Tricep extensions: elbow tension?

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I have been trying to incorporate more strength/weight training into my workout, but I am completely clueless about a lot of the specifics. One exercise that I started doing is the tricep extension (http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/d ... -extension). However, when I do this exercise, I notice that I feel a lot of tension in my elbows when I bend them beyond like a 45 degree angle. I don't think that the weight I am using is too heavy because I can do like 20-25 reps with it, but I just can't bend my elbows very much without getting that uncomfortable feeling of tension. It doesn't hurt at all, it is kind of hard to describe...it feels like my skin is too tight to allow my elbow to bend all the way or something. I am kind of scared to keep doing this exercise because I don't want to injure myself.

Does anyone have any advice?

Had the same issue, go buy a pair of elbow sleeves. Make sure they are snug, but not super tight. Always wear them when doing exercises to isolate the triceps, or for any excises that can put strain o the triceps. With extension, you have to go very slow and concentrated, or your elbows are goign to hurt. When I say slow I mean 4-5 seconds bring the weight up, pause for a send, then 4-5 seconds bringing the weight back down. 20-25 reps seems excessive for one set, I'd go down to 8-12. If you want to keep it at that rep range you can provided it's not too heavy, but that is a lot of reps for a set. Doing what I described help me do extensions without pain. Also, it depends how I do extensions. Doing them lying on a bench puts more strain on my triceps, than if I do them seated or standing. If you do them lying on a bench, make sure you're going bend the head and not over the forehead(skullcrushers). Doing them standing works the best for me. I hope that helps.

Oh also you can try doing them with a curl, or super curl bar instead of dumbbells. I'm more prone to tricep pain if I use dumbbells instead of the bar. A regular bb is too long in my opinion and just makes it awkward. Buying a nice super curl bar(curl bar with a U shape in the middle) would be a good investment. IF you are using standard weight as opposed to olympic, you're going to have less opinion or barbell variations.

The main reason I was using such a light weight was because the elbow strain scared me and I didn't want to push myself. I do go pretty slow when I do them but that isn't the problem...the strain is purely a function of how much my elbow is bent. Standing/sitting/lying doesn't seem to make any difference for me. I will look into the elbow sleeve thing you mentioned.

I would guess it's the strain of the weight on your wrists as your forearms deal with that and tendons run through the elbows.

It might be too much weight for the movement you are doing...or your grip/position isn't ideal.

I'd be against any "support" wear because it might cheat you of strengthening the muscles which are to blame for the discomfort.