maratoolLying Tricep Extension with Cable
How to do the lying tricep extension with cable
- This exercise uses cables to isolate and work the triceps (muscles on the back of the arms).
- Place a flat bench with the end towards a weight stack.
- Attach a short straight bar to the pulley and lower the pulley to the bottom of the stack.
- Lie face up on the bench and grasp the bar with a narrow overhand grip.
- Starting with your arms extended lower the bar towards the bar towards the stack by bending your elbows.
- Slowly extend your arms upright and return to the starting position.
- Note: Keep your elbows level throughout the exercises.
Muscles worked
The prime mover is the triceps brachii, which straightens the elbow, and through its long head helps pull the arm back at the shoulder.
Every exercise for:Triceps
How this movement works
Everything happens at one joint. That gives you direct control over where the tension sits; the trade-off is that the muscle gets no help, so the load that feels hard here is a fraction of what a multi-joint version of the pattern would take. Slow, complete repetitions beat heavy ones.
It is filed under strength: produce force against resistance for a countable number of repetitions, and progress the resistance over time.
What you need
A cable holds tension for the whole range, including the point where a free weight would go slack. Moving the pulley changes the angle the resistance arrives from without changing the movement.
Every exercise using:Cable
These train the triceps too, using equipment this one does not:
- Lying Triceps Extension Across Face with Dumbbelldumbbell
- Lying Triceps Presse-z curl bar
- Lying Triceps Press with Barbellbarbell
- Machine Triceps Extensionmachine
- Overhead Tricepsbody only
Illustration: Everkinetic — CC BY-SA 4.0 — license. Modified versions are shared under the same license. Full attribution →
ⓘ Informational only — not a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice.