Who Should Do?
Bodybuilders
The cable tricep pushdown should be a fundamental tricep movement for bodybuilders. This exercise does a great job of isolating all three heads of the triceps. With this, the cable tricep pushdown provides an excellent muscle-building stimulus.
As well as building mass through all areas of the triceps, the cable tricep pushdown also builds strength. By working the three tricep heads, it helps to improve lockout strength on compound pushing movements. Examples include the bench press and overhead press.
As a result, you’ll be able to lift heavier weights during those exercises, maximizing muscle gain potential.
*Expert tip: Perform the cable tricep pushdown after your compound pressing exercises. As an isolation exercise, it requires less energy than the compound movements.
Athletes
The cable tricep pushdown builds upper body strength. The triceps are involved in several athletic movements that require a pushing or throwing motion. Examples include pushing a player away in rugby or throwing a shot put in athletics.
Enhanced tricep strength also improves performance in activities that require powerful and explosive upper-body movements. Boxers and martial artists are examples of athletes who will benefit from this aspect. Stronger triceps will allow them to strike and punch with more explosive power.
Fitness Enthusiasts
General fitness enthusiasts should include the cable tricep pushdown in their routine. This exercise improves upper arm strength, appearance, and balances arm development. If you work your biceps without equal attention to your triceps, you may suffer a muscle imbalance injury.
Developing strong triceps will improve your overall pushing power. This makes you functionally stronger for everyday activities such as lifting heavy objects, pushing shopping carts, and carrying groceries.
Who Should Not Do?
People With Elbow Tendonitis
If you have a form of elbow tendonitis, you should not do the cable tricep pushdown. Examples of this condition are tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.
The cable tricep pushdown puts stress on the elbow joint and the surrounding tendons, which may cause pain and inflammation in people with an existing elbow condition.
As a replacement for the cable tricep pushdown, perform lower-impact exercises and tricep stretches that reduce elbow strain. Examples of these are the reverse dip and the resistance band press down.
*Expert tip: When you notice any pain symptoms, immediately stop exercise. Seek the help of a healthcare professional before continuing exercise.
People With Wrist Pain
The cable tricep pushdown involves pushing down on a bar or handle. It also requires a strong grip. People with carpal tunnel syndrome or other wrist pain may experience discomfort from the movement.
The pushdown requires the wrist extensors and flexors to maintain a stable wrist position. This can cause additional stress to the wrists, so may not be appropriate for people with wrist pain.
People with wrist pain should replace the cable tricep extension with more wrist-friendly exercises. These include triceps workouts with dumbbells, such as the triceps kickback, skull crusher, and overhead dumbbell triceps extension.
People With Limited Range Of Motion
If you have a limited range of motion through your shoulders or elbows, you will struggle to perform this exercise properly. Limited range of motion can be due to several factors. These include muscle tightness, joint stiffness, previous injuries, or lack of flexibility.
The cable triceps pushdown requires a large degree of elbow extension. This will compromise the effectiveness of the exercise.
People with a limited range of motion should work to improve this first before performing the pushdown. Exercises such as triceps stretches and wall angels can be done using body weight and a light resistance band.
Benefits Of The Cable Tricep Pushdown
Increases Strength
Increasing strength requires a suitable resistance training stimulus. As part of this, it needs to provide enough training intensity and volume,
The cable tricep pushdown does a great job of isolating the three heads of the triceps. This places a large amount of adaptive stress on that muscle. By applying progressive overload, you will be able to increase your tricep strength over time.
Prevents Injuries
When your triceps are strong, your elbow joint will be more stable, helping reduce your risk of elbow injury. Strong triceps muscles support and protect the elbow, especially when lifting heavy objects.
When you lift a heavy object, such as a grocery bag or a suitcase, you often start with your arm bent and then extend it to lift and carry the item. This action heavily involves the triceps for elbow extension and stabilization.
When the triceps are strong, they promote effective elbow extension and contribute to the overall stability of the elbow joint. This stability is crucial in reducing the risk of elbow injuries.
Improves Aesthetics
While the biceps are the most prominent muscle, impressive arms require equal triceps development. The triceps, though, are often neglected in favor of biceps training. This can lead to muscular imbalance, affecting a person’s arm aesthetics.
The cable tricep pushdown is one of the best exercises to build overall tricep mass. When you combine exercises like this for the triceps with biceps exercises, you promote balanced development. The triceps take up two-thirds of the upper arm. When they are well-developed, your arms look more aesthetically pleasing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stand about two feet from the cable machine with your feet together. Bend your knees slightly and grab the bar with a close, overhand grip. Bring the bar to upper chest level with your elbows at your sides.
The best grip for the tricep cable pushdown is overhand with your hands just a few inches apart. This allows you to keep targeted muscle activation on the triceps.
Yes, the tricep cable pushdown is an effective triceps exercise. It isolates each of the three triceps heads and moves them through a full range of motion.
Stand facing the machine, about two feet away from it. Bend your knees slightly and grab the bar with your hands close together. Starting with the bar at the upper chest level, press your arms down to full extension.
Resources
Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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