Cable Pushdown

1. Attach a straight bar, V-bar, or rope to a high pulley and grab it with an overhand grip about shoulder width apart.
2. Step close to the machine, soften your knees, and lean your torso forward just slightly.
3. Pin your upper arms against your sides with elbows bent around 90 degrees; this is your starting position.
4. Push the attachment down by straightening your elbows until your arms are fully extended.
5. Squeeze the triceps hard at the bottom for a moment without locking your shoulders forward.
6. Let the attachment rise back up under control until your forearms pass parallel to the floor.
7. Keep your elbows glued to your sides and repeat for the desired reps.

Common Mistakes

• Elbows drifting forward: letting the elbows travel up and away from your sides turns the movement into a pressing pattern and takes work off the triceps. Keep the upper arms locked against your ribs from first rep to last.
• Using body weight to push: leaning heavily over the cable and pressing with your torso moves the load with gravity instead of your arms. Stand tall with a slight lean and make the elbows the only joints that move.
• Cutting the top half: stopping the return when your forearms are still low keeps tension off the stretched part of the range. Let the attachment come all the way up until your elbows pass 90 degrees before pushing again.
• Whipping the rope apart at the bottom: aggressively spreading a rope attachment with bent wrists strains the forearms without extra triceps work. Extend the elbows first and let the hands part naturally at the end.