Correct execution of the French bench press. French bench press: execution technique. Secrets and subtleties of implementation

Lately I've been talking a lot about how important it is to base your training on exercises, because they're the only ones that work, and isolation is just self-indulgence. I admit, I somewhat downplayed the importance of isolation in training, some of them are much more effective than a base for pumping a specific muscle, take, for example, the triceps. The most best exercise for them is French bench press, and no parallel bars exercise can compare with it.

Of course, this exercise can be replaced, for example, with arm extensions on a block, variations of the French press, from a standing or sitting position. But performing it while lying down is still a priority, for the simple reason that it loads the triceps much more effectively, and it is more convenient to control the movement from this position.

Before we begin to analyze the technique of performing the French bench press with a barbell, let me tell you some interesting things characteristic of this movement.

French bench press with a barbell. What and how it works

Although the lying barbell extension is a form of exercise, this does not mean that only the triceps are involved in it. The work also involves the muscles of the forearm, back muscles, intercostal muscles, and to some extent, even the chest works.

Our task is to reduce the load on non-target muscles and complicate the work of the triceps. The pecs and back work only slightly, the intercostal muscles cannot be turned off due to the nature of the movement itself, but with the forearms you can solve the problem.

It is important to unload the forearms, not because they steal the load from the triceps, but because they can get tired before it, and because of this you will underwork, and as a result, no results in growth.

How can we prevent this? I have already said that the task is to remove the load from the forearms as much as possible and transfer it to the triceps. You don't need to perform any fancy movement to do this, no. It will be enough to replace the straight bar with its EZ version.

The French bench press using an EZ bar allows you not only to reduce the load on the forearm, but also to make the exercise more comfortable when performing, there will be no breaking resistance in the hands. In addition, due to the fact that the grip will change, it will be possible to use more serious weights in this exercise, which also increases the effectiveness of working the triceps.

French press technique

The movement itself also has its own nuance that you should remember. This nuance concerns the place where you need to lower the barbell. There are two options: on the nose and slightly behind the head. I stick to the second option because it's more difficult. If you lower the barbell to the middle of your face, the triceps will not stretch enough, which is why the effectiveness of the exercise decreases. In addition, by lowering the barbell near the forehead, if it is impossible to squeeze the barbell, you can safely reset it. Let's move on directly to the technique and algorithm for performing the French bench press.

How to pump up your triceps with a French press

Lie down on a bench with your head close to the edge. Ask for a barbell, take it and press it above you. Keep and lock your elbows parallel to each other, maintaining this position throughout the entire approach. If you cannot maintain this condition, then most likely you need to reduce the working weight.

As you inhale, slowly, controlling the movement, lower the barbell behind your head. Just don’t put it anywhere or touch anything, this will make the exercise simply useless. At the lowest point, the bar should be somewhere near the beginning of the hairline.

After the negative phase, the positive phase begins, it must be performed sharply, while exhaling, also controlling the movement and watching the elbows so that they do not move to the sides. This should be done for every repetition in the set.

That's all. This is the French bench press. I admit, I wanted to write a longer article, but I’m writing it late in the evening, and I don’t see the point in going on and on. And there’s nothing to say here, as for me. Perform the French press regularly, pay attention to your technique, and your triceps will thank you. By the way, regarding desalination, watch a video on the topic from Denis Borisov, he does it masterfully.

Video “French bench press”

Video about the nuances of performing the French bench press. Take a look and reinforce your knowledge from the article.

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The French press is an excellent exercise for developing triceps. It is recommended for men and women and can be performed in various variations. Some athletes do the French barbell bench press, others do it while sitting, and still others do it on incline bench.

Some perform the French barbell press lying on an incline bench upside down. Moreover, during the work you can use a barbell or dumbbells. All of these features make the French bench press a universal strength exercise.

Technique

The French seated press differs from the classic one in the nature of the movements performed by the athlete. When performing the exercise, follow the French press technique:

Take a seat on a horizontal bench;
Ask the person belaying you to hand the barbell or remove it from the supports yourself;
Take the bar so that thumb he grabbed it from below, and the rest of his fingers from above;
Lift up sports equipment, almost completely straightening your arms;
Slowly bend your elbows, bringing the bar closer to the crown area (shoulders should remain motionless, and the angle of the elbow bend at the lowest point should be 90 degrees);
Take your original position again.

If you want to work your triceps at the same time as your forearms, use a regular barbell. And to make the seated French press easier, you can take an EZ bar – it will take the load off your forearms.

The technique of the French press on an incline bench will be similar. Only the starting position in this case should be such that the arms with the barbell form a straight line with the athlete’s body. Moreover, you need to work on an inclined bench with less weight than on a horizontal bench.

In order to avoid injury while performing the French press on an incline bench, you generally need to take the choice of weight very seriously. It should be such that it is not difficult for you to follow the exercise technique.

It is also important to monitor the immobility of your shoulders - by including them in work, you are incorrectly distributing the load. The French bench press with a barbell is also a popular option for performing the exercise; choose what is comfortable for you.

