If you are working your triceps and biceps together, we recommend supersetting the EZ bar lying triceps extension with the standing EZ bar biceps curl. Supersetting involves going directly from the first exercise to the second with no rest. This can be done because these exercises work on different muscle groups. You then rest for two minutes before repeating.

Follow the EZ bar lying triceps extension with other exercises that target the triceps, such as triceps pushdowns and triceps kickbacks.

Ensure that the weight you use allows you to perform each rep with proper form. The last two or three reps should be challenging but manageable.

Primary Muscle Groups

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

Triceps Long Heads

The EZ bar lying triceps extension does a great job of targeting the long head of the triceps. This is the largest of the three heads that comprise the triceps brachii muscle.

The long head originates on the shoulder blade just below the shoulder joint. In this exercise, the overhead position of your arms allows you to engage the long head more than other arm positions in different triceps exercises.

The long head provides most of the mass of a well-developed triceps muscle and contributes most to the muscle group's strength potential. Developing the long head of the triceps improves arm definition, especially from the side view. A well-developed long head creates a fuller appearance to the back of the upper arm, contributing to a balanced and aesthetic physique.

Strengthening the long head of the triceps will make you more powerful in pushing movements such as the bench press and overhead press.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Triceps Lateral Heads

Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Medial Heads

Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Lateral Heads 

While the EZ Bar lying triceps extension primarily targets the long head of the triceps muscle, it also engages the lateral head significantly.

The lateral head, also known as the outer head, originates on the back of the upper arm bone (humerus) and attaches to the top of the ulna bone, which is on the inside of the forearm.

The lateral head crosses through the elbow joint. It is involved in the elbow extension that occurs when you push the bar back to the starting point. It also assists in stabilizing the upper arms when performing the exercise.

Developing the lateral head contributes to the overall shape and definition of the triceps when viewed from the front and side. It also enhances functional strength for upper-body pushing movements.

Triceps Medial Heads

The medial, or middle, head of the triceps has the same insertion and origin points as the lateral head. As a result, it has the same function and will be affected similarly by exercises that target the triceps. 

All three triceps heads participate in the flexion and extension of the elbow that bends and straightens the arm. However, their degree of activation changes depending on the angle of shoulder elevation. The medial head is more engaged at 90 degrees of shoulder elevation than the long and lateral heads. This is the angle at which the arm is placed when you perform the EZ Bar lying triceps extension.

Developing the medial head contributes to the overall fullness and definition of the triceps muscle when viewed from the side. A well-developed medial head helps create a balanced appearance to the upper arm.

Equipment

Dumbbells

Flat Bench Without Rack

EZ Bar

This is great for reducing stress on your wrist joints when performing arm exercises. Use safety clips when lifting. Grip the same type of curve with each hand for balance.

Flat Bench Without Rack

This is great for pressing and pulling movements. Ensure the safety catch is firmly locked in. If you can't find this bench, use one with a rack for barbell exercises.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Dumbbell Skull Crusher

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Triceps Dip

Barbell Lying Triceps Extension

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

Are EZ Bar tricep extensions good?

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.

Is a straight bar or an EZ bar better for the triceps?

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.

What is the best curl for the triceps?

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.

Is it okay to train triceps every day?

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

  1. 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.
  2. ‌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.
  3. ‌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.