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Exercise library / Cable Overhead Tricep Extension

Cable Overhead Tricep Extension

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A more challenging exercise. Make it a goal if you like. “Show alternatives” below lists easier steps toward it.

A cable triceps exercise: facing away from the weight stack, you hold a rope behind your head and straighten your elbows to push it up and overhead. The overhead position stretches the long head of the triceps, and the cable keeps tension on the muscle through the whole movement.

Main focus
Strength
Level
Building
Equipment
Cable station
Load
Cable (steady tension)
Stability
Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

A cable station with an adjustable handle height and a trained person to show you the set-up the first time.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to the low pulley and select a light weight.
  2. Take the rope in both hands, turn away from the stack and step forward into a staggered stance so the cable pulls you back.
  3. Raise the rope overhead with your elbows bent and your upper arms close to your ears, so your hands are behind your head.
  4. Brace your trunk and keep your upper arms still, then straighten your elbows to push the rope up until your arms are fully extended overhead.
  5. Pause briefly at the top, then bend your elbows to lower the rope back behind your head under control.
  6. Repeat for the planned repetitions.

How much

To start: 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12 slow repetitions, resting 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

As it gets easier: 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions with good form, resting 1 to 3 minutes. Add load or repetitions gradually, no more than about once a week.

How it should feel: The muscles you are working should feel the effort. The last repetitions should be hard but controlled, never shaky or painful.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Keep the elbows pointing forward and the upper arms still; letting them flare out or drift turns the extension into a press.
  • Step far enough forward that the cable holds you steady, and avoid arching your lower back as the arms go overhead.
  • Use a weight you can control through the full stretch; heavy loads pull the elbows apart.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Check that the attachment is clipped on securely.
More safety notes
  • Stand or sit in a stable position and keep tension in the cable as you move.
  • Start with a light weight.
  • Move into any overhead position only as far as your shoulders move comfortably without arching your lower back.
  • Keep your ribs down and your core braced.
  • If you cannot raise your arms overhead without pain, use a lower version.

From the source

  • Step far enough forward that the cable holds you steady, and avoid arching your lower back as the arms go overhead.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • The attachment comes loose.
  • You are pulled off balance by the weight.
  • You feel pinching or sharp pain at the top of the shoulder.
  • Your arms tingle or go numb.

Other ways to do this movement

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Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.