In addition to the triceps, you can also use the latissimus dorsi muscles when performing the French bench press. To do this, the exercise is done from a sitting position. However, the correct technique is extremely important in this case.

You need to sit on a bench, holding the barbell above your head with your arms outstretched. Inhaling, bend your elbows and lower the bar behind your head. Then, as you exhale, return to the position you were in previously. It is important that your elbows do not diverge to the sides - watch this.

The French press can be done even while standing. The technique will be almost the same as during seated training. Moreover, instead of a barbell, it is permissible to use dumbbells - one or two. This option is considered more preferable when it comes to performing the exercise from a standing position. It's easier to exercise with dumbbells, and besides, you can do it outside the gym.

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In this article we will look at a very popular exercise in bodybuilding - the French bench press. This exercise specifically develops the triceps.

French bench press - execution technique

Due to complete isolation, the triceps brachii muscle receives effective stimulation, which is difficult to achieve in in practical terms in other exercises.

French bench press: features of the exercise

Such triceps exercises are due to the inclusion of two or more joints in the work. It would seem that follow them and you will be happy. But when they are executed, part of the load is taken away shoulder joint, the back and chest work part-time, as a result the triceps do not receive enough positive stimulation.

The French bench press has a huge advantage over these two exercises in terms of isolating the triceps. The shoulder joint is turned off due to the stationary position of the elbows and shoulder sections of the arms.

The main function of the triceps in our body is to extend the arm at the elbow. Main feature French bench press is that the movement occurs only in elbow joint. It turns out that the load falls almost entirely on one muscle - the triceps.

This exercise helps to build the thickness of the arms by increasing the volume of the lateral and long heads of the triceps.

Let's look at the technique, especially since it is necessary to take into account several important nuances.

French bench press: execution technique

The exercise is performed on a horizontal bench with a straight or curved barbell. The curvature of the bar does not have a significant impact on performance. Decide for yourself how it is more convenient to perform the movement.

In order for the triceps to receive a positive load, it is necessary that the shoulder sections of the arms (anatomically the humerus bones) be parallel to each other at any point in the amplitude. This position of the hands must be firmly fixed and maintained throughout the entire set.

You should choose your grip in such a way that it is comfortable for you to perform extensions in the elbow joint. Typically, this grip corresponds to a width slightly narrower than the shoulders.

An important point when performing the French bench press is to determine where the barbell is lowered. You can lower the barbell closer to your nose or behind your head. By lowering the barbell closer to your nose, you engage the lateral and medial head triceps. When lowering behind the head, the main load begins to be borne by the long head of the triceps, which is so lacking in loads in other exercises.

In the starting position, the barbell is placed on the arms, fully straightened at the elbows, slightly at an angle, closer to the back of the head. This is necessary to ensure the correct trajectory when placing the projectile behind the head, and to maintain tension in the triceps at the top point.

Perform the exercise without pushing or jerking. Lower the barbell slowly as you inhale, only by bending your elbows. Raise the projectile to the top point as you exhale, a little faster, also by fully extending your arm at the elbow. Avoid any shoulder movements – You should only pull the weight with triceps strength.

At the bottom point, pause for a moment - this way you stretch your triceps. At the top point, also take a short break - feeling the maximum contraction. While performing the movement, try to keep your elbows as close to each other as possible.

In order to maximally involve the triceps in work and minimize the action of the stabilizer muscles, perform full extension of the arm at the elbow. This is the only way to achieve complete contraction of the triceps. Do not press the barbell with your shoulders, back or chest. The shoulders are strictly motionless.

For more isolated work, place your feet on a bench. This will minimize the work of auxiliary muscle groups and focus on the work of the triceps. However, you need to be 100% sure that you can maintain your balance. Use a wide bench or perform the exercise on the floor - the effect is remarkable.

Perform the French bench press in a high rep range (10-20). The fact is that in this exercise the elbow joint bears a significant load. Using heavy weights and a small number of repetitions, the load on the elbow joint becomes simply monstrous (traumatic). Therefore, before performing the exercise, do it by warming up your joints well.

French press: video

To better understand how to perform a French press, the video below explains everything. technical nuances and clearly shows their implementation.

Conclusion

Don't hang huge weights. Triceps - not so much large muscle, for her growth it is much more important to follow the correct technique than to chase the progression of weights (although it is certainly necessary) and cheating (justified only when you have approached your genetic limit).

Using reasonably heavy weights, high reps, and proper form, the French Bench Press is a great building exercise for you. muscle mass hands!

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The French bench press pumps the back (long) head of the triceps, namely its lower part. Shapes, lengthens and expands the lower triceps.

