Try the tricep pushdown

The tricep pushdown is an isolated exercise so it does a great job of targeting all three muscle heads of your triceps for maximum impact, writes Miten Kakaiya

One exercise, many names — the tricep pushdown has been called a pulldown, cable pulldown, rope push down, and many other names.

While the nomenclature is debatable, the benefits are not — it’s arguably one of the best exercises out there to build big triceps and big arms.

So, what is the tricep pushdown? Well, as the name suggests, it’s an exercise where you use your triceps to push down on a machine with cables and weights to work your tricep muscles.

The movement involves bending the elbow and holding the arms by your side in a manner where your triceps do the job of moving the weights.

Target muscle groups

The tricep pushdown is an isolated exercise, so it does a great job of targeting all three muscle heads of your triceps for maximum impact. This includes the lateral, medial and long head of the triceps, all of which operate together when you use your arm for any activity.

In addition to that, it also activates various other secondary muscles in the core, back and chest, all of which benefit from this incredible exercise movement.

Bare benefits

There are numerous benefits — each one better than the next — which is exactly why this exercise is so highly recommended. For starters, it helps you greatly strengthen and build your triceps, which in turn improves the stability of your shoulders, elbow and overall arm.

It also builds arm strength that helps you in day-to-day activities, like carrying groceries and lifting other heavy objects. Secondly, it’s easily available at most gyms. Even if you don’t have a gym membership, you can easily do the exercise at home with a resistance band.

And lastly, since you will have stronger arms, it will aid you in other exercises too — the most common example of which is the barbell bench press.

Some mistakes to avoid

Keep your elbows tucked into your body at all times. Excessive elbow movement will cause your lats to engage and you will end up using your back muscles instead of your triceps to complete the exercise, which will not benefit you at all.

Secondly, don’t curl your wrists — keep them locked and straight so that you know you’re using your triceps and no other muscle group in your arm or body.

Don’t stand too away from the bar or the ropes either, which will be detrimental to your cause. Remember, it’s easy to get it wrong, so proper form should be your priority. Progress is only made when you seize your moment — or in this case, seize it with both hands and then push it down!

(The author is a fitness coach.)