Overhead Press - Triceps Pain

[Immortal_k]

I'm currently working on the Press two times per week, on Monday and Friday. For a while, ever since I progressed past 130lb, I experience pain in my right triceps while pushing the bar up. I was suppose to Press 140lb last Monday, but while pressing the bar overhead on the fourth and fifth rep I noticed that same tripces pain creep in again. I brought down the weight to 115lb and completed my remaining two sets.
I only experience this pain while pressing any considerable weight with the bar.

I've read the book and I've thoroughly searched. My elbows are slightly ahead of the bar in the start position. I move my head away from the vertical bar path. The bar rests on my palms while Pressing. The bar ends, on every rep, right behind my ears with my shoulders shrugged up.


Is it a technique problem? Triceps tendonitis? I'm lost and I really want to improve my Press.

[jillingworth]

Does this only happen on the overhead press or also on the bench press? Can you pinpoint where in/on your tricep the pain is? Can you post a form video?

[Immortal_k]

Does this only happen on the overhead press or also on the bench press? Can you pinpoint where in/on your tricep the pain is? Can you post a form video?

It only happens when I overhead press, I bench pressed yesterday and there was no pain at all. It feels like the pain originates from the lateral head or the long head of the triceps brachii.

I also did one handed standing dumbell presses yesterday and I did not feel any triceps pain. I did 15x2x5 20x1x5 25x1x3 35x1x2 55x1x5 60x2x5.

I will post a form video tomorrow, I'm suppose to Press on Friday.

Thanks.

[MikeC1]

Is it in the triceps tendon?

[Immortal_k]

Is it in the triceps tendon?

No. Feels like it originates from the muscle belly itself.

Does the Barbell Press somehow incorporate the triceps in a way that is different than in a standing dumbbell press? When I do the standing dumbbell press I have my elbows pointing out to the side.

[jillingworth]

Yeah, you'll get different mechanics if your putting your elbows to the sides with dumbells and more forward with barbells.

[Immortal_k]

120lb Press, I didn't feel any pain with this weight. I'll keep recording my sets as the weight increases:



Note: I know the shooting wasn't optimal given I had to step back to rack the bar

[msingh]

Yea triceps get banged up pretty good. Mine get hammered during squats, and the pressing exercises (bench/press) and from chins and DL/cleans. Triceps get distroyed in a good compound lift based regime since they're used almost all the time. Recently i've resorted to icing my arms 2-3 times a day. This makes them feel great. I dont use drugs unless absolutely necessary, but NSAIDs can help a lot. That can be a bandaid measure though so beware. I'd love to make my arms meatier and beefier, I'm sure that would help.

[Immortal_k]

Yea triceps get banged up pretty good. Mine get hammered during squats, and the pressing exercises (bench/press) and from chins and DL/cleans. Triceps get distroyed in a good compound lift based regime since they're used almost all the time. Recently i've resorted to icing my arms 2-3 times a day. This makes them feel great. I dont use drugs unless absolutely necessary, but NSAIDs can help a lot. That can be a bandaid measure though so beware. I'd love to make my arms meatier and beefier, I'm sure that would help.

Adding dips would surely help, I just can't fit them into my program. If I had a dip stand/bars at home I'd do a few sets every non-training day.

[bob g]

A couple of thoughts, you may be unusually tight and could benefit from reallly stretching your triceps before lifting. Try getting into a standard rack position with the bar across your delts and slowly stretch your elbows upward. Don't press the bar just stretch. Then move your grip a bit narrower and do it again and so on. Also, to my eyes you appear to have a pretty wide grip, try some lighter sets with a closer grip and attempt to put your shoulders into your ears. Your arms will be more perpendicular to the ground and this will allow your traps an delts to contribute more to the lift.

Yea triceps get banged up pretty good. Mine get hammered during squats, and the pressing exercises (bench/press) and from chins and DL/cleans. Triceps get distroyed in a good compound lift based regime since they're used almost all the time...

I suppose this can happen but it's not a given for this type of training. You might have tweaked/injured yours and not properly healed if this has gone on for a long time.