Question
When I do decline skull busters with the curl bar and push downs I have a pain in my lower tricep where it goes into my elbow that sometimes stops me from  doing them at all. These excersices puts alot of mass on my tri's but its to the point of not doing them at all.It is a sharp pain like a tearing sensation. I can do dips and other excercises with no problems.This has been going on for about 8 months. I need this taken care of because I use alot of tri's benching and I have the Arnold classic coming in March. Thank you in advance for the help

Answer
Hi Mark-

Sounds like the problem is related to the position of your humerus (bilaterally) during activity.  Are you keeping your arms pinned to your sides during your pushdowns?  If they are moving into flexion a bit (elbows move forward), this will come closer to mimicing the position of your arms during the skull busters.

When you are performing any triceps movement, the position of your humerus (upper arm) determines how much additional tension is put through your triceps.  For example, dips place your humerus in an extended position, where skull busters move the humerus forward in a flexed position relative to the body.  This flexed position will create more tension through the triceps BEFORE YOU LOAD IT.  Think about it...have you stretched your tri's before?  The position you use is nearly the same as for skull busters, and possibly pushdowns if your form is allowing a slightly flexed position.  Simply put: you are developing a muscular strain due to overload, and for now your symptoms are only present when you are working the triceps in a "stretched out" position.  Trouble is, the exercises you are doing (the painful ones) are great for building size throughout the muscle...so you need to find a solution.  Here is what I propose:

First, you need to spend quite a bit of time stretching your triceps - around 15 minutes a day for a couple of weeks, then tapering as you get results.  Also, see a good massage therapist a few times for deep tissue work throughout the triceps and scapular stabilizers, with special attention to the musculotendinous junctions of all three heads of the triceps.  Don't change your workouts yet, but stay within a relatively pain-free zone.  My guess is you'll be trouble free within 4 weeks or so, and when you are better you'll actually have better contractibility of the triceps...of course resulting in a better pose-down in Ohio (I think the Arnold is still there...been awhile) :-)

Good luck to you.