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California Press – The Best Exercise For Triceps

February 3, 2022

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California Press is a powerful exercise for training the triceps brachii (or triceps). You can confuse it with a Close grip bench and a French press. Indeed, the technique of these exercises is very similar. However, workouts have different goals. Let’s take a look at the California Press closer.

What muscles are involved?

California Press is great for the triceps. It’is the main goal. We try to exclude other muscles from training as much as possible. The beauty of this exercise is that it engages all three triceps heads. Thanks to that, you quickly build muscle mass. In addition, California Press improves strength indicators, which affects powerlifting results.

At the same time, the Close grip bench press is less effective for the triceps. Because part of the load is distributed to the pectoralis major muscles and deltas. The French press works out the long head of the triceps, especially when lowering the barbell behind the head. Moreover, it’s more traumatic for the elbow joints.

Unlike them, the California Press places the arms in a more comfortable position and adjusts the elbows position. You’ll get the best results by following this technique.

California triceps press technique

Take a starting position – lie on a horizontal bench. Press your back and buttocks to the bench. Place your feet on the floor.

1Hold the bar with a straight and narrow grip. The brushes are slightly narrower than the shoulders. During the exercise, you’ll feel and select the optimal grip for yourself.

2Take the barbell and position it at the top of your chest. It’s roughly under the chin, just below the neck. At the top, the arms are almost straight. Elbows are minimally bent.

3Gently lower the barbell to your upper chest while inhaling. Don’t spread your elbows, but press them to the body. At the same time, they are brought forward beyond the neckline. Work with triceps only. Otherwise, you’ll do the Close grip bench press.

4While exhaling from the bottom point, push the barbell to the top point. Don’t forget to focus the effort on the triceps. Do the required number of sets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqR5n1G-Zqw

Useful tips

Let’s talk about some recommendations. They will help you get the best results from the exercise:

Hold the barbell at its lowest point. It will increase the difficulty of the California Press. At the same time, you keep the triceps in maximum tension, getting excellent results.
Don’t spread your elbows to the sides. Try to keep them pressed to the body and watch the amplitude.
Don’t lower the barbell too fast. Moreover, try lowering the barbell as slowly as possible, 2-3 times slower than lifting. Your triceps will love it!
Don’t chase heavyweight. The technique is much more important than increasing weights. The big weight will make it difficult to control the process. Avoid mistakes, which could lead to injury.
Don’t forget to warm up. Do a few lightweight warm-up sets. It’ll help warm up the muscles and prepare them for the load.
Use the help of a partner if you don’t have experience with the California Press. Ask to control the correct exercise technique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV6VNEN9SA0

You can use the California Press in your hand-training program as a basic exercise for your triceps. Do 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps and go to other exercises. For example, the dumbbell bent-over row.