Wesley Vissers' Five Triceps Moves—and the Rule Worth Keeping
UPLIFT IRON CLUBWhy Wesley Vissers Leads With the Triceps Stretch
Wesley Vissers has plenty of reasons to examine small details. After winning the Arnold Classic and Detroit Pro in 2026, the Classic Physique standout placed fourth at the Olympia. Building an arm that matches his shoulders and chest matters when the judges are looking at proportions from every angle. His latest five-exercise triceps menu is interesting less because of the famous name attached to it and more because of how the movements are arranged.
The center of his approach is a simple preference: do not ignore work that challenges the triceps when the muscle is relatively lengthened. It is not a demand to make every exercise overhead. Rather, the session combines a lying extension, a cable option, pressing variations and an independent-arm finisher. Those choices distribute the effort across different joint positions, loading curves and stability demands instead of endlessly swapping one pushdown handle for another.
The triceps have three heads, but the long head is the anatomical odd one out: it crosses both the elbow and shoulder. Moving the upper arm changes its length before the elbow even begins extending. That makes arm position a meaningful variable, even though all three heads work together whenever you straighten the elbow. A narrow-grip press does not turn one head on and the others off, and you cannot choose which fibers grow by wishing harder.
One controlled study comparing cable extensions performed overhead with extensions performed with arms by the sides found greater triceps growth in the overhead condition over twelve weeks. That result supports including lengthened-position work; it does not prove that a specific skull crusher beats every possible extension, nor that every athlete needs the same shoulder angle. The researchers studied particular exercises and participants, not the entire universe of arm training.
For an everyday lifter, the useful translation is to keep a challenging extension that the elbows and shoulders tolerate and pair it with something you can load and progress predictably. The order is flexible. If a heavy press consumes all of your triceps capacity, put the lighter isolation work first occasionally. If pressing strength is the main goal, lead with the press and use extensions afterward. Choose the arrangement that lets the important sets stay technically honest.
Also remember that Vissers' broader training includes pressing for chest and shoulders. Those sets already tax the triceps. Copying all five movements on top of a high-volume push day can mean more repeated elbow work than productive new growth. Count the work your arms actually perform across the week, not just the exercises labeled 'triceps' in your notes.
The practical rule is therefore less glamorous than an influencer's secret: expose the triceps to a controlled stretch, use a few complementary exercises, and repeat enough high-quality sessions for load or reps to increase. It is sensible bodybuilding, and it leaves room for individual anatomy rather than forcing everyone into the exact same machine setup.
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Skull Crushers: Long-Head Work Without the Elbow Drama
The first movement in Vissers' list is a skull crusher, with a sample prescription of two sets of eight to twelve repetitions. Despite the name, the goal is not to lower a metal bar toward your face as dramatically as possible. The goal is controlled elbow extension while the shoulders hold the upper arms in a position that makes the back of the arm work. A light EZ bar or two dumbbells can make the learning curve more forgiving.
Lie on a firm bench with feet planted and shoulders stable. Start with the weights above your upper chest or slightly toward your head, rather than directly over the abdomen. Bend mainly at the elbows and lower the load toward the sides of the head or just behind it. Letting the upper arms angle back a little may increase the feeling of stretch, but they should not swing wildly on each repetition. Extend smoothly without snapping the elbows straight.
The difference between a productive rep and an irritated elbow is often the weight you choose, not an exotic form cue. If the first repetition requires a big shoulder heave, you started too heavy. If the wrists fold backward or the hands drift into a bench press, reduce the load and make the movement smaller and slower. There is nothing heroic about surviving twelve sloppy reps under a bar you cannot control.
Different people also tolerate different elbow paths. Some prefer neutral-grip dumbbells that let each wrist rotate naturally; others like the predictable width and angle of an EZ bar. There is no prize for pinning the elbows together unnaturally. Keep the upper arms relatively stable, allow a comfortable small flare, and find the position that produces muscular effort without sharp pain around the joint.
Beginners can start with one or two light practice sets before counting anything hard. Then use two working sets of eight to twelve, finishing with roughly one or two good reps still possible. Take ninety to one hundred and fifty seconds of rest if your technique deteriorates when you rush. When you can complete both sets at the top of the rep range with the same clean descent, add the smallest sensible load increment.
If a skull crusher causes persistent elbow discomfort, do not assume you need to force your way through it to grow. A rope overhead extension, angled cable extension or single dumbbell variation may be an easier replacement. You still have to use the triceps through a meaningful range of motion; the exact implement is negotiable. Sharp pain, swelling or lasting symptoms deserve assessment rather than tougher gym motivation.
Vissers' version works best as a reminder that a relatively light isolation lift can be the main event for a specific muscle. The number on the bar is the least interesting part. The controlled bottom range, consistent elbow position and measurable progression are the actual training variables.
