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Exercises

Tricep pushdown: how to do it, which attachment to use, and what to do instead

Published October 17, 2026

A tricep pushdown is a cable exercise where you press a rope, bar or V-bar from chest height down to your thighs by straightening your elbows. It trains all three heads of the triceps, with the most work on the outer and lower parts of the back of your arm. It works when your upper arms stay pinned to your sides and only your forearms move; once your shoulders and body join in, the triceps lose the load.

Your last cable triceps pressdown set

How to do the cable triceps pressdown

The cable holds tension on your triceps from the top of the rep to full lockout, the load changes in small steps, and there is nothing to balance, so you can push sets close to failure without your form falling apart. It fits at the end of any push or upper-body day.

Steps

  1. Clip a rope, straight bar or V-bar to a pulley set above head height and pick a weight you could move for about 15 reps.
  2. Grab the attachment, take a small step back and lean your chest slightly forward with your knees soft, so the cable runs just in front of your face.
  3. Pull your upper arms against your sides with your elbows bent and your hands around chest height. This is where every rep starts.
  4. Press the attachment down by straightening your elbows until your arms are fully locked out by your thighs. With a rope, spread the ends apart as your hands pass your hips.
  5. Let your hands rise back to chest height over about two seconds, keeping your elbows in the same spot, then press again.

Cues

  • Elbows glued to your ribs
  • Lock out hard at the bottom
  • Only your forearms move

Common mistakes

  • Leaning over the stack and pushing with your body weight: if your shoulders roll forward to finish a rep, drop the weight until your torso stays still for the whole set.
  • Letting the elbows drift forward on the way up: your shoulders take over and the rep turns into a press. Stop your hands at chest height and keep your upper arms vertical.
  • Cutting the bottom short: the last few inches before lockout are where the triceps work hardest, so finish every rep with straight arms.
  • Letting the stack yank your hands back up: control the return, since a dropped weight gives you half a rep.

Swap for: Cable Cross Pushdown, Machine Triceps Extension, Triceps Kickback

Muscles the cable triceps pressdown works

The tricep pushdown trains all three heads of your triceps, the muscle on the back of your upper arm. Because your arms stay at your sides, the outer (lateral) and inner-lower (medial) heads do most of the work, and the load is highest as your elbows lock out; the long head gets more stretch from overhead work.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the cable triceps pressdown

GoalSets × repsRIRRest
Build muscle 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
This matches the session builder. Add reps until every set reaches 15, then go up one plate.
Triceps focus 3–4 × 8–12 1–2 90 s–2 min
Use a straight bar or V-bar when the pushdown is your main triceps exercise of the day and you want to load it heavier.
End of a push or upper day 2–3 × 12–20 0–1 60–90 s
Take the last set close to failure with a rope, since your chest and shoulders are already done for the day.
Beginners 2–3 × 12–15 2–3 90 s
Learn to keep your elbows still before you add weight; a lighter stack you control beats a heavier one you lean on.

Cable triceps pressdown variations

  • Cable Cross Pushdown start position

    Cable Cross Pushdown

    Pick this when both arms feel cramped on one attachment: each hand pulls its own cable from opposite high pulleys, so your arms find their own path.

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Cable triceps pressdown alternatives

Same cable, different angle

  • Overhead Cable Triceps Extension start position

    Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

    Use the same cable and rope with your arms overhead, which stretches the long head harder than a pushdown can.

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  • Cable Triceps Kickback start position

    Cable Triceps Kickback

    Train one arm at a time from a low pulley, with your upper arm held back by your side and the cable hardest at lockout.

    Build a session with it

Dumbbells only

  • Triceps Kickback start position

    Triceps Kickback

    Hinge forward and straighten your arm behind you; it is the closest dumbbell match because the load is heaviest at lockout, just like a pushdown.

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  • Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension start position

    Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

    Lower one dumbbell behind your head with both hands when you want more long-head stretch than a pushdown gives.

