Technique Summary

Hold the EZ Bar with an overhand short grip and your arms extended over your head.  Lower the bar behind your head by bending your arm at the elbow.  Breathe in as you bring the weight down.  Breathe out as you bring it back up.

---

Exercise Type: Isolation

Primary Muscle: Triceps Brachii

---

---

Technique Details

Seated EZ Bar triceps extension is a very effective isolation exercise.  It is most effective when performed correctly for the full range of motion.  Focus on flexing your triceps to lift the barbell.  Bring the weight all the way up without locking out your elbows.  Locking elbows may lead to tendonitis.  Bring the weight as far down as you comfortably can without moving your upper arms.  Lowering the bar all the way forces a good stretch of the long head of the triceps.  Be careful not to overstretch your triceps.  Don’t jerk the weight up or let it drop quickly.  Doing so may lead to muscle tears. 

Your upper arms should be stationary at all times.  Don’t let the elbows flare out when you lower the weight.  The movement should be limited to the lower arm at the elbow.  Keep your back straight.  If possible use a bench with lower back support to reduce stress on the lower back.  You should also flex you midsection to support your lower back. 

Most commonly people cheat by moving their elbows out and letting the upper arm go down with the weight.  This quickly turns the exercise into a shoulder press and not an effective isolation triceps exercise that it should be.

The seated bar triceps extensions could also be performed with a regular barbell.  We recommend the EZ Bar because it alleviates pressure on the wrist. 

Using a barbell will isolate the long head of the triceps.  Using the EZ Bar shifts some of the burden to the lateral head.