Cable triceps pushdown

High cable, straight or V bar

Also called straight bar pushdown

Face a high cable with a straight or V bar. Push the bar down by extending the elbows while the upper arms stay still.

Movement

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Upper body

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.

Muscle growth higher is better4.0
Very good; among the better picks for the muscle. 3 sources.
- 4/5 Stable, even tension, easy to overload, but no big stretch at the top so just short of S tier. A tier. Jeff Nippard, The Best & Worst TRICEPS Exercises (Ranked Using Science) @ 2:02videoExpert opinion2024checked by AI
- 4/5 Best isolation choice for the lateral head per EMG comparison; a rope shifts work toward the medial head and a more balanced effect. Jeremy Ethier, The Best Science-Based Triceps Exercises for Each Head (Work Your Weak Points!) @ 4:38videoStudy2018checked by AI
- 4/5 Straight or V bar pushdown gave the highest lateral head activation among 10 exercises in an EMG study; overhand grip preferred over underhand. Jeremy Ethier, The Best Science-Based Tricep Workout | ARMS (Part 2/2) @ 3:32videoStudy2017checked by AI
Elbow stress lower is better4.0
Elevated; a common source of elbow irritation. 1 source.
- 4/5 Triceps prefer to extend at an angle, so a fixed straight bar gets rough on elbows and wrists as loads rise. Jeremy Ethier, Workouts That WRECK Your Joints (I Wish I Knew This Sooner) @ 7:39videoExpert opinion2025checked by AI