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Insight Horizon Media

What is it called when you lift weights behind your head?

Author

Rachel Hickman

Published Feb 10, 2026

What is it called when you lift weights behind your head?

Do Free Weight Chest Presses Instead Hold dumbbells in each hand or use a barbell. Start with your elbows bent with your forearms perpendicular to your body. Slowly raise your arms straight up until your elbows are extended. Return to the starting position. Try to do 12-15 reps.

What muscles do overhead tricep press work?

Overhead tricep extensions focus specifically on the long head of the triceps. Difficulty level: The overhead tricep extension activates your core, glutes, and lower back muscles as stabilizers during the movement.

How do you do overhead tricep extensions?

How to Do the Overhead Triceps Extension

  1. Sit on a bench or chair cupping one end of a dumbbell in both hands directly overhead.
  2. Keeping your chest up, core engaged, and back straight, lower the weight behind your head without moving your upper arms.
  3. Pause, and then press the weight back up to the starting position.

Are overhead tricep extensions bad?

“Allowing them to flare out will, in most cases, reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.” When doing overhead extensions, close-grip bench presses, machine triceps dips, parallel-bar dips, or other triceps movements, be conscious of elbow flare and try to keep your elbows as tight to your body as possible.

Is behind the head shoulder press bad?

But isn’t it risky? A behind-the-neck press does indeed place a lot of stress on your rotator cuff muscles, which stabilize your shoulder joints. The position is also awkward. If you have poor shoulder mobility, or if your weight is too heavy, you could tear a shoulder muscle.

Should you shoulder press behind your head?

Behind-the-neck presses require good shoulder mobility. The shoulder press reigns supreme when it comes to training the anterior deltoids, or fronts of the shoulders. Pressing in front of the face is often the way it’s prescribed, with the intention of preventing shoulder injury.

How do you target a medial tricep head?

10 BEST TRICEP EXERCISES FOR THE MEDIAL HEAD

  1. Reverse Grip Cable Pushdown.
  2. Dumbbell or Barbell Reverse Grip Press.
  3. Reverse Grip Floor Press.
  4. Palm Out Bench Dip.
  5. Tate Press.
  6. JM Press.
  7. Cable Concentration Extension.
  8. Cable Rope Pushdown.

What tricep head do skull crushers work?

Skull Crushers Muscles Worked Lowering the bar to your forehead primarily works the medial and lateral heads of the triceps. These are the muscles on the inside and outside of the back of your arm. While lowering the bar over your head works primarily the long head of the triceps.

Are tricep extensions good?

Tricep extensions are an excellent exercise to build and shape the upper posterior arm muscles. There are several varieties to try. Whenever you use your arms, your triceps come into action. Building strong arms, including the triceps, can help you become stronger and more functional in your everyday tasks.

Do dips work long head?

Dips are a multi-joint body weight exercise that simultaneously work your chest, anterior deltoids and triceps. Dips equally work the long head and lateral head of your triceps with the medial head kicking in at the top of the movement.

Which is better dips or skull crushers?

Performing dips obviously makes you stronger at dips because you’re practicing the movement pattern regularly and engraining it in your brain. But since skull crushers are better for triceps hypertrophy than dips, they naturally have more carryover to your other tricep exercises and your compound presses.

Why do people behind the neck press?

Having behind the neck pressing as part of your training reduces the amount of punishment your shoulders take over time: always pressing in front of your body overloads your anterior deltoids. Including behind the neck pressing will help you have a more complete training program.

What is a barbell front raise and how to do it?

Barbell front raise is almost the same as the two-arm dumbbell raise but using a straight or EZ bar. As a variant, you can do the exercise seated with or without the bench set at an incline. This prevents you from cheating by rocking your torso and reduces the strain on the lower back, although it shortens the range of movement.

What muscles are involved in the bent-over barbell reverse raise?

The bent-over barbell reverse raise is a rare exercise but very effective at activating the posterior deltoid. The synergists (latissimus dorsi, teres major, sternal pectoralis major, and the long head of your triceps brachii) are involved in the movement only up to the point of where your upper arms are directly by your side.

How do I perform a push-up with a barbell?

Keeping your back and neck neutral and your arms straight, exhale as you raise the barbell upward as far as you can. Hold for a count of two. Inhale as you slowly lower the barbell toward the starting position, stopping before the barbell touches your calves. Repeat. Keep your body still. Only your arms should move.

What is the best position to do a pull up with Barbell?

STARTING (INITIAL) POSITION: Using an overhand shoulder-width grip, hold a barbell (straight or E-Z) at arms’ length in front of your thighs. Set your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly bent, and lean forward very slightly at the hips (to help you avoid leaning back as you lift).