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  • Dumbbell Skullcrusher start position

    Dumbbell Skullcrusher

    Lie on a bench and lower the dumbbells beside your head when you want a free-weight extension you can load heavier than a kickback.

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Barbell or machine

  • EZ-Bar Skullcrusher start position

    EZ-Bar Skullcrusher

    Take this when you have an EZ bar and a bench and want a heavy triceps extension to progress week to week.

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  • Machine Triceps Extension start position

    Machine Triceps Extension

    The easiest switch when the cable station is taken: the pad fixes your upper arms, so only your elbows move.

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  • Close-Grip Bench Press start position

    Close-Grip Bench Press

    Use this when you want a compound press that lets your triceps move much more weight than any extension.

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  • Machine Triceps Dip start position

    Machine Triceps Dip

    Sit in the dip machine and press the handles down when you want a pushdown-like path you can load heavy.

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Bodyweight

  • Bench Dip start position

    Bench Dip

    Hands on a bench behind you, lower your hips and press back up; bend your knees to make it easier or raise your feet to make it harder.

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  • Close-Grip Push-Up start position

    Close-Grip Push-Up

    Bring your hands under your shoulders and keep your elbows close to your sides when you have nothing but the floor.

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Rope vs straight bar vs V-bar tricep pushdown

A rope lets your hands split apart and travel past your hips, so you get a slightly longer lockout and your wrists can turn where they want. It is the best pick for higher reps and for the last exercise of the day.

A straight bar or V-bar locks your hands together, which makes the movement more stable and lets you load more weight. Use one of them when the pushdown is your main triceps exercise and you want to progress the load. If a straight bar feels awkward, the angled V-bar or the rope usually fixes it.

A reverse grip (palms up on a straight bar) is much lighter; keep it for high-rep sets if you like how it feels.

Tricep pushdown vs overhead extension

The long head of the triceps crosses your shoulder, so it gets the biggest stretch when your arms are overhead. A pushdown trains it in a short position and hits the other two heads hardest at lockout.

If you only have room for one triceps exercise, either works; if you do two, pair a pushdown with an overhead cable triceps extension or a skullcrusher so every head gets both a stretch and a hard lockout across the week.

Questions

What muscles do tricep pushdowns work?

All three heads of the triceps on the back of your upper arm. The outer (lateral) and inner-lower (medial) heads do the most work because your arms stay at your sides; the long head works too but gets more stretch from overhead extensions.

What is the best tricep pushdown attachment?

Use a rope for higher reps and a longer lockout, and a straight bar or V-bar when you want to load the movement heavier. If one attachment feels awkward, switch to another; the muscle trained is the same.

Can I do a tricep pushdown without a cable?

Not the exact movement, but a dumbbell triceps kickback loads your triceps hardest at lockout the same way. With a bench, bench dips work; with just the floor, close-grip push-ups do. In a gym without a free cable, the triceps extension machine is the nearest match.

What is the best tricep pushdown alternative?

With dumbbells, the triceps kickback is the closest match. With a bench and an EZ bar, skullcrushers let you load heavier. On machines, the triceps extension machine fixes your upper arms the same way a good pushdown does. At home with no gear, bench dips or close-grip push-ups.

Is a 70 lb tricep pushdown good?

Stack numbers vary so much between cable machines that a weight on one tells you little about another. A better measure is whether you can do 10 to 15 clean reps with your elbows still and two reps left in the tank, and whether that number goes up over the weeks.

How many sets of tricep pushdowns should I do?

Two to four sets per session is plenty. Count them toward 10 to 20 hard sets per week for your triceps, including the triceps work from pressing. Splitting them over two or more sessions works at least as well as doing them all in one.

Should you lean forward on tricep pushdowns?

A slight forward lean with soft knees helps, because the cable then runs in front of your face and your elbows can stay by your sides. Leaning far over the stack does the opposite: your body weight starts pushing the attachment down.