When
you train on your own, sometimes you have to come up with
some pretty inventive ways to increase the intensity of
a movement and to spot yourself to get more reps.
This
is a GREAT one for dialing up the intensity on lying tricep
extensions. You're basically going to use momentum to your
advantage - not momentum in the triceps but momentum from
the LEGS to get weight moving.
You'll
see...
First,
you'll need to do this exercise on the floor. Because in
between reps, you're actually going to be setting the barbell
down - can't do this on a bench.
I like
to use the EZ bar for lying tricep extensions - take a fairly
close grip in the center section. Use a weight you could
normally get 6 to 8 reps with.
You're
going to start by doing a regular set - no momentum yet.
Do as many reps as you can with the weight you've selected.
Here's
what that will look like:
Now,
when you're done on a regular set, you're going to set the
barbell down on the floor behind your head and raise your
legs up like you're doing a lying leg raise. They don't
need to be straight - just roll up onto your shoulders like
so:
Now
WHIP your legs down as fast as you can.
THIS
IS THE KEY...as your feet hit the ground, tighten your abs
and transfer that momentum DIRECTLY into the triceps to
launch the barbell off the ground and up into the tricep
extension movement.
Think
of it as whipping your legs down and locking your abs so
that the momentum of your legs whipping down gets transferred
through your abs and into your arms.
You
can see exactly how it works in the video.
Then
just lower the bar back down to the ground, raise your legs
up and do it again!
It may
sound strange but it is VERY effective for extending your
set and increasing the workload and intensity on the triceps.
Even if you DO have spotters available, give this version
a try. The transfer of tension through the abs and into
the arms has core training benefits as well!