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Cable Kickbacks Beat the Dumbbell Swing Test
The second exercise sounds almost too modest for an elite bodybuilder: a kickback. It belongs on this list because it exposes a trap common to isolation work. You can make a triceps movement look difficult without keeping much meaningful resistance on the target muscle for the entire portion you care about. Gravity, cable direction and body position all determine what the elbow has to fight.
With a dumbbell kickback, the resistance acts straight downward. At some arm angles, especially near the hanging position, the dumbbell creates little turning force around the elbow. As the forearm rotates toward horizontal, that demand changes. The exercise can still train the triceps; it simply does not load each point in the arc equally. Swinging the shoulder backward to finish the repetition often makes the movement even less consistent.
A cable attached low or behind you can pull in a direction that challenges a different part of the rep. That is the attraction of Vissers' cable preference. It is inaccurate to say cables offer literally equal tension everywhere. Cable stacks provide a pull along the cable, but the force acting on the elbow still varies with the angle between that pull and the forearm. Smart positioning improves the resistance profile; it does not abolish physics.
To set it up, place a single handle on a low pulley. Stand back until there is meaningful cable tension at your chosen starting position, hinge slightly at the hips, support the free hand and bring the working upper arm near your side. Extend the elbow without letting your torso bob upward. Stop where the arm can finish smoothly; there is no need to wrench the shoulder far behind the rib cage to chase another centimeter.
Treat kickbacks as controlled accessory work rather than a one-rep-max contest. Two sets of twelve to twenty are a useful starting point, especially after a press or heavier extension. Choose a weight light enough to pause briefly near the finished position and lower under control. If you feel mostly your lower back or shoulder, change stance, cable angle or load before adding another set.
Dumbbell-only training is not suddenly obsolete. You can use a bent-over kickback at home if that is what you have, or swap in a dumbbell lying extension when the cable version is unavailable. For someone with cranky shoulders, the cable angle may be easier to customize; for someone whose elbow dislikes a particular grip, a free-moving handle can change the experience. None of these modifications guarantees a pain-free lift.
The comparison worth remembering is not that one piece of equipment magically builds more muscle. It is that two exercises with the same name can challenge the joint very differently. If a movement has become a swinging contest with no repeatable bottom or top position, the best progression might be to fix its resistance and range before reaching for heavier weight.
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Close-Grip Smith Press: Heavy Triceps Work With Control
Now the list gets heavier. Vissers includes a close-grip bench press performed on a Smith machine, giving three sets of eight to twelve as an example. Unlike a skull crusher, the press uses elbow extension alongside work from the chest and front shoulders. It can support high mechanical loading, which is why the movement sits comfortably beside smaller isolation exercises instead of pretending to replace them all.
Start with the bench positioned so the bar tracks toward the lower chest or sternum without the shoulders being dragged into an awkward route. Take a grip around shoulder width; 'close' does not mean stacking both hands in the center of the knurling. Keep wrists roughly above the forearms, shoulder blades supported and feet steady. Lower deliberately, with elbows traveling at an angle that feels stable rather than flared straight sideways.
Press upward by driving through the hands while controlling the bar's guided path. The machine reduces the need to balance the bar horizontally, but it does not solve every setup problem. A fixed track that disagrees with your natural pressing arc can feel worse than free weights. Experiment with bench placement and grip before loading heavily, and stop if a position consistently provokes pain.
Vissers likes the Smith version partly because he often trains alone. That makes practical sense when safeties are positioned correctly and the bar catches are available. Yet a Smith machine is not inherently safe just because its name sounds controlled. Test the hooks and physical safety stops with an empty bar first. Never rely on a quick wrist twist to save a failed rep with an unsuitable setup.
If you have no Smith machine, use a conventional close-grip bench in a rack with correctly set safeties, a trusted spotter, a neutral-grip machine press or even close-grip push-ups. Choose one that lets you deliver hard but repeatable work. A free bar demands more stabilization and may offer a different natural path; neither one automatically wins the hypertrophy debate for every lifter.
Rest two to three minutes between demanding pressing sets, and keep most early weeks shy of absolute failure. Once you can perform three clean sets of twelve while controlling the eccentric, increase the load modestly and work back through the rep range. If the lockout starts turning into an uncontrolled body bridge, the current set has already told you something useful about your limit.
Placing this press after extensions, as in a showcase of favorite triceps movements, will naturally lower the weight you can use. That is not a defect if triceps emphasis is the goal. But if you are using the close-grip press to raise your bench strength, move it before the smaller arm work. Exercise order is a tool, not a personality trait.
