How is it different from the barbell JM press?

The elbow action, the stopping point and the muscles doing the work are the same. The EZ bar's angled grips turn the hands partway in, which many lifters find easier on the wrists, while the straight-bar Barbell JM Press is the original version and is simpler to do inside a power rack with the safety arms set. An EZ bar usually weighs less than a standard barbell, so log the two separately.

What is the difference between a JM press and a skull crusher?

In a skull crusher the upper arms stay fixed and only the elbows bend, lowering the bar toward the forehead. In the JM press the elbows also drift forward and the bar comes down toward the chin, so the movement sits between a skull crusher and a close-grip bench press.

How heavy should I go on the EZ bar JM press?

Start well below your close-grip bench press weight and stop each set with a couple of reps left while you learn the bar path. Moderate sets of 6 to 12 reps suit most lifters, and heavier sets are best saved until the elbows are used to the lift.

Where does the EZ bar JM press fit in a workout?

It works best after your main bench press or pressing work, as a triceps accessory while you are still fresh enough to control the bar. Many lifters use it in place of a skull crusher or close-grip bench press on a given day rather than doing all three.

Is the EZ bar JM press good for beginners?

Not as a first triceps exercise. The friendlier grip helps the wrists, but the lift still loads the elbows heavily and takes practice, so beginners do better building a base with the EZ Bar Close-Grip Bench Press and the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Straight Bar) first.

EZ Bar JM Press

What Is the EZ Bar JM Press?

EZ Bar JM Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the chest and the front of the shoulders. It is an advanced-level movement that blends a close-grip bench press with a skull crusher, done lying on a flat bench with an EZ bar held on its inner angled grips. The bar starts at arm's length over the shoulders, then travels down and back toward the chin as the elbows bend and drift forward, so the elbows do far more of the work than the shoulders.

Like the Barbell JM Press, it comes from powerlifter JM Blakley, who developed the lift to keep training his triceps hard when his chest and shoulders were worn down from bench pressing. It is used mainly as an accessory for the lockout, the top part of a press where the elbows straighten, and it usually comes after the main bench press or pressing work in a session, in place of or alongside other triceps exercises.

The EZ bar changes the grip, not the job of the triceps. Its angled sections turn the hands partway in from a fully overhand grip, which many lifters find easier on the wrists, the joint the straight-bar version asks a lot of because the bar sits over bent elbows. The elbow path, the stopping point and the muscles doing the work stay the same. The other change is the setup: when the bar is brought up from the thighs rather than taken from a rack, there are no safety arms to catch a missed rep, which is a reason to keep the loads moderate. Compared with the EZ Bar Close-Grip Bench Press, the bar stays higher and the elbows bend much further, moving the load from the chest onto the triceps. Compared with the EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extension, the upper arms are allowed to move and the bar comes down toward the chin, so the movement feels more like a press.

The EZ bar JM press suits lifters who already bench press with solid technique and want stronger lockouts or bigger triceps, especially those whose wrists dislike the straight-bar version. It still loads the elbows heavily, so build a base first with the EZ Bar Close-Grip Bench Press, the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Straight Bar) and a light EZ Bar Lying Triceps Extension. Start well below your close-grip bench press weight and add load slowly, because tendons adapt to heavier training more slowly than muscle does.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): High
Deltoid: Medium
Pectoralis Major: Medium
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Low
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Low
Serratus Anterior: Low

Instructions

Sit on the end of a flat bench with the EZ bar resting on your thighs, holding the inner angled grips overhand with your hands close together.
Lie back with your head, upper back and hips on the bench, bending your knees and setting your feet on the bench or on the floor, whichever feels steadier.
Bring the bar to your chest, then press it to arm's length over your shoulders, with your wrists straight over your forearms and your shoulder blades pulled back into the bench.
Bend your elbows and let them travel forward toward your feet, keeping them pointing up and your upper arms about 45 degrees out from your torso.
Lower the bar down and back toward your chin under control, keeping your wrists straight.
Stop when your forearms press firmly into your biceps, with the bar just above your chin and upper chest. Do not let your elbows drop toward your sides.
Press the bar back up along the same path until your elbows are straight and the bar is over your shoulders again.
After the last rep, lower the bar to your chest, sit up and rest it on your thighs.

