Note: While the French press and skull crushers can be considered different exercises (based on how they can be performed), the underlying movement pattern and subsequent stresses on the common triceps tendon are similar enough that, for the sake of this article, I will be considering them one and the same.

Few things in the gym feel better than getting an extensive pump to the triceps. After all, some well-carved triceps not only look great but can also help to ensure optimal overall upper body strength. And when it comes to hammering the triceps, you can’t go wrong with the French press or skull crushers — unless they’re wreaking havoc on your elbows. If they are, this article has got you covered.

Elbow pain from the French press or skull crushers is often the result of poor triceps mobility and tendon health. Improper form can also lead to strain on the elbow structures. Solutions involve improving triceps mobility, strengthening the common triceps tendon and ensuring pristine mechanics.

Want all the pro tips and secret sauce for making this exercise pain-free? Keep reading the article!

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• Basic triceps & elbow anatomy
• Common technique errors
• Improving triceps mobility
• Improving triceps tendon health

Related article: Why the Sphinx Push-up Reigns King For Triceps Size & Strength

Disclaimer: While I am a physical therapist, I am not YOUR physical therapist. As a result, I cannot tell you whether or not any treatments or training methodologies mentioned on this website or in this article may or may not be appropriate for you, including treatment for elbow pain. By following any information within this post, you are doing so at your own risk. You are advised to seek appropriate medical advice for any pain you may be experiencing.

Basic triceps & elbow anatomy

To solve your current problem, it’s best to quickly run through the involved anatomy. Doing so will help you better visualize the structures I’m referring to throughout the article and better help you understand why and how things can go wrong for the French press or skull crushers, along with why particular solutions can be so beneficial.

The triceps & common triceps tendon

The triceps muscle (anatomically the triceps brachii) comprises three distinct heads (tri = three) located on the back of the upper arm. These three heads all work together to produce extension (straightening) of the elbow. The three heads are:

• The long head
• The medial head
• The lateral head

All three of these heads, while originating from different regions of the upper arm (or scapula, in the case of the long head), all converge down onto what’s known as the common triceps tendon, or simply the triceps tendon. From there, the common triceps tendon crosses over the back of the elbow joint, inserting onto the olecranon — a distinct portion of the ulna bone.

This tendon transmits the force imposed by the triceps muscle contraction to the ulna bone, resulting in the ability of the elbow to straighten (extend) when the muscle contracts.

The joints of the elbow

Believe it or not, the elbow joint actually comprises three joints. They are:

• The humeroulnar joint
• The humeroradial joint
• The radioulnar joint

Most people are familiar with the humeroulnar joint, as it’s the main hinge joint of the elbow, allowing the elbow to bend and straighten in the ways we’re most familiar with. The greater the amount of bending (elbow flexion) that takes place, the greater the stretch or lengthening the triceps muscle and tendon must undergo. Conversely, the straighter the elbow is, the shorter and more relaxed they become.

The radioulnar joint is also worth quickly mentioning, as this joint is what essentially allows you to turn your palm facing up and facing down. This will come in handy to know later on in the article when I discuss the differences between the traditional straight barbell and the EZ-curl barbell.

Common technique errors

Like any other exercise in existence, the French press or skull crushers can be performed in a less-than-ideal fashion, which can wreak havoc on your tendons and joints. If you want to perform this exercise for all your days to come, make sure you’re not making any of the relatively common technique mistakes.

Minimal or excessive elbow flare

Despite what others might have told you or what you might have read, elbow flare (the outwards pointing of your elbows) for the French Press or skull crushers is not an inherently bad thing. While some may advocate that your elbows must point straightforward at all times during these exercises, this simply isn’t the case; different bodies tolerate different positions or angles. I’ve known lifters who can use elbow flare just fine and others who can’t.

Conversely, excessively flaring your elbows might not be a good idea. So, the solution is to play around with the elbow positioning that feels best for YOU.

As a general rule: I advocate starting with a mild flare and adjusting accordingly. You can try making adjustments either set by set or workout by workout. It can sometimes take a bit of time to dial in what works best for your elbows. Still, the bottom line is that elbow positioning is tolerated differently from one individual to the next. You need to find what works best for YOU.

