Want massive triceps without elbow pain? Dorian Yates shares a key trick you need to know!

If you practice "French presses" or other variations of tricep extensions while lying down, you probably know the feeling. It's a great exercise for volume, but your elbows suffer when you do it. Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates, known for his brutal "Blood & Guts" training style, recently revealed a technical modification that will save your joints and, paradoxically, improve muscle growth.

The price of intensity

Dorian Yates was a symbol of maximum intensity in the 90s. But his career has taken its toll in the form of numerous injuries, including torn biceps and triceps. Today, in "athletic retirement," Yates focuses on how to exercise smart, effectively and, most importantly, safely.

In his recent video, he addresses one of the most common problems in the gym: elbow pain during triceps training.

A mistake most of us make

When pulling dumbbells behind the head (Lying Triceps Extension / Skullcrushers), most exercisers tend to return their arms to a perpendicular position to the ground (above the chest) at the end of the movement.

Why is this wrong?

1. Loss of Tension: once the forearm bones are perpendicular to the ground, the weight "sits" on the joint and the triceps stop working.
2. Tendon Overload: While this movement relieves the muscle, it drastically increases the pressure on the elbow tendon when it is lowered again.
3. Involvement of other muscles: the movement towards the abdomen/chest is often taken up by the back (lats) and chest, similar to the pullover.

Dorian's "Elbow-Saving" trick

Yates' advice is simple but crucial: Change the angle.

When pulling the barbell up from behind your head, stop the movement before your arms get vertical. Your arms should remain slightly tilted back (toward the back of your head) even at the peak of the exercise.

"Go back behind your head and then up, but don't go all the way back above your chest. Once you do that, it's like a pullover and you lose tension in your triceps. Keep your arms at an angle. This will lower your weight, but you'll save your elbows and gain more muscle," explains Yates.

Why does it work?

This technique uses the principle of constant tension. By not allowing the muscle to rest upright, you force it to work throughout the set.

• The result: the muscle fails sooner and with less weight.
• Benefit: Less weight means less mechanical stress on the cartilage and ligaments in the elbow, while the muscle gets a boost in growth due to the continuous load.

The end result for your training

If your elbows ache when you train your arms, you don't have to scrap this royal exercise. Try applying Dorian's advice:

1. Reduce the weight on the barbell.
2. Never extend your arms vertically above your chest.
3. Keep your arms in a slight backward tilt at all times.

Your elbows will thank you and your triceps will get a whole new boost of growth.