Cable Triceps Pushdown (v Bar) (version 2)

1. Attach a V-bar to a high pulley and stand facing the cable machine.
2. Grip the V-bar with a neutral grip, palms facing each other.
3. Tuck your elbows to your sides and brace your core.
4. Keep your upper arms stationary as you extend your elbows to press the bar down.
5. Pause and squeeze your triceps at full extension.
6. Slowly let the bar rise back up under control until your forearms are close to parallel with the floor.
7. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides throughout the entire set.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the elbows drift forward: Elbows moving away from your sides shifts the work onto the shoulders and chest. Keep your upper arms fixed against your torso.
• Using body weight to help push down: Leaning forward or using momentum from the hips reduces triceps isolation. Keep your torso upright and let your arms do the work.
• Not achieving full extension: Stopping short of a straight-arm lockout skips the peak triceps contraction. Extend fully and pause at the bottom of each rep.
• Letting the bar snap back up: Releasing control on the way up removes tension from the muscle. Let the bar rise slowly and under control.

Programming Tips

The V bar pushdown is the strength setting of the pushdown family: the angled, semi-neutral grip keeps the wrists in their most comfortable line, which lets most lifters move noticeably more stack than with a rope and a touch more than with a straight bar. That makes it the right pushdown for the heavy 8 to 12 rep sets that build triceps mass, with the rope saved for lighter squeeze work. Program it 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps on push or arm days after pressing, as the first direct triceps move of the session while the elbows still have force in them.

Most lifters start around 20 to 30 kg and progress half a plate at a time. Stand close to the cable with a slight forward lean, pin the elbows to the sides, and press the bar down to full lockout with a one second squeeze before letting the forearms travel back past 90 degrees over 2 to 3 seconds. The two faults that eat pushdowns are elbows drifting forward, which hands the work to the lats and shoulders, and the torso bouncing to shove the stack down. If the lockout cannot be held for a second on every rep, the pin is set too deep in the stack.

Common Questions

V bar or rope for pushdowns?

The V bar loads heavier with happier wrists; the rope allows a wider split at lockout for peak contraction. Programs with both cover the triceps better than either alone.

Why does my elbow ache on pushdowns?

Usually jumps in stack weight that arrived faster than the tendons adapted. Drop two plates, slow the negative, and add a light warm-up set of 20 before the work sets.

How far up should I let the bar travel?

Until the forearms pass just beyond 90 degrees with the elbows still pinned. Higher than that unloads the triceps and invites the elbows to flare forward.