The 5 Best Cable Exercises for Your Triceps

Just like with all types of exercises you can do in the gym, it is essential to follow the correct form when you decide to do cable exercises for your triceps.

A solid  tricep cable workout can help you build bigger arms and also reduce your risk of injury. First, let’s take a look at the process of warming up the muscles and joints that you will be using for these upper body workouts.

 

Warming Up Your Muscles and Joints

It is extremely important that you have enough general mobility before you attempt any kinds of new exercises such as these. You never want to start doing any exercises that are beyond the range of motion of the muscles you are trying to train. When starting any tricep workout, always warm up your arms by stretching them out and swinging them around vigorously to begin.

Although tricep cable workouts might seem like unnatural movement patterns at first, putting your body into new and different positions can lead to a wide range of benefits when it comes to improving the health of your core and your spine, such as improving your overall body strength and increasing the range of motion of those muscles.

These are especially important factors for you to consider as you get older.

As with other exercises, be sure to do a proper warm-up to avoid any type of risk of injury. This includes some light stretches before and after your workout to literally warm your muscles up and get them prepared for peak performance. The same applies to your joints. Keeping your joints loose while you are exercising will prevent a whole lot of unnecessary pain afterwards.

Warming up properly for the exercises you will be doing and following a regular eating plan  such as a high protein diet are some vital factors that many athletes sometimes overlook when they are starting a new training routine. It may seem like a waste of time and energy to spend a large portion of your tricep cable workout just getting warmed up, but you will find it to be worth the effort when you consider how well it can prevent injuries.

What Are Tricep Cable Exercises? 

Most people don’t know that the triceps actually make up a full 60 percent of the upper arm. To put it simply: if you are trying to build incredible size and definition in your arms, then you need to be training your triceps on a regular basis. You will discover that your triceps play a major role in almost all of your big lifts, from the bench press to the bent-over row. 

The intense arm workouts that we describe below are some of the best tricep exercises you can find anybody doing in the gym. They combine a range of different motions that include cable machines and even some dumbbells or barbells. All of these variations can really help you to build some serious arm strength and mass. 

Exercise #1: Triceps Cable Rope Pushdown 

 

For this exercise, we suggest doing three sets of ten reps, with a rest time of 60 seconds between sets. Never arch your back when you are doing this exercise, and never use your momentum instead of the muscles you are trying to target.

Read through the instructions below to learn more about the proper form for this triceps pushdown exercise.

• Attach a rope handle to the high pulley of a cable station. 
• Keep your elbows tucked in at your sides.
• Grab the handle, tense your core, and bring your hands down until your arms are fully extended. 
• Return to the starting position. 
• Only your forearms should move throughout this exercise. 

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Exercise #2: Skullcrusher 

 

For this exercise, we suggest doing three sets of ten to twelve reps, with no rest time between sets if you are doing a superset.

Read through the instructions below to learn more about the proper form for this exercise.

• Grip an EZ bar on the inner grips using an overhand grip.
• Extend your arms straight up. 
• Keep your elbows fixed and tucked in.
• Slowly lower the bar until it is about an inch from your forehead.
• Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without locking your elbows. 

You can also perform the skullcrusher as a superset together with a dumbbell chest press. Once you are used to this entire movement, you will find that it can easily be replicated with a cable machine. Never arch your back when you are doing this exercise, and never use your momentum instead of the muscles you are trying to target.

Exercise #3: Tricep Dips

 

For this full body exercise, we suggest doing three sets of ten to twelve reps, with a rest time of 60 seconds between sets.

Read through the instructions below to learn more about the proper form for this exercise.

• Stand facing away from a bench and hold it with both hands at shoulder-width. 
• Extend your legs out in front of you.
• Slowly lower your body down by flexing at your elbows until your forearm creates a 90 degree angle. 
• Use your triceps to pull yourself back to the starting position. 

Once you are used to this movement, you will find that it can easily be replicated with a cable machine. Never arch your back when you are doing this exercise, and never use your momentum instead of the muscles you are trying to target.

Exercise #4: Standing Overhead Cable Triceps Extension 

 

For this exercise, we suggest doing three sets of ten to twelve reps, with no rest time between sets if you are doing a superset. You can use resistance bands too if you are more comfortable doing it that way, but never arch your back when you are doing this exercise, and never use your momentum instead of the muscles you are trying to target.

