Lying Cable Triceps Extension
Trains the Triceps.
- Equipment
- A cable station and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set a straight bar on a low pulley and lie on a flat bench with your head toward the machine.
- Take the bar with an overhand grip about shoulder-width apart.
- Press it up until the arms are straight over your chest, then tip the upper arms back slightly toward the pulley.
- Bend the elbows to lower the bar toward your forehead or just behind your head.
- Keep the upper arms still — only the forearms move.
- Straighten the arms back to the start against the cable.
Common mistakes
- Letting the upper arms swing back and forth. The upper arm is the fixed part; if it moves, this becomes a pullover with the triceps assisting.
- Setting the arms straight up over the shoulders. Tipping them back slightly is what keeps tension at the top; straight up lets the bones hold the weight and the set gets a rest every repetition.
- Lying too far from the pulley. The cable line should run past your head; from too far away it pulls the bar toward your feet and the elbows drift.
- Flaring the elbows as it gets hard. Elbows in keeps the load on the triceps; out turns it into a close-grip press with the chest helping.