- Target Body Parts: Tricep
- Equipment Needed: Cable Machine, Straight Bar Attachment
Description
Step 1: Stand facing the cable machine with the bar attached to the pulley just above your head. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly bent.
Step 2: Grab the bar and wrap your thumbs around it tightly with your palms facing away from you. To start, your hands should be inside shoulder-width. Keep your back straight and tight, and also ensure that your core is tightened. Your elbows should also be tucked and positioned close to your side. Your arms should be bent at the start of the movement.
Step 3: Keeping your elbows tucked, straighten your arms, pressing the bar down towards the floor in a controlled manner. Your wrists should maintain a neutral position and continue to keep your knees bent and body tight.
Step 4: Continue pressing until arms are straight, but don’t lock them out. After pausing for a split-second, bend your arms and return the bar to the starting position in a controlled manner.
3-WAY PRESSDOWNS
Step 5: After several reps with a narrow grip, move your hands out to shoulder-width apart. After several reps with a normal grip, complete the set by moving your hands to a wide grip (hands wider than shoulder-width). Repeat until the desired reps are reached and then let go of the bar. Weight can be increased between sets.
Benefits:
The tricep pressdown is one of the best possible movements for building muscle and strength in the triceps.
It is also easy to learn and its simplicity and effectiveness makes it an ideal movement for anyone, regardless of their strength level and experience level. Light weight can be used for beginners, and extremely heavy weight can be used for advanced lifters looking to continue to add mass and strength to their triceps.
It is a great supplementary exercise and can help develop power for the bench press. The tricep pressdown is also a great movement to start a day when you are concentrating on arms. Be sure not to swing the weight down and concentrate on the triceps doing all of the work.
Adding in the 3-way pressdowns can be a great finisher to hit your triceps from a variety of angles.
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