Tricep Pushdown

What is the Tricep Pushdown?

The triceps pushdown is a cable isolation for the triceps: standing at a high pulley, you press a bar or handle down by extending the elbows. The cable keeps constant tension on the triceps through the range, and the standing position makes it easy to load and to push close to failure safely, the reason it’s the most common triceps accessory.

Muscles worked

Primary: Triceps

The triceps is the sole prime mover, extending the elbows to press the handle down while the upper arms stay pinned at the sides.

How to perform the Tricep Pushdown

1. Attach a straight bar to a high cable pulley and grip it shoulder-width with a pronated (overhand) grip.
2. Stand close to the stack, hinge slightly forward, and pin the elbows tight to your sides as the fixed pivot point.
3. Keep the upper arms locked against the ribs; only the forearms move for the entire set.
4. Press the bar down by extending the elbows until the arms are straight and the bar reaches the thighs.
5. Squeeze the triceps hard at full lockout without leaning your bodyweight onto the bar to cheat it down.
6. Let the bar rise under control only until the forearms reach about parallel, keeping the elbows from drifting up.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A single-joint isolation against a high cable: pure elbow extension with the upper arms fixed to the torso. The constant cable tension loads the triceps evenly from the top stretch to the locked-out bottom, unlike a free weight.

Form cues

• •Pin the upper arms to your sides and keep them there. Only the forearms should move.
• •Extend fully at the bottom and squeeze the triceps before letting the handle rise.
• •Keep a slight forward lean and a braced torso so you don’t use bodyweight to press.
• •Control the return all the way up to a full stretch rather than letting it snap back.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the elbows drift forward and up off the ribs, turning the pushdown into a chest-assisted press.
• •Leaning bodyweight onto the bar to force it down instead of extending the elbows.
• •Letting the bar rise too high so the elbows flare and the tension leaves the triceps.
• •Rounding the shoulders and shrugging rather than keeping the upper arms pinned and still.

Variations & alternatives

• •Rope pushdown: splitting the rope at the bottom for a harder peak contraction.
• •Reverse-grip pushdown, an underhand grip that shifts emphasis toward the medial head.
• •V-bar pushdown, a rigid bar for a strong, stable overload.
• •Overhead cable extension: takes the triceps into a stretched position instead.

Overhead Tricep Extension

Triceps · Dumbbell

Skull Crusher

Triceps · Barbell

Tricep Dip

Triceps · Bodyweight

Close-Grip Bench Press

Triceps · Barbell

Diamond Push-Up

Triceps · Bodyweight

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the triceps pushdown in the library’s 10–15 rep range as a primary triceps accessory after your pressing work. The constant cable tension makes higher-rep, close-to-failure sets safe and effective. Add small increments over time and keep the upper arms locked at your sides. A few sets is plenty.

Frequently asked questions