Begin by keeping elbows pointed directly upward. Lower the dumbbells until your forearms make contact with your biceps. At this point, the dumbbell plates will probably be in contact with your shoulders. Lift the dumbbells back up to the starting position by extending your elbows, keeping their position in space fixed. Elbows should be the only active joints during this exercise.

CALIFORNIA PRESSES
Your starting weight will be somewhere between what you can lift on close-dip bench presses and on lying triceps extensions. Grasp the bar with a 14-inch grip. From a supine position on a flat bench, lift the barbell off the rack and hold it at arm's length. Lower the barbell to your upper chest by bringing your elbows down and forward as you lower the bar. 

In the bottom position, your forearms should be in contact with your biceps and the bar should be in contact with your upper chest. Now, reverse the movement, pushing the bar upward from your chest. Extend your elbows to just short of lockout to maintain tension on your triceps. 

DIPS
Use parallel or V-shaped dipping bars, preferably the latter. Use as narrow a grip as possible without compromising shoulder integrity. Grasp the bars and boost yourself until you're stabilized over them at arm's length. Lower yourself until your biceps make contact with your forearms. At the bottom, press back up by extending your elbows. Elbows should go only to 98 percent of full extension. Stay as upright as possible throughout the range of motion. If you can't lower yourself under control until your biceps make contact with your forearms, perform decline close-grip bench presses until you have sufficient arm strength. At first, your body weight will probably suffice as the means of resistance. As you get stronger, progressively increase resistance by holding a dumbbell between your legs. Or, hook a plate to a chin/dip belt. 

TEN-DEGREE DECLINE CLOSE-GRIP
Do these as you would close grip bench presses, but perform them on a decline bench with your feet hooked under the padded rollers. The angle of declination should be set at 10 degrees. It's best to have a partner help you unrack the weight. 

From a supine position, lift the barbell off the rack and hold it at arm's length. On the descent, bring the bar to the lower portion of the sternum. On the ascent, as soon as the bar is four to six inches above your chest, concentrate on pushing the bar back toward the uprights and moving your elbows under the bar for greater leverage. Extend your elbows only to about 95 percent of lockout to keep tension on the triceps. 

SEATED HALF PRESSES IN POWER RACK
Set up an adjustable incline bench inside a power rack. The angle of inclination should be 80-90 degrees. The seat portion should be angled upward so you will not slip off. Set the pins at hairline level. 

Unrack the bar. Lower the bar to the pins, but maintain slight tension on the working muscles. Hold the bar in this dead-stop position for the duration of the pause. Do not release the tension. Press the bar upward to complete the movement. All the while, your elbows should be pointing outward. Dead-stops of from two to four seconds in the bottom position are best. Recommended tempo is 2210 or 3210, depending on arm length. 

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