Written by Shane Mclean | ACE CPT
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
The triceps make up two-thirds of the upper arm, but often do not receive two-thirds of the love when it comes to direct arm work - that usually goes to the biceps and all the curling variations. But this is an argument for a different day. The truth is, the triceps do get plenty of love during big pressing exercises, but it still pays to isolate the triceps for better size, definition, and improvement in pressing technique and lockout strength. One really great exercise to pump up those triceps, and is often avoided by beginners, is the French Press, which is going to be the focus of this post.
Here we will go into:
- What the French Press is
- How to do it correctly
- Common mistakes
- Muscles worked
- Triceps anatomy & benefit of training the triceps directly
- French Press variations
- French Press alternatives
WHAT IS THE FRENCH PRESS EXERCISE?
The French Press is simply an overhand-grip, overhead triceps extension done from a seated position (although it can also be done from a standing, incline or even lying position).
It is an isolation exercise for the triceps. In particular, it emphasizes the long head of the triceps, as the starting position stretches the long head, giving it a greater range of contraction and stretching tension.
The French Press exercise involves sitting down while holding an EZ bar (or barbell or dumbbells) behind your head with your elbows pointed up overhead, and then extending your arms up at the elbows.
Because your elbows are up and arms overhead, the French press puts a great stretch on the triceps before the contraction. This creates a big range of motion for the long head and constant tension on your triceps as a whole, which is great for muscle hypertrophy.
HOW TO DO THE FRENCH PRESS:
The most common equipment for the French Press is an EZ bar, but dumbbells, a cable machine, or barbell can be used, and we will show you examples of each a little further below.
To start, we will explain how to do the seated french press, as this is typically what is considered a French Press.
How To Do a Seated French Press:
- To do the lying French press, sit on a flat bench and rest the EZ bar on your thighs and grab it with both hands using a narrow, overhand grip.
- Press the weight up overhead like you would an overhead press. This is the starting position.
- Bend at the elbows so your hands come down just behind your head, but be sure to keep your elbows fixed, pointing up, perpendicular with the floor (try not to let them flare too).
- When your arms are fully bent with your hands behind your head, extend at the elbows while keeping them in a fixed position until the bar is back up overhead in the starting position. Also, try to keep your spine straight, don't overextend your low back - to do this, keep your core tight and engaged.
- Repeat for desired reps. You don't have to fully lockout at the top.
The seated French press is great as the seated position provides stability and it's harder to cheat by using body English.
FRENCH PRESS VARIATIONS
As mentioned, the French press, which is simply an overhead tricep extension that brings your hands down behind your head on the eccentric phase, can be done standing, seated, at an incline, or lying. You can also use various equipment such as an EZ bar, barbell, dumbbells, or cable machine, and you can try different grips such as a neutral or underhand.
Below we will run through some common variations, which may seem redundant, but each have their own special benefit.
1. Standing French Press:
The standing French press actually causes even more of a stretch in the long head of the triceps as it involves more shoulder flexion. With that, it is good if you really want to emphasize the long head to the fullest degree. To do it, simply bend down to grab the EZ bar with a narrow overhand grip and stand up. From here, press it up overhead into the starting position. Allow your elbows to bend so the bar comes down behind your head while your elbows remain fixed, then extend at the elbows back into the starting position up overhead.
Again, this exercise can be done with various equipment.
2. Incline Cable French Press:
The incline cable French press is interesting because the cable machine provides flat resistance, unlike free weight which has a strength curve. With the cable machine, the resistance will be the same throughout the entire range. As for the incline position, it essentially is a middle ground for the long head emphasis between lying and standing/seated. To do this, you'll set up an incline bench facing the opposite way of the cable pulley. You can use a straight bar or rope attachment. Sit back into the incline seat with good posture and reach your arms behind you to grip the attachment with an overhand grip. The starting position with the cable machine will be the low part of the French press (hands just behind your head), rather than the overhead position. The rest of the mechanics are the same. Be sure to keep your elbows fixed, up and not flared as you extend and flex your elbow each rep.
3. Lying French Press:
This variations gives you the opportunity to use more weight due to the increased stability of lying on the bench.
The lying French press is very similar to the skull crusher, but the difference is in your arm posture and where the weight travels. With a skull crusher, you bring it to your forehead and your elbows will be perpendicular with the floor, whereas with a lying french press, your elbows can be back more (creating that overhead extension) and the weight comes down behind your head. The French press aims to maximize range of motion while keeping your shoulder in a more flexed position.
