Tricep Pushdown

The tricep pushdown uses a high cable to resist elbow extension. The arms start with elbows bent and the attachment near the chest; the movement extends the elbows until the arms are straight at the sides. The triceps brachii — three heads, all crossing the elbow but not the shoulder — does the work. Because it is a cable exercise, the resistance stays constant at the lockout where a free-weight overhead extension would have a dead spot.

Attachment choice shifts the feel of the exercise. A rope allows the hands to splay out at the bottom, which cues the lateral head of the tricep into full contraction. A straight bar keeps the hands closer and distributes load more evenly across all three heads. Both are productive. The rope tends to feel more natural for most people and allows a fuller squeeze at the bottom.

The elbows should stay fixed at the sides through the entire movement. Any elbow movement forward recruits the lats and shortens the triceps range. Any backward drift at the top is usually a sign the weight is too heavy. Think of the elbows as hinges bolted to your sides — only the forearms move.

In LiftProof, log tricep pushdowns as arm isolation accessory work. They are typically programmed at the end of upper body sessions after compound pressing. Keep the reps higher — 12 to 20 — and focus on quality of contraction rather than loading. The triceps are already heavily taxed by the bench press and overhead press; isolation work here is for detail and completeness.

• Elbows fixed at your sides — only the forearms move
• If using a rope, splay the hands out at the bottom for a full squeeze
• Lock out fully at the bottom — do not stop short of straight arms
• Control the return; do not let the cable snap the arms back up
• Slight forward lean at the hips is fine, but no upper body rocking

• Elbows drifting forward at the top — this shortens the tricep and removes the full stretch
• Using too much weight and turning it into a lat pushdown with bent arms
• Not locking out — the tricep reaches peak contraction at full elbow extension; stopping short misses it
• Gripping too hard — a relaxed grip keeps the forearm flexors from fatiguing before the triceps

• bench press→
• dips→
• overhead press→