Cable Incline Triceps Extension

How to do the Cable Incline Triceps Extension

1. 1Set an adjustable bench to roughly a 45° incline and position it a couple of feet in front of a low cable pulley fitted with a rope or straight bar.
2. 2Sit on the bench facing away from the machine and reach back to grip the attachment, then lie back so your torso rests against the pad.
3. 3Press the attachment up until your arms are fully extended overhead, with your upper arms angled slightly back and pointing toward the ceiling.
4. 4Keep your upper arms fixed in place and your elbows pointing forward as the stable pivot point.
5. 5Lower the attachment behind your head by bending only at the elbows, feeling a stretch in the triceps.
6. 6Pause briefly in the stretched position without letting your upper arms drift.
7. 7Extend your elbows to drive the attachment back overhead until your arms are fully straight, squeezing the triceps at the top.
8. 8Complete your reps, then return the attachment to the stack under control.

Form tips

• Keep your upper arms still and let only the forearms move, so the triceps do the work instead of the shoulders.
• Control the lowering phase rather than letting the cable pull your arms down, keeping tension on the triceps throughout.
• Use a weight you can fully lock out at the top; the squeeze at full extension is where the triceps work hardest.
• Set the bench far enough from the pulley that the cable line stays slightly behind you for constant tension.

Common mistakes

• Letting the elbows flare out and drift, which turns the movement into a shoulder press and takes load off the triceps.
• Using too much weight and shortening the range of motion, so you lose the deep stretch that drives triceps growth.
• Swinging the torso or arms to heave the weight up, which uses momentum instead of muscular tension and risks elbow strain.
• Stopping short of full lockout, which skips the strongest contraction the triceps can produce at the top.

Frequently asked questions