Don’t be afraid to take the time required to find the ideal elbow positioning for your needs; the best lifters out there are the ones who are experts on what their own bodies need or tolerate and are flexible with their training ideologies, not blindly adhering to dogmatic approaches.

Take time to experiment — you are always your own scientist when it comes to learning more about what your body tolerates and what it doesn’t.

Inappropriate grip width

Just like with elbow flare, your grip width is something that you’ll likely want to play around with if your triceps are giving your grief with these exercises. Bodybuilders often use different grip-width based on which head of the triceps they’re looking to more directly target, but so long as you’re not an advanced bodybuilder, you’re best off to find a grip width that your elbows and triceps tolerate.

As a general rule: I advocate that most introductory lifters and those experiencing elbow or triceps tendon pain start with a shoulder-width grip and then change their grip width by about a finger-width on each hand until they find what works best for them.

For some lifters, a shoulder-width grip will be perfect, while for others, slightly less or slightly more than shoulder-width will feel the best. Set by set or workout by workout, change your width until you dial in what feels best for you and your elbows.

Barbell selection

For some lifters, the type of barbell they select can wreak havoc on their triceps and elbows. It’s critical to realize that one type of barbell isn’t necessarily better than another, rather that different barbells can place the upper arms (and thus, the triceps and elbows) in a slightly different amount of rotation, which can either be helpful or counterproductive, based on each individual.

The two most common barbells used for these exercises are the straight barbell and the EZ-curl bar. The EZ-curl bar is the bar that has a wave-like pattern to it, which allows the lifter to perform arm exercises without having to rotate the hands (and thus arms) in order to grab the bar.

The straight barbell can sometimes irritate the elbows for the French press or skull crushers due to the amount of rotation (pronation) that the wrist and elbow must produce. If the straight barbell doesn’t feel ideal for you, try opting for the EZ-curl bar.

Too much weight or training volume

Ok, so this isn’t a technique-based error, per se. Still, it is an error in that you’re running more resistance or volume through your triceps and elbows than what they can happily tolerate.

While it sounds incredibly obvious that using too much weight or doing too much training can cause elbow pain, many lifters get carried away with the weight they’re using for the French press or skull crushers.

The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. It’s admirable that you’re training hard, but you have to respect and stay within the limits of what your body can tolerate.

If you’re certain that your technique and all other factors pertaining to these exercises are on point, you’re best off to lighten the training load or volume you’re putting through your triceps.

Pro tip: Here’s how to calculate your training volume:

• Training volume for an individual session = # of sets x number of reps x total weight used.

• Weekly training volume = # of sets x number of reps x total weight used x number of sessions.

Two great ways you can still blast your triceps with the French press or skull crushers without going heavy are:

• Performing tempo-based training
• Using blood flow restriction training

Improving triceps mobility

The triceps muscles are like any other muscle in the body; they are prone to becoming tight, overworked, restricted and otherwise painful if not in an ideal condition. Thankfully, there are some simple and highly effective techniques you can employ to get any excessive tension, trigger points or fascial restrictions under control.

Consider trying the following tips if your tricep muscles feel tight, immobile or otherwise lousy when putting them through a workout.

Medicine ball rolling

If you have a firm medicine ball, you can essentially do foam rolling for your tricep muscles. A medicine ball works great since they’re commonly found in gyms, and it be stirred in multiple directions, allowing you to target the triceps muscles in multiple directions. Here’s how to do it:

1. Grab a medium-sized medicine ball and place it on a workout bench
2. Place your tricep on the ball with your arm straight.
3. Lean onto the ball so that there’s firm pressure on the muscle
4. Slowly stir the ball around in circles and find the sore, tender spots
5. Do this for one or two minutes, and then repeat with the other arm.

Pro tip: This technique also works great for the same thing with treating the pectoral muscles. Simply drape your upper body on top of the ball so that it rests between your upper arm and the pectoral muscle and stir your upper body around in circles, targeting the tight, sore or painful portions of the muscle.