Read through the instructions below to learn more about the proper form for this exercise.

• Attach a rope handle to the high pulley of a cable station.
• Grab the handle and turn away from the machine with your hands at shoulder height.
• Fully extend your arms forwards and in front of your head then return with a full range of motion under control to the starting position. 
• Perform the overhead tricep extension with one arm and then move straight on to the cable pull down (see next exercise).

Exercise #5: Straight Arm Cable Pull-down 

 

For this exercise, we suggest doing three sets of ten to twelve reps, with a rest time of 60 seconds between sets. Never arch your back when you are doing this exercise, and never use your momentum instead of the muscles you are trying to target.

Read through the instructions below to learn more about the proper form for this exercise.

• Start by grabbing the rope handles from the top pulley of a pulldown machine with your palms facing each other.
• Bend 30-degrees forward at the waist with your arms fully extended.
• Keep your arms straight and pull the bar down by contracting the lats until your hands are in line with your thighs. 
• Return with a full range of motion to the starting position while you keep breathing in.

More About Proper Form

If you think about the types of movements you are required to make for a deadlift or powerlifting, you might realize that many weightlifting exercises can be very dangerous for your low back and spine health if you do those movements with the wrong form. No matter what exercise you are doing, you should never be placing a lot of pressure on your spine. 

Your spine is a delicate series of bones not made to take on the pressure of movement in the transverse plane. Always be sure to maintain a neutral spine right from your starting position so as to reduce the risk of back pain. Remember that you can experience pain in your upper back too, so keep that in mind as you are doing these exercises.

When you are doing your tricep cable workouts, it is always better to place the bulk of the weight on your arms, as well as on your chest and shoulders, because these muscles are much more sturdy and they are able to absorb most of the power you will need for lifting and other similar movements. Also, a lot of shoulder exercises and chest exercises will allow you to distribute the weight you are lifting evenly across your entire body.

Before Attempting a Tricep Cable Workout 

Increasing your overall strength and mobility might even help relieve any pain that you might have in your lower back.

Always reduce the amount of pain you experience in any workout by staying as hydrated as possible, stretching, and rolling out your body. Most importantly, never overwork yourself when you are just getting started with a new exercise. There is no surer way to deter beginners than getting a bad injury right as you are starting out.

A series of different stability functions and controlled movements is important to learn when you are trying to master these exercises. One of the most important muscle groups when it comes to the stability of your lumbar spine is the core. If you have enough core stability, you can greatly reduce the chance of injuring your spine.

At the same time, you can really improve the overall stability of your body.

The  most important stabilization muscles involved in all of these exercises (and many other exercises) are the obliques, your abdominal muscles, your spinal erector and your transversus abdominis. If you haven’t heard of those muscles before, that is fine because most people just call them the core muscles.

If you are going to be doing a lot of reps, your lower body and your core muscles will soon become a lot stronger and you will also experience a wide range of other benefits as you are doing your toning. One of the most useful of these benefits will be found in terms of your core strength training. 

Doing these types of tricep cable exercises regularly, as well as other  ab exercises such as cable crunches, can really build a strong and stable core and give your whole body so much more power and strength. A strong core also enhances balance and stability so it can help prevent falls and injuries during sports or other activities.

Start Exercising!

There are so many triceps exercises you can do, but you should be focusing your efforts on the ones we discussed above if you want to build bigger triceps and increase your strength. Doing all of these exercises in the correct way can really lead to some impressive growth in your triceps and it can lead to bigger arms in general. Most men are interested in developing bicep and tricep muscles more than any others in their bodies, and so if you are one of those men, we encourage you to try these exercises as soon as possible.

Combining all of your workouts with healing rest and recovery periods can also be a vital factor for your bodybuilding regimen. If you are feeling low on energy, our  Hyperbolic Stack is an excellent supplement as you get started with these types of exercises.

Athletic ability is built upon a few key physical attributes: strength, endurance, and your body’s ability to recover. The Hyperbolic Stack is designed to optimize your performance for all three. The quicker your body can recover, the more you can train.

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