Common Mistakes

Turning it into a skull crusher
Locking the upper arms in place and lowering the bar to the forehead loses the JM press pattern and puts skull crusher stress on the elbows.
Turning it into a bench press
Letting the elbows drop beside the torso and the bar sink toward the chest shifts the work to the chest and shoulders.
Flaring the elbows wide
Letting the elbows drift far out to the sides turns the lift into more of a press and shifts work to the chest and front shoulders.
Letting the wrists fold back
Letting the bar roll toward your fingers bends the wrists back under load, which the angled grips cannot make up for, and moves the bar off the line of your forearms.
Adding weight too fast
Jumping in load before the elbow tendons have adapted invites elbow pain, even when the angled grip keeps the wrists comfortable.

Injuries

EZ Bar JM Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Most of the strain falls on the elbows, where the triceps tendon works hard as the elbows bend deeply under load, and on the wrists, which hold the bar over bent elbows. The angled grips ease the wrists for many lifters, but they do nothing to lighten the load on the elbows. The bar also travels toward the chin and throat, so a missed rep comes down near the face and neck, and when the bar is taken from the thighs there are no safety arms to catch it.

Start well below your close-grip bench press weight and add load in small steps, since the elbow tendons adapt more slowly than the triceps get stronger. Do one or two light warm-up sets, stop each set with a couple of reps left rather than grinding to failure, and use a spotter for heavier sets. Keep the elbows pointing toward your feet rather than flaring out to the sides or dropping beside the torso.

If the elbows or wrists complain, switch to the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Straight Bar), which trains the triceps with far less load on the joint, or the EZ Bar Close-Grip Bench Press, which keeps the angled grip with less elbow bend. Once the movement feels smooth, progress by adding weight gradually or by pausing briefly at the bottom of each rep.

Stop the set if you feel sharp pain at the back, inside or outside of the elbow, pain in the wrist, or pinching at the front of the shoulder. Elbows that feel hot during a set or stay sore into the next day are a sign to cut the load or take a break from the lift.

Overview

Primary Focus: Triceps
Equipment: Ez bar and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Advanced

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is it different from the barbell JM press?: The elbow action, the stopping point and the muscles doing the work are the same. The EZ bar's angled grips turn the hands partway in, which many lifters find easier on the wrists, while the straight-bar Barbell JM Press is the original version and is simpler to do inside a power rack with the safety arms set. An EZ bar usually weighs less than a standard barbell, so log the two separately.
Q: What is the difference between a JM press and a skull crusher?: In a skull crusher the upper arms stay fixed and only the elbows bend, lowering the bar toward the forehead. In the JM press the elbows also drift forward and the bar comes down toward the chin, so the movement sits between a skull crusher and a close-grip bench press.
Q: How heavy should I go on the EZ bar JM press?: Start well below your close-grip bench press weight and stop each set with a couple of reps left while you learn the bar path. Moderate sets of 6 to 12 reps suit most lifters, and heavier sets are best saved until the elbows are used to the lift.
Q: Where does the EZ bar JM press fit in a workout?: It works best after your main bench press or pressing work, as a triceps accessory while you are still fresh enough to control the bar. Many lifters use it in place of a skull crusher or close-grip bench press on a given day rather than doing all three.
Q: Is the EZ bar JM press good for beginners?: Not as a first triceps exercise. The friendlier grip helps the wrists, but the lift still loads the elbows heavily and takes practice, so beginners do better building a base with the EZ Bar Close-Grip Bench Press and the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Straight Bar) first.