4. Dumbbell French Press:
Dumbbells provide a unique variable in terms of grip. You can use an overhand or neutral grip when doing the French press, which you can't do with a barbell or EZ bar. The neutral grip is generally easier on the elbows. What's more, because you’re lifting each dumbbell unilaterally this is a great option to strengthen imbalances between sides. This variation is performed either standing, seated or lying down. It’s a matter of personal preference and what you want to emphasize.
You can also perform the dumbbell French press one side at a time. This can ensure you are not just focusing in on your dominant side.
COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN PERFORMING THE FRENCH PRESS
As great as the French press is for building triceps, here are a few things to look out for when performing this exercise:
- Keep The Weight Light, To Begin With: The French press has a large range of motion and can put stress on the elbows or shoulders, so it can hurt your joints if you go too heavy. Plus, it’s a load that goes behind your head pulling your arms back, which comes with some risks. Better to start off light and work your way up
- Don’t Go Wide With Your Grip: There are a lot of triceps exercises that will take your elbows out wide, but the French press shouldn’t be one of them. To get the most out of the French press and to keep your joint safe, use a narrow grip to place maximum emphasis on your triceps,
- Keep Your Elbows Tucked In: Following on from the last point, it’s vital not to relax your elbows and allow them to flare out wide. The French press is a move that can cause elbow pain when performed with incorrect form. Better to keep your elbows tucked in and facing forwards to reduce the risk of injury.
- Avoid Locking Out Your Elbows: It is not the long head's job to fully extend the elbow. That job is better suited to the medial and lateral head of the triceps. Keeping a slight bend in the elbow at the end of the French press will keep better tension on the long head and place less strain on your elbows. That said, some people like to lock out. The joints are made to lock out so it's not an issue, just be careful not overextend, as when the joints are loaded this because more of a risk.
- Avoid Lower Back Extension: When isolating the triceps or any other muscle, it is best to keep tension on the muscle and avoid using any other body part to lift the weight. When lifting overhead there is a tendency to over-extend the lower back. Avoid this by keeping the weight light to begin with and really get the form down. If performing this exercise standing, engage your glutes to keep your lower back neutral.
FRENCH PRESS EXERCISE MUSCLES WORKED:
- TRICEPS: This triceps extension variation emphasizes all three heads of the triceps muscle, but particularly the long head of the triceps. Since this exercise isolates the triceps, the French Press is a great exercise to add mass, definition, and strength to the back of your arms. If your biceps get too much love, the French press will give the attention the triceps deserve. The French Press is a fantastic exercise for strengthening the triceps muscle.
- SHOULDERS, LOWER BACK, CORE, AND GLUTES: Because of the stabilization needs for sitting upright and bringing the weight overhead, you must engage the glutes, core, lower back, and shoulder muscles to perform the French press well.
ANATOMY AND FUNCTION OF THE TRICEPS
The triceps are made up of three muscles the lateral head, the long head, and the medial head. All three of these muscles are attached to your elbow and its main function is to extend your elbow.
Long Head: The long head originates on the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula and inserts on the posterior surface of the olecranon process. This muscle crosses two joints the shoulder and the elbow, so the long head is involved with shoulder adduction and extension movements This means any move that takes the arms overhead places a bit more emphasis on the long head of the triceps like the French press.
Related: Best Long Head Triceps Exercises
Lateral Head: The lateral head originates above the radial groove of the humerus and inserts on the posterior surface of the olecranon process Most triceps exercises, particularly ones that need your arm to stay in a strong position target the lateral head. Most neutral or pronated grips emphasize the triceps lateral head.
Related: Best Lateral Head Triceps Exercises
Medial Head: The medial head originates below the top of the humerus and inserts roughly at same the point of the elbow as the lateral head. A lot of exercises and positions that target the lateral head emphasize the medial head too.
Related: Best Medial Head Triceps Exercises
The triceps are involved in most pressing exercises but particularly the last third of most pressing movements. For example, the chest works hard to press the barbell off your chest but once your arms break 90 degrees your triceps extend your forearms and elbows till lockout.
The triceps make up around two-thirds of your upper arm mass. Although you may hear lifters say a triceps exercise targets a specific head, the truth is most extension exercises will recruit your triceps entirely. By changing your grip and arm angle you can simply emphasize one head over another, but, again, all three heads are still working to extend your elbow.
BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE TRICEPS
Stronger triceps will help you lock out build lockout strength which is important for pressing heavier loads with the bench press and shoulder press variations. Plus, if your triceps are holding you back then it pays to give them a little extra attention. Because doing so will only help your pushing strength numbers. As the triceps make up nearly 60% of the upper arm itself, it's important to spend a little more time on them compared to the biceps.
