Finally! Elbow Power!
Great joy and supreme wonderment! I have, this evening, finally managed to conduct some training using my previously hopeless elbow! I did the most part of a triceps workout without any real discomfort, even managing what may have been a personal best on one exercise!
My training consisted of:
Close-grip bench press at 70, 75, 80 and 85kg (I managed 5 reps at 85, which may be a personal best!)
Triceps pull-down at 35kg (felt a tweak towards the end of this one)
Triceps extension at 27kg
The Close-Grip Bench Press
I’m a fan of the close grip bench press. Not only is it a particularly satisfying movement, it is also a great way to develop strength and power in the triceps. (This can be hard to do using common triceps exercises, as the weight required to develop strength places too much pressure on the elbow).
A normal bench press involves a wider-than-shoulder-width grip on the bar. As well as the front deltoids (shoulders) and triceps, this movement recruits the chest, to bring the upper arms towards the centre of the body. By bringing your hands closer together, this lateral movement is eliminated, which shifts the emphasis from the chest and onto triceps and shoulders.
The upshot of all this moving and shaking is that this is about the most effective way to work the triceps. Having the delts and chest there to help out also means you can maintaining a level of resistance heavy enough to develop raw strength.