Great exercise for concentrated work on the triceps. Learn all the technical nuances in order to competently load the muscles of the arms and start growth. It should be said right away that it is best to use dumbbells when performing a French bench press. This will allow you to work with two hands at once or alternately with each. In addition, by performing a movement with one hand, you can load the muscle more strongly, and since it is much more convenient to lower the dumbbell down, the triceps will stretch more.
For those athletes who prefer to work with a barbell, it makes sense to perform this movement while standing. This is due to the fact that the body will not be very stiff and it is easier for you to control the position of the elbow joints. This fact, in turn, implies an improvement in neuro-muscular connections and, as a consequence, the ability to work at a slow pace.
By doing the seated French press, you are actively working the inner section of the muscle. This is a rather important advantage of the exercise, since this bundle of fibers has the shortest length, and it is rather difficult to pump it. By doing a one-handed movement, you can maximize the stretch of the muscle.
It will also significantly reduce the risk of injury to the elbow joint, and the exercise should be used before the press with a narrow grip to warm up the triceps. However, in this case, you should tire the muscle and for this you only need to complete one set, but with 30 repetitions. As a result, you will be able to accelerate hypertrophy as much as possible.
How to do the French seated press correctly?
When setting up the bench, you need to tilt its back slightly back. Place your feet under the pallet to push harder against the ground. Sit on a bench and place a projectile (dumbbell) on your leg. Then lift it onto your shoulder and straighten your arm. Begin to lower the projectile at a slow pace, making sure that the elbow joint remains motionless relative to the plane. All movement is performed exclusively due to flexion-extension of the elbow joint. The upward movement must be powerful. It is very important to keep your head straight at all times so as not to disrupt the blood flow in the neck area. Otherwise, dizziness may begin. Do not fully extend the elbow joint to reduce stress on it. The brush should be in place and you should eliminate any wobbling. The number of repetitions in a set is from 12 to 15 and special attention must be paid to technique.
As we know, triceps are divided into three sections. This implies the possibility of applying more effort compared to working on the biceps. Using the seated French press, you can emphasize the most difficult to pump section of this muscle - the middle section. This fact also implies the need to use large loads.
This is due to the fact that in any movement, those departments that are pumped more will take part of the load from the weaker ones. It only says that you need to perform the movement as technically as possible in order to achieve the desired result.
It should also be noted that this exercise is much safer for the joints, since it involves the use of dumbbells. In comparison with a barbell, you physically will not be able to use a large dumbbell weight, and, therefore, the load on the joint will decrease. But lowering your arm much lower than the barbell allows, you stretch the muscle fibers more. This has a positive effect on stimulating its growth. The exercise is very effective and it is not without reason that it is widely used by athletes of various levels of readiness.
Learn how to do the seated French press with dumbbells in this video:
