One-Arm Katana Triceps Overhead Extension
Also known as: Katana Extension, Single-Arm Katana Extension, Cable Katana Triceps Extension
Track One-Arm Katana Triceps Overhead Extension in SmartWorkout and watch your numbers go up
Log sets, weights and progress for free, with no workout limits.
Description
With your back to a low pulley, straighten one arm from behind your head until it points up, training your triceps from a deep stretch, one side at a time. Many lifters just call it the katana extension. Your free arm crosses in front of your face and holds the working arm below the elbow, so only the forearm moves. All three triceps heads work, and with the arm overhead the long head is stretched the most. The cable keeps pulling right up to lockout. Pick it when one arm lags or when two-arm overhead extensions bother your shoulders, since each arm finds its own elbow line.
How to Perform
- Set one pulley of a cable station to the lowest notch and clip on a single D-handle.
- Grab the handle, turn your back to the machine and stand a short step in front of it: feet hip-width, knees soft, ribs down.
- Bring the handle up behind your head. Upper arm vertical by your ear, elbow pointing at the ceiling, hand behind your head toward the opposite shoulder.
- Reach your free arm across in front of your face and hold the working arm just below the elbow.
- Straighten the elbow so your hand travels up and over until the arm points straight above your shoulder. Squeeze there for about a second.
- The lowering takes about 2 seconds and ends when the elbow is fully bent and the handle is back behind your head, upper arm still pinned.
- Do all your reps on one arm, then switch and match the count.
- To finish, lower the handle past your shoulder and step back to set the weight down; never let go of it behind your head.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Tips
- Do 2–4 sets of 10–20 reps per arm, the last few close to failure.
- Add reps before weight: once both arms reach 20 in every set with the upper arm still, move the pin one step (often 2.5–5 kg; on many functional trainers it feels smaller because of the 2:1 pulley) and drop back to 10.
- At the bottom you should feel a long stretch down the back of the working arm, strongest near the armpit and just above the elbow, and a hard squeeze at the top. A pinch at the front of the shoulder means your elbow is drifting back or out. A sharp ache in the elbow at the bottom means the weight or the depth is too much.
- Easier: go lighter and shorten the bottom, stopping when your hand is level with the back of your head. Harder: lower over 3 seconds and pause for a second in the stretch before you add weight.
- Substitutes: One-Arm Overhead Triceps Extension, the same rep with a dumbbell and no cable station, though it goes light near lockout; Cable Overhead Triceps Extension to work both arms at once; Standing One Dumbbell French Press, the simplest overhead extension to set up anywhere; Katana Triceps Extension to train both arms together on crossed cables.
Common Mistakes
- Elbow drifting forward toward your face on the way down, so the rep turns into a press and the stretch gets shorter. Brace the arm just below the elbow with your free hand and keep the elbow pointing at the ceiling.
- Elbow flaring out to the side, away from your head. Keep the upper arm by your ear; if it only stays there for the first few reps, the weight is too heavy.
- The stack touching down at the bottom of every rep, so the stretch carries no load. Step a little further from the machine until the plates stay up with your elbow fully bent.
- Leaning forward or arching your lower back to drive the handle up once you tire, while the cable pulls you back toward the machine. Ribs down, glutes tight, a short staggered stance if you still tip, and end the set as soon as your torso starts to move.
- Reversing the rep while your hand is still above your head. Lower until it sits behind your head toward the other shoulder, with a weight you can handle in that position.
Recommended Exercises
Explore exercises related to One-Arm Katana Triceps Overhead Extension for triceps training and similar movement patterns.
Choose a workout plan or create your own for free
Ready-made plans for every goal, a free plan creator, hundreds of exercises and an advanced workout journal: all in SmartWorkout.