On top of all that, some killer triceps is very impressive. It's the true sign of a serious lifter.
Besides vanity reasons, here are four more important benefits of training the triceps with isolation exercises such as the French press:
- Lockout Strength: Most pressing variations need the triceps to extend and lock out the elbow Because there is a point in pressing exercises where the triceps take over to extend the elbow. And if your triceps are the weakest link, it’s going to hinder your ability to lift more weight and get stronger.
- Better Sports Performance: Sports that require you to hit a ball, fed off an opponent, or throw a ball needs triceps strength and endurance because each one of these movements needs elbow extension
- Shoulder Health: The muscles connecting to your shoulder blades assist with the strength, motion, stability, and overall health of your shoulders. Of the three triceps heads, the long head is the only one that attaches to the scapula, assisting with the movement of shoulder extension and adduction. As the French press emphasizes the long head, you will naturally be strengthening the shoulder joint.
- Elbow Health: The triceps tendons attach in and around your elbow joint. Strengthening the triceps strengthens the tendons and bones around the elbow joint also. This plays an important part in keeping your elbows in tip-top shape.
FRENCH PRESS EXERCISE ALTERNATIVES
It's good to mix up your tricep training and perform other exercises to hit the muscle from different angles and emphasize different tricep heads. Here are 3 more of our favorite triceps exercises...
1. Cable/Band Overhead Triceps Extension:
There are many variations of this exercise to choose from, but the cable/band ones give you constant tension as opposed to using barbells or dumbbells. The biggest trade-off is weight. In the dumbbell/barbell variations, you’ll use more weight but there is a bigger strain on the joints. Therefore, the cable/band overhead triceps variations are more user-friendly.
How to:
- Set the cables or band at the highest anchor point and grab the cable attachment or band with both hands.
- Face away from the anchor point and bring hands behind your head making sure you have tension in the cable or band.
- Duck your head slightly, stagger your stance and fully extend your elbows overhead.
- Slowly reverse the movement until you feel a stretch in your triceps.
- Then reset and repeat.
Related: Best Cable Arm Exercises
2. Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press:
The hand placement with the close grip bench press shifts the load more to your triceps and less to the chest. What's more, with the close grip barbell bench press, you can really maximize the load. This is great for building strength in your triceps. It's the most powerful (compound) tricep exercise you can do...well, that and weighted parallel dips (which is next).
How to:
- Set yourself up like you would for the flat bench press.
- Set your grip inside shoulder-width and your elbows tucked into the body.
- Unrack the bar and stabilize it over your chest.
- Pull the elbows inwards as the bar descends to the chest.
- Once you reached your desired depth, press through the palms and lift the weight up.
- Reset and repeat.
3. Parallel Bar Dips:
Dips are often referred to as squats for the upper body. They really do a great job of hammering all three heads of the triceps, as well as the chest and anterior deltoid. This is not only one of the best triceps exercises, it's one of the best exercises in general.
How to:
- Grab the parallel bars with both hands with your torso upright but with a slight forward lean.
- Have your elbows almost extended to support this starting position.
- Keeping your chest up and shoulder blades together, slowly bend at the elbows as you lower yourself down until the elbows reach a 90 degrees angle.
- Press yourself upwards until you fully extend the elbows and reset and repeat.
Related: Dips Exercise Guide
PROGRAMMING SUGGESTIONS
The triceps are big in comparison to your biceps, but your triceps are still small muscles. Plus, the triceps get plenty of work on your bench press, overhead press, and push days in general. Pairing your push day with one triceps exercise like the French press works well.
You can also save the French press for the end of your workout, since it's an accessory exercise, and do 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps.
Change up the variation of French press each week too.
Overall, for hypertrophy and strengthen purposes sticking around 10 to 16 sets per week for your triceps. The French press can make up a few sets of that total number (remember, big compound lifts like bench press are included in that total too).
Related: The Ultimate Chest & Triceps Workout
Here is an example of pairing exercises with pulling exercises (if you do full body training or something like an upper lower split)...
1A. Bench press/shoulder press variation 5-8 reps
1B. Band pull apart 15-20 reps
- 3-4 sets resting little between exercises and 2 minutes between supersets
2A. French press 8-15 reps
2B. TRX rows 15-20 reps
- 3 sets resting little between exercises and 1-2 minutes between supersets.
If you’re an advanced lifter with bodybuilding or strength goals, you may benefit from a little more volume. Training the triceps on your push day and then later in the week a less intense arm day for 15-18 total sets of triceps works well. But keep an eye on your strength pushing numbers because if they go down it may indicate you’re doing too much.
More Triceps Exercises:
Shane Mclean
Author