Execution technique

Lie down on horizontal bench and place your feet firmly on the floor. Raise your arms straight up, they should be perpendicular to the floor, and ask your partner to hand you the barbell.
It is better to take a barbell with an EZ bar, or if it is not in your arsenal, then it is not a sin to perform the exercise with a simple barbell with a straight bar.
Grab the bar with an overhand grip and press the barbell up. Fully align your arms with the barbell and move them back (towards the top of your head) 40-50° from the vertical. This is the starting position.
Take a deep breath and hold your breath. Keeping your upper arms (shoulder to elbow) locked, slowly bend your elbows and lower the barbell behind your head toward the back of your head. From below, the angle at the elbow joint should be 90°.
When you reach the bottom point, don't stop moving! Quickly change the course of movement and, straightening your elbows, return the bar to its original position. When lifting the barbell, do not exhale or extend your elbows forward. The part of the arms from the elbow and above should remain fixed until the end of the set.
As soon as you straighten your arms as much as possible, pause for a couple of seconds, exhale and, using auxiliary force, tighten your triceps even more.

Don't take too much heavy weight To perform this exercise, you are better off using the correct technique with a lighter weight than the wrong technique with a larger weight, which will result in less muscle contraction. If the barbell is very heavy, you will not be able to hold it with level hands at an angle of 40-50° to the vertical and you will reflexively pull your elbows forward. And this significantly reduces the contraction of the triceps.
Fixing the upper arms in a tilt at an angle of 40-50° to the vertical is the main point of the exercise.
Straighten your upper arms as much as possible. Otherwise you won't achieve ultimate load for triceps.
Although French bench press includes all three heads of the triceps, however, the center of the load falls exactly on long head muscles. It is located on the back of the hand and stands out perfectly when looking at the hand from the side.
It is prohibited to place your feet on the bench. They should rest firmly on the floor. Otherwise, you risk losing your balance and getting injured.

Application

Intended for: Everyone, from beginners to professionals.

When: At the beginning of the workout, work on the triceps muscles. But first before French bench press perform with a narrow grip or. After French bench press perform by straightening your arms at the elbows with weights from behind your head and straightening your arms with weights at an angle.

How many: 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Sports instruction: In weightlifting French bench press needed for general improvement of the triceps, but primarily for maximum load on its long head, in order to emphasize and lengthen its bottom. The wider this triceps head, the more powerful the upper arm appears when viewed from the side.

Extension of the arm raised behind the head at the elbow joint, performed through the work of the triceps, is the main movement in various types sports: basketball (throwing the ball from behind the head), volleyball (passing the ball, Athletics(pole vaulting), martial arts(strikes with the edge of the hand from top to bottom).

Video - French bench press with a barbell

Video - French bench press with a barbell at the lower block

Let's look at a very popular exercise in bodybuilding called " French bench press with barbell" This exercise is great for developing triceps muscles arms (triceps). Peculiarity this exercise lies in the fact that the shoulder joint remains fixed, and all movements occur only in the elbow joint, so the entire load falls on the triceps.

The French bench press with a barbell is an isolation exercise designed to train the triceps (targeting the long head). The exercise has several variations; it can be performed lying on a bench, sitting or standing.

Correct technique performing the exercise “French bench press with a barbell”:

Lie on a bench, grab the bar slightly narrower than shoulder width, with an overhand grip (you can use either a curved or straight bar).
Hold the barbell at forehead level with your arms fully extended and slightly back.
Fix your upper arms, inhale through your nose, bend your elbows to lower the barbell behind your head. Try to bring your elbows towards each other as much as possible.
Try to lower the barbell behind your head as low as possible.
Pause briefly at the end of the movement, then exhale through your mouth and lift the barbell, straightening your elbows. Do not lift the barbell using movements in the shoulder joint, remember that top part The arms should always be fixed, all movements are made only at the expense of the elbow joint.
The exercise should be performed without sudden movements.

French bench press standing/seated. The advantage of the French press in a standing position is that in this position the long head of the triceps is better worked. This occurs due to the fact that your elbows will have to be raised above your head, and not held in front of you as in a lying position. It is worth noting that in this position the spine is significantly loaded, so it is recommended to use an athletic belt. This exercise can be performed while sitting, which will also slightly reduce the load on the spine. The technique in a sitting position is the same as in a standing position.

Stand straight, straighten your shoulders, place your feet shoulder-width apart.
Grab the bar slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart with an overhand grip.
Raise the barbell up above your head.
Inhaling through your nose, lower the barbell behind your head as low as possible, while your elbows should not diverge to the sides, try to keep your elbows as close to your head as possible.
Pause briefly at the end point of the movement, then, as you exhale, lift the barbell, straightening your elbows. Do not lift the barbell using movements in the shoulder joint; remember that the upper part of the arms must always be fixed; all movements are made only through the elbow joint.
The exercise should be performed without sudden jerks or jolts.
Do the planned number of repetitions per set.
Rest 1 - 2 minutes and proceed to the next approach.

Bringing the bar further behind your head will allow you to better stretch and work your triceps, especially the long head of the triceps.
Make sure that movements occur only due to flexion in the elbow joint, while the shoulder joint should be motionless.
Use the help of a partner who will help you serve and pick up the barbell and, if something happens, can provide backup.
To better maintain balance, use a short bar.
Place your feet firmly on the floor; placing your feet on the bench is not recommended, as you may lose your balance.