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I'm a big fan of bodyweight exercises...they're among THE most effective exercises for building functional strength and mass. But what do you do when bodyweight just isn't enough to keep on getting growth and strength increases? One of the ways I like to tackle that is to find ways to actually add weight to exercises that would normally only be bodyweight. For triceps, close grip push-ups are great. So I figured out a way to add weight to the exercise - without using a weight vest and without using a spotter. All you need for this is a power rack and a barbell (a Smith machine would also work well for this exercise - probably even better, actually - I just don't have one as they're generally not good for a whole lot other than calf raises and partial exercises because of how they lock your joints into the straight up and down movement pattern). I like to use a barbell pad on the bar as well, for cushioning and for keeping the bar in place better. First, set the safety rails to about 18 inches off the ground or so. You'll have to experiment with height once you see and feel how the exercise works. Move the bar right up against the uprights of the rack - this will help stabilize it in at least one plane of movement as you do the exercise. Here's what the setup looks like.
Your next step is to kneel down in front of the bar.
Now set your hands on the ground like you would do for a close-grip push-up and duck your torso under the barbell (this is where the pad comes in handy). The bar should be just below your shoulder blades - balance can be a bit tricky and this gives you the best "shelf" to rest the bar on. The main difference between the position for this and the regular close-grip push-up is that you won't be straightening your legs. You'll stay on your knees for balance purposes. You can always add more weight to the barbell as you need to. Keep your elbows in close to your sides as you do this exercise. At the bottom, your elbows should be quite bent and your torso angled down. Adjust the safety rail height as you need to in order to get good range of motion.
So now that you're in position, just straighten your arms and push yourself up! It's sounds very simple but you'll also have to balance the bar on your back as you push up. This is where pushing the bar up against the rack uprights is critical. If the bar is free, it'll just roll down and right over your head when you start to push up. But when it's up against the uprights, it stops and is somewhat stabilized in the vertical plane. But believe me, the side-to-side balancing is plenty! When you first raise the weight off the rails, you may need to adjust yourself under the bar to make sure you're dead center so the bar doesn't tip to the sides.
When you push youself all the way up, you'll notice a HUGE contraction in your triceps (the big benefit of bodyweight exercises is the increased activation of muscle fibers, hence the greater overall contraction). So with this, you're taking advantage of the increased fiber activation AND the increased resistance. It may look crazy but it's a GREAT exercise for building triceps, especially if dips hurt your shoulders. Side note - set the bar back downon the rails after each rep. It's much easier to balance that way as you can "reset" yourself under the bar if you need to. Here's the side view of the exercise in action:
Just fyi, I've got two 25 lb plates on the bar and got a great tricep workout from it. You don't need a whole lot of weight to make this an effective exercise!
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