Cable Tricep Kickback

What is the Cable Tricep Kickback?

The cable triceps kickback replaces the dumbbell with a low cable, so tension stays constant through the whole range instead of peaking only at lockout. Hinged forward with the upper arm parallel to the torso, you extend the handle back against the cable, keeping the triceps loaded from the bent-elbow start all the way to the peak squeeze.

Muscles worked

Primary: Triceps

The triceps extends the elbow to straighten the arm back against the cable, which keeps tension on the muscle from the bent start through the fully locked-out, shortened position.

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.

Mechanics

A single-joint isolation against a low cable, hinged at the hips: elbow extension with the upper arm fixed parallel to the torso. The cable’s constant tension is the difference from a dumbbell kickback: the triceps stays loaded across the range rather than only at the top.

Form cues

• •Face a low pulley, hinge forward, and raise the upper arm parallel to the floor.
• •Keep the upper arm pinned and extend only at the elbow, back against the cable.
• •Squeeze at full lockout, then resist the cable back to the bent-elbow start.
• •Brace the torso so you don’t rock to help the arm extend.

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

• •Dumbbell triceps kickback, the free-weight version peaking only at lockout.
• •Rope pushdown, a standing cable isolation with a neutral grip.
• •Single-arm cable pushdown, another strict single-arm cable extension.
• •Overhead cable extension: loads the long head’s stretch instead.

Tricep Pushdown

Triceps · Cable

Overhead Tricep Extension

Triceps · Dumbbell

Skull Crusher

Triceps · Barbell

Tricep Dip

Triceps · Bodyweight

Close-Grip Bench Press

Triceps · Barbell

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the cable triceps kickback in the library’s 12–15 rep range as a triceps finisher, using the constant tension to push close to failure with a clean squeeze. Keep the upper arm fixed and parallel and the load light enough to stay strict. Run it after pressing; a couple of sets per arm rounds out the triceps.

Frequently asked questions