Voodoo flossing

Voodoo flossing (often known as compression flossing) is a tissue treatment technique that works to improve soft tissue (muscle) mobility by compressing and shearing the targeted tissue. While it’s a relatively new technique, preliminary scientific evidence shows that it can help enhance different aspects of tissue dynamics when appropriately performed.

Related article: How to Voodoo Floss Your Own Elbow | Pro Tips for Better Results

To perform this treatment technique, you’ll need a latex band, ideally one that’s cut for this particular usage. They’re dirt cheap to pick up if you don’t have one. Don’t worry about the brand, as it’s all the same latex band, just with a different logo painted or stamped on it.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start just below your elbow and begin wrapping the band upwards.
2. Pull the band to about 50% of its maximal stretch as you wrap.
3. Overlap the band by about half as you wrap, to ensure the band can grab itself.
4. Tuck the end of the band in so that it’s secured in place.
5. Bend and straighten your elbow for upwards of two minutes.
6. Take the band off and re-assess how your elbow is feeling.

If it feels a bit better after performing this flossing technique, consider getting in the habit of performing this technique before your tricep workouts at a minimum. Performing this technique daily might serve as a good option until you notice that it’s substantially helped reduce your pain or until you manage to get your triceps pain under control using other combined interventions.

I’m not aware of any scientific literature that has determined an optimal flossing frequency for general muscle or tendon discomfort, but anecdotally, I’ve had success with performing it once or twice a day.

Improving triceps tendon health

Grotty, unhealthy tricep tendons aren’t uncommon, and any exercise that places high stress or demand onto the common triceps tendon will likely feel uncomfortable if it’s not healthy to begin with. Tendons are prone to becoming overworked and unhealthy, leading to conditions such as tendinopathy.

Pro tip: If your triceps tendon or elbow is prone to getting sore, you can opt for wearing an elbow sleeve (on one or both elbows). An elbow sleeve helps to retain heat in the area, which can help ensure better blood flow and fluid dynamics in the area. It can also help to provide a nice compressive sensation, which can help distract your brain from some of the discomfort underneath.

If you know or have been told that your triceps tendon(s) is unhealthy (tendinopathic) and driving your pain, you will need to learn how to challenge the tendon appropriately. This will stimulate it in healthy ways (allowing it to recover) without completely overloading it. It’s a delicate balance but one that’s critical to strike; unhealthy tendons rarely get better with compete rest, but have a limited capacity to perform resistance training without becoming overworked.

The fine details are beyond the scope of this article; however, here are the basics of tendon rehab that you’ll need to keep in mind:

1. You need to find an exercise (and the right amount of resistance) that picks on the triceps tendon just enough to elicit a minimal amount of discomfort (but NOT pain) to the tendon during the movement.
2. Perform the movement very slowly at all times (it helps reduce stress shielding of the tendon, making the exercise way more effective for the unhealthy tendon fibers). Aim for ten seconds per repetition.
3. You want to select a resistance that eliminates (or reduces) the minimal amount of tendon discomfort you feel while the tendon is under load (i.e., during the exercise) by the time you’re done your third set of the exercise.
4. Aim for ten to fifteen slow reps per set, with approximately thirty seconds of rest between sets.
5. If the minimal discomfort increases at any point in time, lessen the resistance or bail out of the exercise entirely; it might be a sign that the tendon is taking on more load and work than what it can tolerate with the exercise or resistance.

Perform this tendon rehab regimen once every day, or every other day, based on how you feel after each session. Based on how healthy or unhealthy your triceps tendon currently is, you’ll need to perform this protocol anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.

I have tremendous success with this style of tendon rehab for my patients whom I treat in the clinic (when appropriate for them). Consider implementing this regimen into your rehab training if it’s appropriate for you to do so.

Final thoughts

The French Press and skull crushers are both exceptionally beneficial exercises for training the triceps, but not if they’re causing pain and agony whenever you do them. Give the tips in this article a try to see if they help reduce your triceps or elbow pain, hopefully allowing you to keep training hard without the unnecessary pain coming along for the ride.