Barbell Lying extension
Sculpt powerful triceps with the barbell lying extension. This effective isolation exercise strengthens your upper arms by extending the elbows against
Description
A strength training exercise that targets the triceps muscles. The person lies on a bench holding a barbell and lowers it until it almost touches their forehead, then pushes it back up.
How to Do Barbell Lying extension
- 1Setup
Lie supine on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor, ensuring your head, back, and glutes are firmly supported.
- 2Setup
Grip a barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip and extend your arms straight up, holding the bar directly over your chest with elbows slightly bent to avoid locking out.
- 3
Keeping your upper arms stationary and elbows pointed towards the ceiling, slowly lower the barbell by bending only your elbows until it is just above your forehead.
- 4
Pause briefly, then forcefully extend your elbows to push the barbell back up to the starting position, squeezing your triceps at the top.
- 5
Maintain control throughout the movement, ensuring your upper arms do not move significantly from their vertical position, isolating the triceps.
Tips
- Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body; flaring them out can put unnecessary stress on the elbow joints and reduce triceps activation.
- Control the negative (lowering) phase of the movement by taking 2-3 seconds to lower the weight, which increases time under tension for enhanced muscle growth.
- Don't fully lock out your elbows at the top of the movement; stopping just short of full extension maintains continuous tension on the triceps.
- Breathe in as you lower the barbell and exhale forcefully as you extend your arms back to the starting position.
Common Mistakes
- ×Flaring your elbows out to the sides during the movement shifts tension away from the triceps and can strain your elbows; instead, keep them tucked in and pointed forward.
- ×Allowing your upper arms to swing forward or backward reduces triceps isolation; keep them perpendicular to the floor throughout the exercise to maximize triceps engagement.
- ×Lowering the barbell too far back behind your head can put excessive stress on the shoulder joint; aim for the bar to descend just above your forehead.
Variations
Barbell Lying Triceps Extension
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Barbell Lying Close grip Triceps Extension
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Barbell Standing Overhead Triceps Extension
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Barbell Seated Overhead Triceps Extension
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