The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (83 page)

FAQ:

This exercise really hurts my elbows. What can I do to prevent this?

ANSWER:

This can be a very good exercise, but make no mistake; it can also be very tough on those elbow joints. Think about the position you’re in: you are holding a moderate to heavy weight over your head, with your elbows flexed. All of the pressure is coming from two different points, compression caused by the dumbbell being overhead, and the force of the dumbbell pulling on your elbow joint. If you have elbow problems or simply feel pressure or pain from this exercise, you should switch it immediately with something less strenuous.

Lying Dumbbell Extension

This exercise is a favorite for both women and men. The lying position provides greater stability to lift more safely, preventing a chance of injury to your lower back. Much like the flat dumbbell press, it also allows greater leverage to occur, allowing better strength output with a smoother exercise movement. Always make sure to move the dumbbells slowly from start to finish and squeeze the triceps muscles at the top of the movement to really feel the triceps working. If you had to choose one exercise for the triceps, this might very well be the one.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

Pick up two dumbbells, making sure that they are light enough for you to practice perfect form or for simply warming up your triceps muscles.

Sit at the end of a flat bench with the weights positioned upright on top of your thighs.

It is very important to grip both dumbbell handles all the way at the end closest to your thighs. Make sure to slide your hands all the way to the bottom of the handle so that the pinky side of your hand is up against the weight plate. Doing this will help you control the weight better while also allowing you to contract the triceps muscles harder at the top of the movement.

Thrust each dumbbell up just as you would when doing a dumbbell bench press.

Lay back on the bench and place your feet flat onto the floor.

As you are lying down, keeping the long side of the dumbbells and the palms of your hands facing each other at all times, press the weights up using your chest muscles (chest press). You will begin the exercise in this position to avoid stressing the elbow joint. If you start at the bottom position of this exercise, you can easily create too much pressure on the elbow joint capsule, risking long-term injury. Remember, throughout the movement, the palms of your hands and your inner elbows must always face each other. You want to make sure that your whole arm is in a direct line with your front shoulder (anterior deltoid).

You must also make sure that your elbows are pointing directly at the ceiling at all times during the exercise.

Begin the exercise with the arms fully extended overhead, holding the dumbbells high to the ceiling.