Speaker #0Hi and welcome to Bioplaty's Deep Dive and today I want to slow things down. I want to take the time to explore an exercise that is often rushed through, almost overlooked, because it looks simple, almost obvious. The triceps on the reformer, seated, foot bar support, position number one. And yet this is precisely the kind of exercise that, when truly respected, becomes a powerful reveal of movement quality. postural organization, and above all, the fine biomechanics of the elbow. The elbow is not a simple hinge. As long as we continue to approach it as an articulation that only bends and straightens, we miss its true functional depth. The elbow is a complex joint, a place of transmission, transmission of force, transmission of stability, transmission of information between the trunk, the shoulder, the forearm and the hand. Three bones meet there, the humerus, the radius, and the ulna. Three articulations work together constantly, the humeralnar joint, the humeral radial joint, and the proximal radial ulnar joint. And behind what we simply call flexion and extension lies a constant, often silent dialogue with pronation and supination of the forearm. Pronation and supination are not movements of the hand. They are movements of the radius around the ulna. In pronation, the radius crosses over the ulna. In supination, they return to a parallel position. This rotation occurs within an extremely precise articular space, stabilized by the annular ligament, the collateral ligaments of the elbow, the joint capsule, and a finely coordinated muscular system. And this is where the triceps and the anconeus become essential. far beyond their traditional image as simple elbow extensors. In the triceps on the reformer, I set you up seated. The pelvis is neutral. The spine is neutral. Not rigid, not stiff, but organized. The legs are straight and adducted or adapted if necessary to preserve that neutrality. The elbows are flexed and positioned slightly behind the body, and this detail is fundamental. The hands hold the straps and fists. palms facing the body. The wrists are long, never collapsed. The scapulae are stabilized, resting on the ribcage, without sliding forward and without gripping. And above all, I set a very clear intention. The humeri remains still in space. From there, the movement can begin. I inhale to prepare. Then I exhale and extend the elbows to push the carriage, keeping the scapulae stable, the humeri immobile, and the trunk you organized. I inhale to bend the elbows and control the return of the carriage. And very quickly, this exercise reveals everything, because the return is the truth. The eccentric return shows whether the triceps is truly controlling the movement, or whether the body starts to escape, whether the shoulders move forward, whether the ribcage projects, whether the pelvis shifts, whether the elbows lock. The triceps brachii is a three-headed muscle. The long head originates on the scapula and crosses both the shoulder and the elbow joints. The lateral and medial heads originate on the posterior surface of the humerus. All three converge into a common tendon that inserts onto the olecranon of the ulna. This insertion makes the triceps a powerful lever for elbow extension, but also a major stabilizer of the elbow joint. It is innervated by the radial nerve, which gives it an exceptional capacity to finely modulate force, precision, and timing. Alongside it is the anconius, a small muscle often forgotten, sometimes even absent from pedagogical discussions. And yet, it is essential. It originates on the lateral epicondyle of the humerus and inserts on the posterolateral surface of the ulna near the olecranon. It is also innervated by the radial nerve. Its role is not to generate brute force, but to provide subtle stabilization. It acts as an intelligent lock, controlling the posterior capsule, limiting micro-instabilities, and accompanying extension without ever freezing the joint. In the triceps on the reformer, the Anconius works in synergy with the triceps, especially at end range and during the controlled return. on the way out. when I extend the elbows to push the carriage, the triceps works concentrically. It shortens to produce movement. On the way back, as the springs pull the carriage in, the triceps works eccentrically. It lengthens while controlling the return. And this eccentric phase is crucial. It strengthens the tendon. It refines neuromuscular control. It protects the joint. This is where we learn to dose, to slow down, and to truly feel. Hand orientation is never neutral. Palms facing the body, place the forearm. in a relatively neutral position. Palms facing up induce relative supination. Palms facing down induce relative pronation. These variations change the position of the radius, the tension within the interosseous membrane, the way the ulna serves as a pillar, and the way the elbow stabilizes during extension. Externally, the movement looks the same. Internally, everything changes. Pedagogically, This is incredibly rich. None of this is possible without trunk stability. The transversus abdominis supports and compresses. The deep pelvic floor participates in this organization. The obliques and spinal extensors maintain the spine in neutral. The scapular stabilizers provide a solid base against resistance coming from the front. The long head of the triceps, the posterior deltoid fibers, the latissimus dorsi, and the terrace major, maintain shoulder extension, and only then can the elbow move freely, without compensation, I see the same mistakes again and again, the ribcage lifting or projecting forward, the shoulders rounding, the scapulae losing stability, the elbows locking at end range, the wrists collapsing, and every time, the solution is not to push harder, but to return to organization, return to breathing. return to proximal stability, to free distal precision. The triceps on the reformer is not a strength demonstration. It is an exercise in embodied intelligence. It teaches how to produce precise extension without sacrificing elbow biomechanics. It teaches how the triceps and anconeus become dynamic stabilizers. It teaches how pronation and supination silently influence every repetition, even when we do not consciously see them. And that is exactly why I love this exercise, because it is humble, because it does not allow cheating, because it forces us to slow down, and because it reminds us of something essential. Longevity in movement never comes from brute force, but from quality of control, precision of gesture, and deep respect for biomechanics. Thank you for listening. If this episode helped you better understand your practice or your teaching, you can leave five stars for the podcast to help make BioPoladies Deep Dive better known. See you very soon for a new episode.
