The tricep pushdown head is one of the most effective isolation exercises for stimulating your triceps while also increasing strength, size, and definition.
This comprehensive guide explains how to properly perform the tricep pushdown, the muscles involved, the benefits, and several tricep pushdown variations and alternatives for increasing muscle mass and strength.
If that wasn’t enough, we’ve also included some alternate tricep motions that can be used as a superset or a variation within your training regimen to complement the tricep pushdown.
Have you ever considered expanding your fitness knowledge or beginning a career that you are passionate about before you get started? Enquire about our Level 3 personal training course to become a personal trainer with OriGym.
All three triceps pushdown heads must be worked for optimal tricep isolation and elbow extension. While all triceps motions involve the three heads, depending on the activity and grip employed, they can be more individuals involved.
You may simply change the cable machine’s resistance with a lengthy resistance band for a fantastic at-home tricep pushdown option.
This exercise emphasizes the lateral head of the muscle when performed with the “typical” pronated grip.
Triceps pushdown head worked
Strength, power, and fitness athletes can employ the triceps pushdown exercise to add strength and hypertrophy to the triceps.
Along with the chest and shoulders, the triceps are an important muscle group for bench press strength, overhead stability and performance, and more. Step-by-Step Instructions for the Triceps Pushdown
The triceps pushdown head work is demonstrated with resistance bands in the following step-by-step guide.
Step 1: Get Everything Set Up
With your chest up and shoulders back, stand tall. The elbows should be flexed and somewhat in front of the body.
Allow the elbows to pull up too high in front, but instead focus on keeping the strength on the triceps and maintaining a strong upright position.
Step 2: Hand Placement
Your grip may vary depending on the special bar/rope/band you’re using. When working with bands or rope, the hands can be in a neutral position.
Step 3: Push Down
When you’re ready, straighten your elbows, keeping your shoulders and chest up and not allowing them to fall forward.
Many lifters will want to allow their elbows to travel backward, indicating that they are attempting to use their chest and shoulders to aid in the movement. This is not correct.
Step 4: Squeeze
Once you’ve reached the bottom and fully extended position, pause briefly and flex the triceps to maximally contract them.
Take note of how the hands are slightly off the body at the bottom position.
Triceps Pushdown vs Overhead
During the overhead tricep pushdown, your core, glutes, and lower back muscles work as stabilizers. Skull crushers, on the other hand, place all of the weight on your arms and shoulders, making it a more difficult exercise to perform.
Overhead tricep pushdowns are a useful exercise to include in your strength-training program whether you are a beginner or an experienced bodybuilder.
An overhead tricep pushdown, also known as a dumbbell tricep extension, is a triceps isolation exercise. Holding a pair of dumbbells and standing shoulder-width apart, perform tricep pushdown vs overhead Raise the dumbbells above your head.
Maintain your upper arms in place and hinge your elbows, lifting the dumbbells overhead through a full range of motion. Although this triceps exercise is typically done with dumbbells, you can also use a resistance band, a pulley on a cable machine, or a barbell.
Tricep Pushdown for Long Head
To extend your elbow joint, all three heads work together. As a result, every triceps and pressing exercise you do works your triceps. However, by adjusting the position of your upper arm and choosing specific exercises, you can focus on one head at a time.
The tricep pushdown for long heads is named after the fact that it is the longest of the three triceps heads. It is unique in that it not only affects your elbow joint but also crosses the shoulder. That is, it aids in shoulder extension as well as shoulder joint stabilization.
Because the long head is so important to arms size, it may be beneficial to make this muscle the focus of your triceps training. Increased triceps long head size can add significant thickness and mass to your upper arms.
Final Verdict
The tricep pushdown head, like the standard variation, works all three heads of the tricep. While this exercise primarily works the triceps, specifically the lateral head, the increased extension from the relaxed rope grip also recruits the rear deltoids.
Leave a Reply