"Most people use weights that are too heavy for this exercise, which leads to poor form, making it basically ineffective. The goal is to work the muscles in the back of the arm, but the wrong weight can make it almost impossible to fully engage these muscles and can cause strain on your shoulder and elbow joints," says Katie Dunlop, trainer and founder of Love Sweat Fitness, to POPSUGAR.
"When done right, this can be effective, but you have to keep your weight light so you can keep your elbow high and fully straighten your arm at the high point of the exercise," she says. An even better option would be a triceps dips, though. "It's a simple bodyweight exercise, but with the right form can be SUPEReffective, even more so than using weights," she says.