Starting Strength, 3rd Edition - Mark Rippetoe [184]
There is a better triceps exercise, one that is so effective at building lockout strength for the bench press that Larry Pacifico called it “the fourth powerlift.” It is the lying triceps extension (LTE), done on a flat bench in a supine position with heavy weights. Done correctly, it is safe, brutally hard, and very effective for general upper-body strength with an emphasis on the triceps. Done the way many foolish people do it – as a “skullcrusher” – it loses much of its effectiveness and safety.
The preferred equipment for the LTE is the EZ Curl bar, a cambered bar intended for doing curls as an alternative to using a straight bar. The EZ Curl bar was invented back in the early 1970s by some poor bastard who probably didn’t make a dime off of the thing. It apparently ended up with one of the big magazine publishers who also happened to sell equipment and who started marketing it as his own device. Typical situation.
Figure 7-60. The EZ Curl Bar, used for lying triceps extensions.
The problem is that the EZ Curl bar doesn’t work nearly as well for curls and for recruiting biceps contraction as a straight bar does. As we discussed earlier, the degree of supination of the forearm and hand directly affects the amount of biceps in contraction. The EZ Curl bar does in fact take the stress of supination off of the wrists and elbows, but it does so at the expense of a good biceps contraction. The camber of the bar is specifically intended to decrease the supination of the forearm, and anything less than full supination results in a less-than-complete biceps contraction.
Figure 7-61. The effect of supination on biceps contraction, and the main reason that the EZ Curl bar is best left for triceps work.
But the EZ Curl bar works perfectly for the lying triceps extension. The triceps is composed of three bundles of muscles, which originate on the humerus and the scapula and share a common insertion point on the olecranon process of the elbow. (The lateral and medial heads of the triceps originate on the humerus; the long head originates on the scapula.) The angle of the hand on the bar makes no difference in the quality of the triceps contraction. The more prone grip afforded by the EZ Curl bar is more comfortable for this exercise and does not reduce its effectiveness.
The thing that distinguishes the LTE from other triceps exercises is the inclusion of the proximal function of the triceps, where the design of the movement produces shoulder extension, using the long head of the muscle, as well as elbow extension. It also includes the lats, some pec, costal muscle, and abdominal involvement, and the forearms. This exercise dramatically increases the number of other muscles activated and is the first choice when you are adding a triceps assistance exercise to your program.
The LTE, like the bench press, requires a spotter at heavy weights. Take a position on the bench, with the top of your head just past the edge of the pad. Receive the bar from the spotter, who has deadlifted it into position, handed it to you, and stepped back out of the way. The EZ Curl bar has three angles in the middle; take your grip on the inside-most angle with your hands prone (palms facing up), and the middle bend in the bar facing down. Your elbows will be pointed down the bench in external rotation, and the bar will be locked out over your shoulder joints, as in a bench press. Your chest should be up, butt in contact with the bench, feet in a stable position on the floor, and eyes looking at the ceiling for the whole rep (Figure 7-62).
Figure 7-62. The lying triceps extension.
Unlock your elbows while keeping your upper arms vertical, letting the bar arc backward behind your head and toward the floor. When your elbows get to about 90 degrees, let your shoulders rotate back to drop the bar down just above your