Tricep Pushdown: Muscles Worked, How To Do and Variations

The tricep pushdown is one of the best exercises for training the tricep muscle. It trains all three heads of the triceps muscles, including the lateral, long, and medial heads.

It is commonly known as the tricep press-down or cable tricep extension. No matter what you call it, it is one of the best exercises for triceps development.

What I also love about the triceps pushdown is its versatility. You can switch the attachment to a rope, straight bar, or V-bar to hit different parts of the triceps.

• Rope Pushdown
• V-Bar Pushdown
• Underhand Grip Pushdown
• Single-Arm Pushdown

Additionally, you can perform a version of the move at home or on the go using a resistance band.

Triceps Pushdown Muscles Worked

The triceps pushdown is an isolation exercise rather than a compound motion that effectively trains the triceps.

• The primary muscle group worked by the cable triceps pushdown is your triceps.
• The secondary muscles worked to stabilize and support the push-down motion are the anterior deltoid, forearms, abs, obliques, and traps (trapezius)

How To Do Tricep Pushdown

1. Attach a straight bar or rope to the high pulley on a cable machine.
2. Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slightly bend your knees and lean forward just a bit at the hips to create a stable base.
3. Grab the bar or rope with an overhand grip (palms facing down).
4. Start with your elbows bent at about a 90-degree angle. Keep your elbows close to your body and slightly in front of you.
5. Tighten your core muscles to stabilize your torso and prevent excessive movement in your lower back.
6. Push the bar down towards your thighs. Focus on using your triceps to push the weight down, not your shoulders or back.
7. At the bottom of the movement, briefly pause and squeeze your triceps.
8. Slowly allow the cable to pull your hands back up to the starting position.
9. Perform the 3–4 sets of 8–15 reps.

Tips and Form

• It’s best to keep your wrist in a neutral position. You don’t need to move your wrists in any direction.
• Keep your elbow at your side. People flare their elbows outwards, which can put unnecessary stress on the shoulder and elbow.
• Stick your chest out and retract your shoulder blades. This helps keep your shoulders stable and prevents them from rotating during the movement.
• Take a step or two forward to keep the cable as vertical as possible, ensuring your arms aren’t too far from your body.
• Contract the muscles strongly for a second at the end of the extension to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible.
• To see overall arm progress, you must train all three parts of the triceps. Developing all three heads will make your arm look more symmetrical, attractive, and even. Try different cable attachments.
• Many people adopt a looser posture, allowing their elbows to swing back and forth during the movement. You can lift more weight with this momentum, but you are actually using your lats to finish the exercise.
• Adding more weights than required might not be a good idea. Overdoing this exercise can cause injury and make your muscles sore.
• Always remember that this is a tricep workout, not a back-training one. Do not overextend your back while pushing down the weights.
• To continue making progress, gradually increase the weight or reps over time. This can be done by adding weight to the bar or increasing the number of reps per set.

Tricep Pushdown Variations

While the traditional triceps cable pushdown is a winner, there are a few other slight variations that are just as good, and many people even prefer them over the conventional pushdown.

Here are the best triceps pushdown variations that help you to build stronger and bigger triceps.

1. Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdown

The reverse grip (supinated) position places your elbows slightly more forward, which helps activate the long and medial head more effectively.

The reverse grip naturally allows for a slightly greater range of motion at the elbow joint. This extended range can lead to better muscle stretching and contraction.

This variation often requires more focus and control, as it’s less stable than the traditional grip.

2. Rope Triceps Pushdown

The rope attachment allows you to fully extend your arms at the bottom of the movement while also separating the rope ends outward. This increased range of motion provides a more complete contraction of the triceps.

Separating the rope during the pushdown engages all three heads of the triceps (long, lateral, and medial) more evenly.

The rope allows your wrists to move more freely and naturally than with a fixed bar, reducing strain on the wrists and elbows.

3. Single Arm Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdown

You can add plenty of single-arm exercises to correct potential imbalances when performing a cable tricep pushdown.

The cable one-arm reverse-grip tricep push-down is an isolation exercise that builds muscle and strength in all three tricep heads.

Pushdowns are excellent regardless of the variation used, but the reverse grip may allow you to emphasize more of the medial tricep head.

4. V-Bar Tricep Pushdown

The V-bar’s angled grip naturally positions your elbows closer to your body, which maximizes the triceps. This alignment allows you to focus more effectively on all three heads of the triceps, particularly the lateral and medial heads.

The V-bar provides a more secure and powerful grip compared to a straight bar or rope. This secure grip allows you to lift heavier weights with better control.

It also puts your wrists in a more neutral position, reducing the strain on the wrists and elbows.

5. One Arm Tricep Pushdown

The one-arm tricep pushdown helps you identify and correct strength imbalances between your left and right triceps. This can lead to more symmetrical tricep muscle development.

The unilateral nature of this exercise helps isolate the triceps muscle, reducing the involvement of other muscles like the shoulders and chest.

With the One-Arm Tricep Pushdown, you can experiment with different grip styles (overhand, underhand, or neutral) and angles to target different parts of the triceps.

6. Resistance Band Tricep Pushdown

Working out at home makes you less likely to have access to a cable machine. A resistance band cable pushdown is a great at-home alternative that doesn’t need much equipment.

Unlike traditional weights, resistance bands provide variable resistance, meaning the tension increases as you extend your arms and the band stretches. This can lead to greater muscle activation.

Bands are a great way to keep joints healthy, as they are low-impact on elbows and shoulders.

You can use different grips on band (overhand, underhand, or neutral) to target different areas of the triceps.

FAQs

What muscles does a triceps pushdown work?​

The tricep pushdown exercise primarily targets the triceps brachii muscle (the lateral, medial, and long heads).

The tricep pushdown primarily targets the lateral and medial heads of the tricep and, to a lesser extent, the long head.

How many tricep pushdowns should i do

Generally, a good starting point is 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps, with a moderate weight. This will provide a good balance of volume and intensity to challenge the tricep muscle while allowing recovery.

If you are a beginner, you may want to start with 1-2 sets of 8-12 reps, and as you become more comfortable with the exercise, you can gradually increase the number of sets and reps.

If your goal is muscle growth and hypertrophy, you may want to increase the volume (more reps and sets) and use a moderate weight. This can help to increase muscle size and definition.

Which tricep pushdown is best

It’s difficult to say which variation is the “best” as they all have benefits; it’s more important to try all.

1. Rope pushdowns
2. Reverse grip pushdowns
3. Single arm pushdowns
4. V-bar pushdowns

Is tricep pushdown push or pull

The tricep pushdown is primarily a pushing motion, as the triceps contract to extend the arm and push the weight down.

It’s also worth noting that push/pull exercises are not limited to tricep pushdowns; they are a general categorization of exercises.

• Push exercises involve pushing a weight away from the body, such as chest presses, shoulder presses, and tricep pushdowns.
• Pull exercises involve pulling a weight towards the body, such as pull-ups, rows, and bicep curls.

Thanks for reading, enjoy!

References

• American Council on Exercise: ACE Study Identifies Best Triceps Exercises (source)
• The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension
• Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2021 Aug 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/
• Kholinne, E., Zulkarnain, R. F., Sun, Y. C., Lim, S., Chun, J. M., & Jeon, I. H. (2018). The different role of each head of the triceps brachii muscle in elbow extension. Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, 52(3), 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aott.2018.02.005

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.