Muscles worked
The triceps, on the back of your upper arm, do nearly all the work, and all three heads straighten the elbow. The long head also crosses the shoulder joint and is stretched more when your arms are overhead than when they hang by your sides. That is why many people choose an overhead exercise to give that head more to do, often alongside a pushdown in the same session. Your abs, back and shoulders keep you steady.
Common mistakes
- Upper arms drifting back and forth. As the weight gets heavy, your elbows drop forward and rise again, letting your shoulders and back help. Keep your upper arms in the same place for the whole set, so only your forearms move.
- Arching your lower back. With your arms overhead it is easy to push your stomach forward. Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes to keep your ribs down, and lean your upper body slightly forward.
- Stopping short on the way down. If you only do the top part of the movement, you miss the position where the long head is most stretched. Let the rope travel as far behind your head as your shoulders allow without discomfort.
Variations and alternatives
- The overhead triceps extension is the same movement with a dumbbell, when the cable is taken.
- The single arm overhead extension trains one arm at a time, useful if one arm is weaker.
- The triceps pushdown is done with your arms by your sides, an alternative if having your arms overhead feels uncomfortable in your shoulders.
- The band overhead extension does the same movement with a resistance band at home.
Sets and reps
This is an isolation exercise and works best with moderate weights. To build muscle, 8 to 12 reps over 2 to 4 sets works well, and 12 to 20 for endurance. Heavy sets of 3 to 6 reps are rarely worth it, as it gets hard to keep your body still and reach the full depth. Read more in the guide to sets and reps.
With a heavy weight, getting into position can be awkward, so set your stance before the first rep. Weight steps differ between cable machines, and the jump to the next plate can be big. Add reps first and raise the weight once you reach the top of your range on every set. Use the same machine and attachment each time so your numbers can be compared. That is progressive overload in practice.