Tricep Pushdown: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The tricep pushdown isolates your triceps. Keeping your upper arms pinned to your sides removes help from your chest or shoulders, so straightening your elbows against the cable's resistance falls entirely on the muscle running down the back of your arm.
- Primary muscle:
- Triceps
Muscles worked
Your triceps are the only muscle this exercise trains. With your upper arms held stationary against your torso, the entire job of straightening your elbows against the cable's pull belongs to the triceps, from the bent starting position to full lockout at the bottom.
Log Tricep Pushdown in PR Streak
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How to do it
- Attach a straight or angled bar to a high pulley and grab with an overhand grip (palms facing down) at shoulder width.
- Standing upright with the torso straight and a very small inclination forward, bring the upper arms close to your body and perpendicular to the floor. The forearms should be pointing up towards the pulley as they hold the bar. This is your starting position.
- Using the triceps, bring the bar down until it touches the front of your thighs and the arms are fully extended perpendicular to the floor. The upper arms should always remain stationary next to your torso and only the forearms should move. Exhale as you perform this movement.
- After a second hold at the contracted position, bring the bar slowly up to the starting point. Breathe in as you perform this step.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Form tips
- Keep your upper arms pinned to your sides and let only your forearms move.
- Extend all the way down to a full elbow lockout, then control the weight back up.
- Keep a slight forward lean instead of standing bolt upright, without swinging your torso.
- Use a straight bar, angled bar, or rope, whichever lets your wrists stay comfortable.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Cable |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does grip choice change what the pushdown works?
A rope attachment lets your hands rotate at the bottom, adding a bit more emphasis on the outer triceps head, while a straight bar keeps a fixed grip. Both still train the same triceps as the prime mover, just with a slightly different feel.
How many reps work best for pushdowns?
This isolation exercise responds well to 6-12 reps at a weight that's genuinely tough by the end, which fits the range for building muscle size. Pair it with the overhead tricep extension to hit the muscle from a different angle.
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.
