Supercharge Your Triceps with Dumbbell French Presses - See more at: http://fitnessrxformen.com/health/muscle-form-function/supercharge-your-triceps-with-dumbbell-french-presses/#sthash.i49tmG5n.dpuf

 Stephen E. Alway, Ph.D. FACSM

The guy who has spent his time in the gym building strong and hard arms is not difficult to spot, even across a packed room. He knows that arms are like any other body part, in that hard work pays off. Arm work is best kept pretty simple, but it has to be consistent work with heavy, basic exercises, because the arms respond best to this type of stimulation. Maybe you don’t have your sights set on a 20-inch arm, but if you want to develop a full arm that can still stretch the tape measure, you cannot neglect the triceps brachii. This is because the triceps makes up two-thirds of the upper arm girth. You really don’t need a lot of fancy or specialized machines to hammer your triceps. Although all regions of the triceps must be developed to ensure great symmetry, the inner region of this muscle is the largest component of the triceps brachii and its development is crucial to having a full and hard arm, not to mention a strong and functional one. The triceps is also critically important in sports like football, many track-and-field events, throwing a ball and most activities that demand pushing to be part of the activity.

The triceps brachii muscle sits on the posterior (back) side of the upper arm (arm in Latin=brachium or brachii). This muscle is comprised of three distinct heads (ceps=heads), hence the “tri” part of triceps. The lateral head of the triceps brachii begins along a small vertical strip on the back (posterior) part of the humerus bone of the upper arm, about two-thirds of the way toward the shoulder joint. The muscle belly gradually forms a tendon and joins the tendons from the other triceps heads to form a common triceps tendon. The triceps tendon crosses the elbow joint posteriorly and attaches on the ulna bone near the elbow. The ulna is one of two bones in the forearm. The only function of the lateral head of the triceps extends the forearm at the elbow joint (i.e., straightening the elbow joint so that the forearm moves from a bent to straight position). The medial head of the triceps brachii lays between and generally deep the other two heads of the triceps brachii. It begins along a rather large portion of about the upper two-thirds of the posterior part of the humerus bone. Its fibers extend down the arm, where they join the common triceps tendon to insert on the ulna and therefore share duties for extension of the forearm with the other heads. The third head is the long head of the triceps brachii. It is sometimes described as the “inner head.” It begins on the scapula (shoulder blade) just inferior (below) to the head of the humerus bone at the shoulder joint. The long head joins the other heads of the triceps brachii function to extend the forearm. However, the long head has another important function. It can also act to extend the shoulder (pull the arm to the rear of the body), because the long head crosses the shoulder and attaches to the scapula. Thus, to fully active the long head of the triceps brachii, the shoulder must be flexed (e.g., your arm should be over your head) to place the long head in a stretched position during each contraction. The dumbbell French press is a perfect exercise to accomplish this.

One-Arm Dumbbell French Presses

1. Sit comfortably on the chair with your lower back pressed in to the upright back support. The back of the chair should be short enough so that you do not hit it with the dumbbell during the lowering part of the exercise. If possible, position the chair in front of a mirror so that you can see the triceps muscles working and you can monitor your exercise form quite readily during the exercise. Although the exercise can be done standing, it is better to sit on a chair because it will provide support for your lower back. This reduces the likelihood of injuring your back or leaning backward during the extension phase of the exercise. Your torso will be more stable so you can use more weight without losing your balance with the weight over your head. In this way, the triceps is overloaded in a more efficient manner, and this means faster progress toward chiseled and strong arms.

2. Grasp a dumbbell with one hand, then lift it from the floor then over your head as if you were going to do a one-arm shoulder press. When the dumbbell is over your shoulder, the palm of your hand should be facing toward the center of your body (this is a semi-prone hand position). The dumbbell will be vertical with respect to the floor in the starting position. The non-working arm can be used as a brace for the upper arm (so that the upper arm stays vertical and close to your head). Alternatively, you can grasp the edge of the chair with your non-working hand and this will increase the stability of your upper body during the exercise.

