Beginner

Straight-Bar Triceps Pushdown

The rigid bar lets you handle a bit more load than the rope and gives beginners an easy groove to learn elbow extension. The cable keeps tension steady through the whole range. It's an excellent staple for building pressing lockout strength.

Equipment
Cables
Body part
Triceps
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Elbow Extension
Muscles worked
Target
Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head, Triceps Brachii Long Head
Tertiary
Extensors

How to do it

  1. 1

    Clip a straight or EZ bar to a high pulley and grip it overhand at shoulder width.

  2. 2

    Stand with a slight forward lean and pin your elbows to your sides.

  3. 3

    Brace your abs and keep your wrists neutral and firm.

  4. 4

    Push the bar down until your arms are fully straight.

  5. 5

    Pause and squeeze the triceps at the bottom.

  6. 6

    Return the bar slowly until your forearms are just above parallel, then repeat.

Tips

  • Keep your elbows locked in place; only the forearms should travel.
  • Don't lean over the bar and grind reps with your bodyweight, keep the torso still.
  • Grip the bar firmly but let the triceps, not the wrists, do the work.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Letting the bar rise until your hands reach your chest pulls the elbows up and gives the shoulders the start of the rep; stop with the forearms just above parallel.
  • Bending the wrists downward to finish the rep loads the wrist joint instead of the triceps and usually means the weight is too heavy; keep the knuckles in line with the forearm.
  • Stopping short of straight arms skips the part of the range where the triceps work hardest; lock the elbows out and hold the squeeze for a beat.
  • Standing so far back that the cable drags you toward the tower makes you brace against the pull instead of pressing down; set up so the cable runs straight down past your chest.
  • Clipping the bar to a pulley set below head height changes the line of pull so the cable pushes the elbows out at the top; use the highest setting on the tower.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of triceps pushdowns should a beginner do?
Do 10 to 15 reps for three sets at the end of a push or arm day, once or twice a week. The triceps recover quickly and respond well to that volume. Add weight only when all three sets hit 15 reps with the elbows pinned to your sides and no forward lean, and try a one-second squeeze at the bottom before you reach for a heavier setting.
What can I do instead of a triceps pushdown with no cable machine?
An overhead dumbbell extension trains the same muscle with the long head stretched, and one dumbbell held in both hands is enough. Skull crushers with an EZ bar or dumbbells on a bench are the other standard swap. At home, hook a band over a door and push down exactly as you would on the cable, or use close-grip push-ups and bench dips.
What is the triceps pushdown good for and when is it a poor choice?
It builds triceps size and the lockout strength that finishes a bench press or an overhead press, and the fixed bar makes the groove easy to learn. It is an accessory, not a substitute for pressing, so it should sit after your main lifts rather than replace them. If your elbows ache at full extension or the straight bar bothers your wrists, switch to a rope so the hands can turn, or lighten the load and slow the reps.

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