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Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdown

A cable pushdown taken with the palms up, keeping the elbows tucked so the triceps extend the arm through a long range.

How to do it

  1. Set a straight bar on the high pulley of a cable stack and select your weight.
  2. Face the machine and grip the bar palms up with your hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Pull your elbows in against your ribs and hinge forward very slightly.
  4. Press the bar down by straightening your elbows, keeping your upper arms still.
  5. Stop just short of lockout and hold the bottom for a beat.
  6. Let the bar rise under control until your forearms are roughly parallel to the floor, then repeat.

Key technique cue

Don't let the elbows drift forward or the lats take over; no hard lockout at the bottom.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows travel forward, which hands the work to the lats and shortens the triceps range.
  • Locking the elbows hard at the bottom, which drops tension and stresses the joint.
  • Leaning the whole torso into the bar, so bodyweight rather than the triceps moves the stack.
  • Gripping too wide, which twists the wrists uncomfortably under a palms-up hold.

Benefits

  • The underhand grip changes how the load feels compared with a standard cable pushdown.
  • Needs no overhead arm position.
  • The tucked elbows keep the upper arm still, so the work stays on the triceps.

Progression: from easier to harder

  1. Step 1
  2. Step 2 You are here
Full “Triceps pushdown” progression

About the exercise

The reverse-grip tricep pushdown is a straight-bar pushdown performed with a supinated grip. You stand facing a high pulley, take the bar palms up, tuck your elbows against your ribs and press down until the arms are almost straight. The underhand grip changes the position of the wrists and forearms, so start lighter than you would on a standard pushdown. Elbow position decides it: let them drift forward and the lats take over.

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