The
pushdown is, of course, one of the standard exercises for developing
the triceps. This variation puts a very powerful tension on
the triceps. Not only do you have to do the exercise but the
direction of pull from the high pulley means you also have to
exert constant tension in order to keep your arms down at your
sides. This is a great exercise that will set your triceps on
fire!
First,
set an incline bench in front of a high pulley with the bench
facing away. You can use any attachment with this - bar, rope,
triangle bar, etc. Lay back on the bench and reach back overhead
and grab the attachment. Bring the cable down and in front to
the start position you would normally begin the pushdown exercise.
Keeping your arms at your sides, do the pushdown, coming around
to the bottom. Squeeze the triceps very hard at the bottom.
At the bottom, try to push your shoulders down as though you
are trying to push the attachment onto your thighs.
As
you're doing the exercise, let the cable come down on either
the left or right side of your neck.
Complete
the full set of reps, let the bar back up overhead and set it
back down.
For
an extra hit to the long head of the triceps, you can let the
arms come up a bit at the top of the movement. This turns the
top into a bit of a pullover movement, increasing the activation
of the long head of the triceps.
