Tricep Pushdown is the main exercise for building your tricep muscles by putting tension on them and then releasing them. Tricep Muscles function to extend your elbow and it is located at the back of your upper arm.
It is a muscle with three heads, The lateral medial and the long head. This exercise isolates the heads and makes them in a horseshoe shape. You can do the tricep push down on a bar or a rope as well depending on your choice.
How to do the tricep pushdown with the bar?
There will be a cable pulley and a bar attached (Tricep Pushdown with a bar). Be a step or maximum of two steps away, gripping the bar. Your starting position will be your arms being perpendicular to the floor. Now, fully extend your arms and go back again to the starting position. This is it!
Tricep Pushdown What to choose, rope or bar?
Tricep Pushdown can be done in more than one way, either through a rope or a bar. When we do the tricep pushdown with a bar compared to a rope, there is a difference in ineffectiveness. So what to choose? Tricep Pushdown Rope vs bar? People often face this major question and here we are to help you!
Researchers have actually found out that the Pushdowns performed in rope are more effective as compared to the Pushdown in the bar. The reason is that these muscle’s activity boosts with triangular Pushdowns.
Tricep pushdown with a straight bar
Doing Tricep pushdown on a straight bar, you focus on the long head of the tricep as it activates when you push down the weight.
Using a straight bar, your hands naturally grip the bar with knuckles facing up and tightens the elbow against your body. Hence, it does activate the other two heads but mainly works on the long head.
The flat tricep pushdown bar can be bought online as well.
Tricep pushdown with rope, What changes are involved?
When you do a Tricep Pushdown on the rope, it is more effective. Why? Your knuckles that were facing up on the straight bar now face out and more focus on the lateral head that is at the outer part of the arm.
Secondly, there’s more range of motion; In the bar, you can’t move more after fully extending your arms while in a rope, you can move your arm on either side of your legs, you can add some extra squeeze in the end.
Tricep pushdown v bar
People get confused to choose between the rope and the bar, the rope is more effective but the bars are more comfortable as they are solid, hence they go for the middle option, V bar tricep Pushdown.
This V-shaped bar places your hand in the same position as the rope and puts less strain on the wrists and forearms just like the solid bar. The V bar Tricep Pushdown exercise is a better alternative and therefore, most people who choose tricep pushdowns to go for a V Bar.
Mistakes you should avoid while doing Tricep Pushdown.
- Most of the mistakes in this exercise are done through the tricep pushdown with rope, when people push down, they twist their wrists and when they go up, they twist the wrist, this will not give them the complete benefits of the exercise and put all their efforts in vain. In a V rope Tricep Pushdown, the more you extend your elbow, the maximum benefits you gain, however, avoid twisting your elbows.
- Avoid Overloading especially in a rope. You can overload in other exercises like bench press or triceps dip, however, tricep pushdown is not a compound movement, therefore avoid Overloading. When people go for Overloading, they can do a full extension and in order to fully extend the arms, they then twist out their wrists.
A V bar tricep pushdown is more preferred when you have wrist flexibility issues when you want to lift as much weight as possible, it keeps your hands in proper position while pushing down. Make sure that the overloading doesn’t turn your exercise into a chest press.
- Avoid moving your upper arms away from your side, maintain their position.
- Don’t move backward or forward to create movement, tension should be on your triceps, don’t move them off your triceps to your back and chest. When you’re working so hard, make sure you gain the maximum benefits.
Using a V Bar or a straight bar in Tricep Pushdown, both are alright but when you don’t have any wrist flexibility issues, you can use a straight bar. People confuse themselves that when they pull down while their palms face up, it’s not a proper exercise.
This is false, while pulling down, you do the same thing, elbow extension, the main function of the triceps, therefore, when you do a tricep pushdown or even tricep pulldown, it gives more or less the same benefits. When you are bored of Pushdowns, you can opt for pulldown as well.
Tricep pushdown lat bar
Lat pulldown bar is to strengthen your back by focusing on the largest muscle of your back, the Latissimus Dorsi. However, you can also perform Tricep Pushdown on the lat bar. The lat bar is just like the pullup bar and you can use it as an alternate to the straight flat bar.
Start your tricep pushdown facing the bar and your palms facing downwards. The starting position of your arms should be parallel to the floor and then push it down till your arms get straight.
The weight should be kept in a way that you can complete 8 to 13 repetitions. The v bar length for tricep pushdown is approximately 20 inches and the bars come with a one-year warranty as well.
Bottom Line
Tricep Pushdown bar comes in different forms like the straight bar and the V bar depending upon your choice and the factors such as your comfort and your wrist flexibility. You can also go for a tricep Pushdown rope but people try to twist out and in their wrists while doing tricep pushdown with the rope.
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