The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (91 page)

FAQ:

When I do this exercise, I feel all the stimulation in my chest muscles instead of my triceps
.

ANSWER:

Because this exercise uses dumbbells, your range of motion is more open to improper form than with the E-Z bar. Focus on keeping your arms pulled in close to your sides. This will put the emphasis of the resistance on your triceps.

Triceps Pushdown

This exercise often is performed incorrectly. Some common mistakes include the following:

A) Too much bending at the hips, thus incorporating chest muscle activity. Using proper form for this exercise means staying as straight as possible with a very slight bend at the hips, to prevent lower back injury.

B) Bending over with the cable set on one side of the trainee’s head. This causes the crucial balance of the resistance to be thrown off because force is greater at one side of the body than the other. Many professional trainers and athletes do this all the time. For proper form keep the cable right at the center of your body.

C) Allowing the arms to come up during the negative portion of the exercise. Proper form calls for the upper arms (from the elbows to the shoulder) to stay locked at the sides of the body and remain there until the end of the exercise, when you have to return to the start position. Only the forearms should move.

This is a great exercise if done correctly. Follow the proper form and techniques and you will soon have the fat free and firm triceps you desire.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

You have the option of using a v-bar, a short cambered bar attachment, a rope, or a straight bar attachment for this exercise. Choose the bar that gives you the most comfortable grip. You can also change bars over time in order to add variety to your program.

Stand in front of the cable and take hold of the bar. Bring the bar down by bringing your arms (from the elbow to your shoulder) to the sides of your body and lock them there.

Position your feet shoulder width apart with your feet pointing straight ahead.

Slightly bend your knees and keep your torso upright throughout the movement.

Keep your head pointing straight ahead and avoid looking down; otherwise you will tend to bend over.

TECHNIQUE AND FORM

Holding the bar with your arms positioned in place at your sides, begin by isometrically contracting the triceps muscles before moving the bar down.

Begin pushing the bar down while keeping your elbows pinned to your sides.

Push down until you have reached full extension. Avoid locking the elbow joint out hard. Make sure you squeeze the triceps muscles as hard as you possibly can at lockout. You are to focus on squeezing the triceps muscles hard, not the elbow joint. There is a major difference that practice will perfect.

When you’ve reached the bottom position, squeeze the triceps muscles and hold for a count of one second.

Begin to allow the bar to rise while maintaining your posture and arms at the sides.

Let the bar come up to the point where your forearms are slightly higher than parallel to the floor. At this point, without resting, begin once again pushing down to the bottom position.

Follow this form throughout this exercise and your triceps will burn with delight. If you continue with this proper alignment, technique and form, your triceps will very soon develop into arms of beauty!