3. Keep the working arm close to the side of your head. Slowly bend your elbow and control the dumbbell as you lower it behind your head and neck. The movement should be only at the elbow joint and the forearm, but the upper arm (e.g., humerus bone) should remain perpendicular to the floor and close to the side of your head throughout the exercise. The back of the elbow should point forward and upward during the exercise. Do not let the arm swing to point out to the side and away from your head.

4. Continue to lower the dumbbell until one end barely makes contact with the trapezius muscle of the upper back. Do NOT hit or bounce the dumbbell on the back of your neck, because this could result in neck injury and pain. The key is to have full control of the weight as you are lowering it.

5. Finally, extended your forearm (straighten your elbow) to move the dumbbell back to the starting position with the arm just short of being straight over the head. Repeat the rep, then switch to the other arm after completing your set.

If you lock out (fully straighten) your elbows after each repetition, you will complete two undesirable events. First, you will reduce the stress to the triceps, because the resistance will be transmitted through the bones of your arm rather than having the triceps absorb the weight. The second negative factor is that fully straightening the elbows will “jam” the head of the ulna bone (olecranon process) into its fossa on the humerus and if done forcibly, this crushes the bursa protecting this joint. That is not likely to cause you any problems for a while, but continued extensions, especially if they are done explosively, will likely result in you having sore elbows and bursitis (swelling of the elbow bursa). In addition, it is much better to stop the extension phase of the lift just short of fully locking out your elbow joint in each repetition, because this maintains constant tension on the triceps muscle throughout the entire set, making the exercise harder and somewhat fatiguing, but it will be well worth the benefits.

Although the arm position for the dumbbell French press preferentially stretches and activates the long head of the triceps, the medial and lateral heads of the triceps will be activated and tightened as well because all heads will help to extend the forearm and push the weight upward. Thus, this exercise is an all-around “best” for moving toward the perfectly shaped posterior arm.

It is not necessary to hoist large weights over your head for this exercise. Nevertheless, don’t misunderstand this as giving you the green light for using pencil-light weights for this exercise, because your triceps would not respond to a very low load. Rather, initially you may find that medium weights will be quite adequate. This will be the case, since you will be maintaining constant tension in the muscle throughout the set, and this will cause your triceps to fatigue rapidly. After a few weeks, you can move to a heavier dumbbell as the long head of your triceps strengthens and your neuromuscular balance improves. On the other hand, you should never choose a weight that is so heavy that it requires you to do only a fewer repetitions in a sloppy manner. As you fatigue, you should be particularly careful that you do not get careless with the dumbbell, or you might find it banging into the back of your head, and a dent in your skull will not help your arms. After your warm-ups, get a minimum of 3 sets in each arm.

The dumbbell French press is not a terribly easy triceps exercise, but then again, it is a cakewalk compared to heavy squats. It is one of those exercises that it is easy to fall in love with, because the effects of supercharging your triceps will be undeniable.

References

Gjovaag, TF , Dahl, HA (2008). Effect of training with different intensities and volumes on muscle fibre enzyme activity and cross sectional area in the m. triceps brachii. Eur J Appl Physiol, 103, 399-409.
Guazzelli, FJ, Dias, GA, Rodrigues, JA, Goncalves, M, & Bull, ML (2007). Electromyographic analysis of the arm muscles in “back support” exercises. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol, 47, 337-340.
Terzis, G, Karampatsos, G, & Georgiadis, G (2007). Neuromuscular control and performance in shot-put athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 47, 284-290.
Terzis, G, Stattin, B, & Holmberg, HC (2006). Upper body training and the triceps brachii muscle of elite cross country skiers. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 16, 121-126.
Moore, K.L. and A.F. Dalley. Clinical Orientated Anatomy. 1999, 4th Edition. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, Philadelphia. Pp 722-733.

Illustrations by William P. Hamilton, CMI