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JM Press: The Hybrid Lift You Should Learn Light
The fourth movement is the JM press, a cross between a close-grip bench press and a lying triceps extension. It looks deceptively simple until the bar starts drifting and the elbows disagree with the plan. Vissers uses a shoulder-width grip and a Smith machine variant, but the key feature is the combination of an elbow-bending path and a short press that drives the bar away without becoming a full chest-dominant bench rep.
Set the bench beneath the bar with the safeties high enough to protect you if a repetition stalls. Start very light. Rather than lowering the bar in a straight line to the middle of the chest, allow the elbows to bend and move forward in a controlled way while the bar approaches the upper chest or lower face region according to your proportions and the machine's track. Then reverse with a firm elbow extension.
Descriptions of the JM press vary in how much the upper arm travels and exactly where the bar ends up. That variability is a good reason to choose a version you can repeat and explain, not imitate an advanced lifter's extreme range of motion on sight. The bar should never be allowed to drop toward your face, and your wrists should not be forced into an obviously painful bend.
The JM press also overlaps with the close-grip press and skull crusher, so it is not mandatory to include all three in the same session. If your workout already includes high-effort close-grip sets, adding a few heavy JM sets might merely double the elbow stress while providing little extra useful volume. Consider it an alternative in a rotating program or a carefully dosed accessory at a lower weight.
Begin with two sets of eight to ten smooth repetitions and a conservative load, leaving at least two clean reps in reserve while you learn. Record the bench position, hand width and point at which the bar changes direction. If those markers wander every week, a new personal record will not be very informative. Increase reps first, then load, and never trade precise joint control for a heavier number.
Lifters who feel wrist or elbow irritation can try an EZ-bar version with an appropriate spotter or choose cable extensions instead. The goal is to train hard consistently for months, not earn a badge for tolerating a lift that hurts. If the technique feels alien, there is no shame in keeping the JM press out of your routine altogether.
The larger lesson from Vissers' selection is that old-school bodybuilding tools can be useful precisely because they expose small technique details. A JM press is not a shortcut to massive arms; it is another way to challenge elbow extension. It deserves a place only if its added stimulus is worth its learning and recovery cost.
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One-Arm Pushdowns and a Triceps Plan You Can Actually Recover From
Vissers finishes his list with one-arm pushdowns, suggesting three sets of twelve to fifteen repetitions. He pays close attention to the direction of the cable and the path of the working arm. When those lines cooperate, a single-hand attachment can feel smoother than a rigid straight bar. Independent arms also make it harder for the stronger side to take over unnoticed.
Set a pulley around the upper position and choose a single handle or cuff that keeps the wrist comfortable. Stand tall with a small stable lean, keep your upper arm close to your side and let the forearm rise enough to obtain a controlled stretch. Extend the elbow until the arm is straight without violently snapping it into lockout. Keep the shoulder quiet and resist the urge to rotate your whole torso with every rep.
The point is not to hunt for an imaginary perfect cable angle that stays unchanged through the entire arc. As the elbow rotates, the mechanical demand changes. Adjust your distance from the machine until the pull feels directed into the triceps throughout the useful range. Use the mirror to check whether the upper arm drifts or the wrist folds under load, then find a position you can repeat.
Begin with the side that is weaker or less coordinated, complete its full prescribed reps and then match the same number on the stronger side. Do not let the dominant arm earn five bonus reps and call the imbalance fixed. A brief squeeze near extension can help discipline, but a theatrical two-second cramp is unnecessary. Two to three quality sets are plenty when pressing and extensions already contribute weekly triceps work.
Here is a realistic twice-weekly starting framework for someone who already trains chest and shoulders. Day A: close-grip Smith or machine press for two to three sets of six to ten, then lying triceps extensions for two sets of ten to twelve. Day B: overhead cable or comfortable lengthened-position extension for two sets of ten to fifteen, then one-arm pushdowns for two sets of twelve to fifteen. Begin with roughly eight or nine direct triceps sets for the week, and count your other pressing when judging recovery.
Rest at least a day or two between hard arm sessions if elbows are getting beaten up. Work most sets within one to three reps of a technically honest limit instead of failing every set. When you hit the upper rep target cleanly across all prescribed sets, move the resistance up by the smallest available increment. Track both arms, not merely the total stack weight. After several weeks, adjust by one or two sets only if effort, joints, sleep and progression warrant it.
Want to use all five Vissers moves? Rotate one variation into each training block rather than treating his list as a compulsory five-exercise circuit. For example, swap a JM press in for the close-grip press for a few weeks while keeping an extension and pushdown in place. Use cable kickbacks as an occasional lighter accessory instead of piling them on top of four already-demanding exercises.
The verdict is encouraging: you do not need a Classic Physique competitor's schedule to learn from his choices. The common thread is deliberate arm position, enough meaningful loading, repeatable technique and the discipline to recover and progress. Giant arms may sell the lesson, but boring consistency is still the part that travels home with you.
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