Cable Tricep Kickback

How to perform the Cable Tricep Kickback

1. Attach a single handle to a low pulley, hinge forward at the hips with a flat back, and grip the handle in the working hand.
2. Unlike the dumbbell version, the cable keeps constant tension across the whole range instead of only peaking at lockout.
3. Raise the working upper arm parallel to the floor and pin it against your side as the fixed pivot.
4. Extend the elbow to draw the handle back until the arm is fully straight against the cable.
5. Squeeze the lockout, keeping the upper arm from dropping or the shoulder from rotating to assist.
6. Return the handle under control to a 90-degree elbow, resisting the cable the whole way back.

Suggested working range: 12–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the upper arm drop from parallel, which shifts tension off the triceps.
• •Rotating the shoulder to swing the handle back instead of extending the elbow.
• •Standing so the cable slackens rather than keeping constant tension across the range.
• •Rounding the back in the hinge instead of holding a flat, braced spine.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.