This exercise setup puts MASSIVE tension on the triceps by strategically combining bodyweight and plate leverage resistance.
I can promise you that it you test this one out in a commercial gym, you'll get a LOT of strange looks (do it when it's quiet and nobody is waiting to use the power rack, because you will need a rack or something else solid to perform this one).
This exercise is like you're doing pushdowns WHILE you're doing close-grip push-ups...seriously. It's nightmare fuel (definitely an advanced exercise).
How to Set It Up
You're going to need a bar, a couple of 5 lb steel plates, and a couple of bumper plates (I'm using 45's but lighter can also work, depending on your bodyweight).
Put the 5 lb plates on the bar then push the bar up against the uprights of the rack. The 5 lb plates are just to get the bar a few inches off the ground and you want the bar up against the rack for stability.
Set your bumper plates on top of the bar with about 4/5 of the plates forward of the bar, right up against each other. Use bumpers for this as steel plates will be too likely to slide.
You're going to set your hands on the smaller 1/5 of the plate and use your bodyweight to leverage the other 4/5 off the ground WHILE you're doing push-ups on the plates.
That means as you're doing a push-up, your triceps are activating (like a pushdown) to keep the bulk of the mass of the bumper plates off the ground.
Get your feet set then the set the heels of your hands on the back edges of the plates. Spread your fingers out wide for balance.
Let your bodyweight raise the plates off the ground. Now the fight begins.
Do close-grip push-ups while keeping those plates off the ground.
Even at the top in total lockout, your triceps are getting strongly activated with pushdown-like tension.
There is basically NO break in tension during the entire exercise.
Even if your triceps are strong and you can do a ton of push-ups, you're not going to be able to get a whole lot of reps.
And I promise you, not that soreness is the goal here, your triceps will be sore for DAYS after this one. This dual tension is something your muscles very rarely experience and it is a real eye-opener.
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