Overhead Tricep Extension: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The overhead tricep extension isolates your triceps. Extending your arms overhead puts your triceps in a deeper stretch than a pushdown does, particularly the long head that crosses your shoulder joint, so this variation reaches part of the muscle that pressing movements often miss.
- Primary muscle:
- Triceps
Muscles worked
Your triceps are the only muscle this exercise trains. Starting with your arms bent behind your head puts the muscle in a longer stretch than a pushdown allows, which many lifters feel most in the long head running down the inside of the upper arm as they extend back to the top.
Log Overhead Tricep Extension in PR Streak
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How to do it
- Attach a rope to a low pulley. After selecting an appropriate weight, grasp the rope with both hands and face away from the cable.
- Position your hands behind your head with your elbows point straight up. Your elbows should start out flexed, and you can stagger your stance and lean gently away from the machine to create greater stability. This will be your starting position.
- To perform the movement, extend through the elbow while keeping the upper arm in position, raising your hands above your head.
- Squeeze your triceps at the top of the movement, and slowly lower the weight back to the start position.
Form tips
- Keep your upper arms close to your ears and stationary throughout the set.
- Lower the weight behind your head until you feel a real stretch in your triceps.
- Extend your arms fully at the top and squeeze before lowering again.
- Stagger your stance slightly for a more stable base against the cable's pull.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Cable |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do overhead extensions feel different from pushdowns?
Starting with your arms overhead stretches your triceps more than a pushdown does, especially the long head that crosses your shoulder. Pushdowns keep your upper arms at your sides instead, so the two exercises train the same muscle from different positions.
Should I do this before or after pushdowns?
Either order works. Pair the overhead extension with the tricep pushdown in the same session to train your triceps from both a stretched and a shortened position, using 6-12 reps on each for muscle size.
More triceps exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
