Liftworthy
ExploreTrainFeed
Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

Rankings
  • All rankings
  • Add an exercise
  • Build a workout
About
  • How scores work
  • The app
  • Your tiers
Legal
  • Privacy
  • Terms & community rules
General training information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.
  • Explore
  • Train
  • Feed
  • You
Explore/Triceps

Overhead EZ-Bar Extension

Also called French press

BarbellIsolationTakes some practice
Front
Back
Primary

Works

Triceps

You need

EZ bar, Bench

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Stretch
Main muscles
  1. 1Seated with your back supported, bar overhead
  2. 2Lower the bar behind your head, elbows pointing up
  3. 3Extend fully without flaring the elbows

Most common mistake

Flaring the elbows wide, which strains them.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for triceps
  • Keeps the work on the target muscle
  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched

Compare with

vs Overhead Dumbbell Extensionvs Skull Crushervs Cross-Body Cable Extension
S
For triceps
#4 of 20
See the full list →
Research
85
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 851 study
Target tensionExcellent
Loaded stretchExcellent
ProgressionStrong
Low costGood

An overhead position trains the long head in its stretch, which grew the triceps more in a direct comparison.

  • Maeo et al., 2023 · Trial: Overhead cable extensions grew the triceps about 1.4× more than the same exercise with the arm at the side, over 12 weeks. (21 untrained adults; one study.)

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SOverhead Cable ExtensionCable
  • SCross-Body Cable ExtensionCable
  • STriceps Extension MachineMachine
  • ASkull CrusherBarbell

Takes

None yet
needed to post
280