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French press exercises are those employed to develop a person’s triceps which are the muscles on the back of the upper arms. This particular kind of exercise can be done with the use of a barbell, dumbbells or resistance cables. How to do French press exercise usually requires three or four sets of 8 to 10 reps if the goal is to build larger muscles. To build lean muscles meanwhile or two sets of 12 to 20 reps is usually the standard. It is recommended to work the triceps at least twice a week. The French press is an efficient exercise to strengthen and tone the triceps since if these muscles are under-worked, they will jiggle when a person raises or waves his or her arm.

how to do french press exerciseThis is the main reason why the triceps should be given attention as well. As mentioned earlier, the triceps are the group of muscles located at the back of the upper arm. Together with the biceps, they compose the muscles used when the arm is flex. Although most of the weight lifters these days focus more on the biceps as a way to show the muscles of one’s arms, it is the triceps actually that comprises the majority of the upper arm muscle bulk. For this reason, exercising the triceps is vital especially for women whose the back of the upper arm can become loose and flabby. By toning the triceps, women can remedy this  can problem. So how to do French press exercise properly? Below are the standard procedures which are usually followed when doing this particular exercise.

The Barbell French Press Exercise

Doing the barbell french press exercise is good a way for building strength since a person can use a lot of weight. One important thing to do first is to get someone to spot you if heavy weights are being used since this could be a dangerous exercise. A person will start by lying on a bench. He will then hold the barbell above shoulders at shoulder-width apart. Proceed by bending the elbows so that these are pointing to the ceiling and the barbell is above the forehead. Then extend the arms back up straight without allowing the elbows to move forward past the shoulders. Keep the barbell level so that one arm is not working harder than another.

The Dumbbell French Press Exercise

The dumbbell French press is a weight lifting exercise that works the triceps with hand held weights. The good thing about the dumbbell french press exercise is that each arm has to lift its own dumbbell and therefore neither arm can work harder than the other. A weight bench works best but any flat surface can be a good alternative as well. This is started by lying on the bench the same way as the barbell french press exercise. Pick up a light dumbbell in each hand and lay flat on your back. Raise the dumbbells straight up so that your arms are perpendicular to the ground and your thumbs face each other. This is the starting position for the dumbbell French press.

The elbows are bent and each of the dumbbells is held next to the ear vertically. Extend the arms straight and keep the elbows above the shoulders.  As  this is done, rotate the thumbs so they face the head. Stop when the forearms are at a 90-degree angle to the upper arms. Press the weight back up to the starting position and rotate the thumbs back so they face each other again. Make sure to keep the elbows stationary throughout the movement. The only thing moving should be the upper arms.

The most important tip that should be kept in mind is to use light dumbbells that you can keep under control. This because heavier does not mean necessarily better when performing dumbbell French presses. The triceps are a small muscle group and light weights allow you to focus on them. The dumbbell French press will tighten, tone and build the triceps muscles. Improvement can be normally in about several weeks provided it is consistently performed.

The Cable French Press Exercise

What is advantageous about the cable french press exercise is that  it can be done while sitting down  or standing up. Using cables are also safer compared to barbells and dumbbells since if this tool is accidentally dropped, there will be no risk of serious injury at all. Unlike the two equipments, the cable weighs only a few ounces. This exercise is commenced by sitting on a chair and wrapping the cable under the bottom of the chair in the center. Proceed by holding a handle in each hand behind the head. Put the palms together and then extend them straight over the head. The other way to do it is to stand on the cable and do this exercise standing up. Avoid the situation where the lower back is arching. Stand with the feet hip-width apart.

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