Triceps exercise
Cable Overhead Triceps Extension (Rope)How to do it, with form in numbers
How to do it
How do you do the Cable Overhead Triceps Extension?
- Set a hip-height pulley with a rope; face away, rope over your head.
- Step out, stagger your feet and lean forward slightly.
- Elbows by your head pointing forward, extend your arms straight.
- Bend only your elbows to lower the rope behind your head.
Cues
- Elbows close to your head
- Upper arms stay still
- Ribs down, back flat
Common mistakes
- Elbows flaring out: keep them forward and close to your head.
- Arching your lower back: brace your abs and keep ribs down.
- Moving your upper arms: only your elbows should bend.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Take the rope ends with a neutral grip (palms facing each other, thumbs up, hands just below the rubber stops), lift it over one shoulder and turn to face away from the column. Short split stance, feet hip-width apart, front knee soft. Upper arms beside the head, elbows pointing forward and about shoulder-width apart.
The movement
Only the forearms move: they lower in an arc behind the head and extend back to straight arms. The upper arms stay fixed beside the head; they are not pulled back by the cable or dropped forward. The trunk lean, hips and legs stay still; the low back does not arch more as the hands go back. Set-ups vary (ExRx uses a low pulley, standing or seated and upright; many gyms set the pulley higher with a bigger forward lean).
End position
(turnaround point): elbows bent to about 100° flexion (accept 90–120°; Maeo et al. trained 90–0°), hands and rope behind the head at about neck level, palms still facing each other. Upper arms unchanged, elbows still forward and close to the head. A brief stop with the stack still lifted.
Tempo
About 2 s down (bending), a 0.3 s stop, about 1.5 s up, about 0.5 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulley height | 90 cm | 40–110 cm | |
| Shoulder flexion (upper arm to trunk) | 170° | 160–180°, fixed all rep | |
| Elbow at the top | 175° | 170–180°, no snap | |
| Elbow flexion at the bottom | 100° | 90–120° | |
| Elbows apart | shoulder width | 0.8–1.0× shoulder width |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Cable Overhead Triceps Extension is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
