High Pulley Overhead Triceps Extension
Also known as: High Cable Overhead Triceps Extension, Rope Overhead Triceps Extension
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Description
Facing away from a high pulley and leaning well forward, you push a rope from behind your head out to arm's length to train your triceps in the stretch. Unlike a pushdown, your upper arms stay beside your ears, not at your sides. All three heads of the triceps work, and the long head, which runs up the back of the arm toward the armpit, gets the deepest stretch. The cable pulls hardest with your hands behind your head. Because you take the rope from above and step out, setup stays easy with a heavy stack, and your lower back doesn't arch the way it can in the low-pulley version.
How to Perform
- Set the pulley at the very top of a cable station or lat pulldown tower and clip on a triceps rope.
- Hold one rope end in each hand, palms facing each other, with your fists right on top of the knobs.
- Turn your back to the stack and bring the rope over your head: hands behind your head, elbows pointing forward beside your ears.
- Take a long step out into a split stance, front knee bent and back heel up, far enough that the plates stay lifted at the bottom.
- Hinge at the hips until your torso is well past 45° from upright, back flat, abs braced and head between your arms.
- From the stretch, straighten your elbows and push your hands forward until your arms line up with your torso, not up toward the ceiling.
- Squeeze for a second with your fists together, then take 2–3 seconds to bend your elbows until your hands are back behind your head.
- When you're finished, walk back toward the stack until the weight sets down, then lift the rope off over your head.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Tips
- Do 2–4 sets of 10–15 reps; for strength, 6–10. Chase reps before weight. When you get 15 on all sets with your body still, move the pin down one plate. A whole plate is a big jump on this lift, so use the stack's add-on weight or a small magnetic plate if your gym has one.
- Expect a strong stretch along the back of your upper arm, up toward the armpit, while your hands are behind your head. Feeling it mostly in your lats means your shoulders are moving. Pain at the front of the shoulder or inside the elbow means shorten the stretch or go lighter.
- Warm up with one or two light sets. Once the standard version feels easy, pause 1–2 seconds in the stretch or lower over 3–4 seconds. If your lower back tires before your triceps, lean a little less.
- Substitutes: Cable Overhead Triceps Extension when you only have a low pulley or the lean bothers your back, Dumbbell Seated Triceps Extension if you'd rather have a backrest, and Standing One Dumbbell French Press when all you have is one dumbbell. If every overhead position hurts your shoulders, do pushdowns instead.
Common Mistakes
- Standing upright with your feet together. The cable pulls you backward and your lower back arches; take a long split stance and hinge until the cable runs over your upper back.
- Elbows dropping toward the floor as you push, so your lats turn the rep into a pullover. Keep your elbows by your ears and move only your forearms. If they keep drifting, go lighter.
- Flaring the elbows and pulling the rope apart. Point your elbows forward, no wider than your shoulders, and keep your fists together from start to finish.
- Turning around when your forearms are about level with the floor. Let your hands travel all the way behind your head; if you can't get there, the weight is too heavy.
- Letting the stack yank your arms back, so your shoulders hike up or the plates clank between reps. Lower over 2–3 seconds and stand far enough out that the weight never touches down.
Recommended Exercises
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