Cable Bent-Over Single Arm Kickback

How to do the Cable Bent-Over Single Arm Kickback

1. 1Attach a single-grip handle to a low cable pulley and select a light to moderate weight.
2. 2Stand to the side of the machine and grip the handle in the hand nearest the pulley with a neutral, palm-facing-in grip.
3. 3Hinge forward at the hips until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat and core braced.
4. 4Pin your upper arm against your side so it stays still, with your elbow bent to about 90 degrees.
5. 5Keeping your upper arm fixed, extend your elbow back and up until your arm is fully straight and the triceps is fully contracted.
6. 6Pause briefly at full extension, squeezing the triceps without swinging your shoulder.
7. 7Lower the handle under control back to the 90-degree start position, resisting the cable the whole way.
8. 8Finish all reps on one arm, then switch sides and repeat with the other arm.

Form tips

• Keep your upper arm locked against your torso so only the elbow moves, isolating the triceps.
• Use a slow, controlled tempo on the way back to the start so the cable doesn't yank your arm down.
• Squeeze and hold for a beat at full lockout, where the triceps tension peaks.
• Match the reps and weight on your weaker arm to your stronger arm to correct imbalances.
• Pick a lighter load than you would for a pressing exercise; this is an isolation move, not a strength test.

Common mistakes

• Letting the upper arm drift or swing, which turns the move into a shoulder action and takes tension off the triceps.
• Using momentum to fling the weight back, which reduces the muscular work and strains the elbow.
• Rounding the lower back in the hinge, which loads the spine and raises injury risk.
• Stopping short of full extension, which skips the lockout range where the triceps contracts hardest.
• Going too heavy, which forces body English and breaks the strict isolation the exercise relies on.

Frequently asked questions