This is the way i do it, the stretch and resistance curve are better facing away. I do a variation that's uncommon, bent over farther so that the torso is almost parallel to the floor, it hits the meat of the tris better.
As far as cheating i find it's not a problem to do them strict then at the end of the set to use a little body english to get those last few reps.
On pushdowns or any dip motion including bench dips and dip machine i find that just doing the bottom part of the ROM is much better both in terms of hitting the muscle and in avoiding injuries that are more likely doing full ROM and bending the arm more. Bertil Fox and some others used/use the same idea.
Ditto. I guess I should have elaborated. I start off with a moderate to light weight and get the blood going. I have fantastic ROM in the delts, so the reachover works out well. I may lock out or do half reps at the bottom just for some extra contractile stuff, but i really dont like to do that to the elbows and take the tension of the tris. It defeats my purpose for this particular exercise.
When I start to exhaust and want to add some meat to the bone, I just ad the stack (or a good portion of it) and contract the tris- then I slowly allow my UB to come close to the floor until I put a leg out. I will usually have one of my legs poised and ready. By that time they will be fully contracting- and burning.
All I know is, they work for me, especially after dips with a weight belt. Done deal- I am getting older, and they are still growing.
I'm not juicing currently and my arms are a tight 18"- pretty cool being that I'll be 47 in October and I only stand 5'5". Makes me wanna rethink the juicy juice. Bodyfat needs to come down a few more %- no hurries, no worries... lettin em grow.
