Cable Single-Arm Cross-Body Triceps Pushdown
What Is the Cable Single-Arm Cross-Body Triceps Pushdown?
Cable Single-Arm Cross-Body Triceps Pushdown is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the shoulder and trunk muscles that keep the working arm and torso steady. It is an intermediate-level movement that trains one arm at a time, with the cable running from a high pulley on the opposite side of the body so the hand travels from the front of the opposite chest down to the front of the working-side hip.
The exercise builds triceps size and elbow extension strength, the same qualities that support pressing lockouts. Because each arm works alone, the stronger side cannot quietly take over the load, which makes it a useful way to spot and even out a difference between arms. It usually sits late in an upper-body, push or arm session, after the heavier compound presses, and is trained for moderate to higher reps with a controlled tempo.
With the upper arm held at the side, all three triceps heads straighten the elbow, and the lateral and medial heads carry most of the work. The long head also crosses the shoulder, and with the arm down by the side it works at a shorter length than it does in an overhead extension. Compared with the Cable Single-Arm Pushdown, where the pulley sits in front and the hand moves straight down, the cross-body version pulls from the opposite side. The cable tries to drag the working arm across the chest and turn the torso toward the machine, so the shoulder stabilizers and obliques work to hold position while the hand follows a diagonal arc instead of a vertical line.
This variation suits lifters who can already perform a two-arm pushdown such as the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope) or the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Straight Bar) with the elbows fixed at the sides. Working one arm at a time also makes it easy to feel the triceps doing the work, which helps lifters who struggle to keep the shoulder out of their pushdowns.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Low
- Rectus Abdominis
- Minimal
- Teres Major
- Minimal
Instructions
- Set one pulley of a dual cable station to its highest position. Grip the bare cable just above its stopper ball, or clip on a single handle.
- Stand facing away from the station, offset so the high pulley is behind you and on the side of your non-working arm. For the right arm, the pulley is on your left.
- Reach across with your working hand and hold the cable with your palm facing in. Bring the hand to the front of your opposite chest, with your elbow sharply bent and tucked beside your ribs.
- Place your free hand on your hip, stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, brace your abs and set your working shoulder down and back.
- Exhale and straighten your elbow, pressing the hand down and across your body in a diagonal arc.
- Finish with the arm straight and the hand in front of your working-side hip. Keep the upper arm still, so only the forearm moves.
- Keep your shoulders and hips square to the front and do not let the cable turn your torso toward the pulley.
- Pause briefly, then bend your elbow slowly to return the hand to the front of your opposite chest.
- Complete all reps, then switch to the other pulley and repeat with the other arm.
Common Mistakes
Letting the elbow drift
When the elbow swings forward or out toward the pulley, the shoulder and lats take over and the triceps lose tension.
Twisting toward the pulley
Letting the cable rotate the torso, or turning the body to help push, shifts work away from the triceps and loads the lower back.
Rolling the shoulder forward
Rounding the working shoulder at the bottom of the rep brings in the chest and lats and stresses the front of the shoulder.
Cutting the range short
Stopping before the arm is straight at the hip, or before the hand returns to the opposite chest, leaves part of the triceps range untrained.
Letting the weight snap back
Dropping the hand back up quickly instead of controlling the return wastes the lowering phase and jolts the elbow.
Injuries
Cable Single-Arm Cross-Body Triceps Pushdown is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is light and the movement involves a single joint, but the triceps tendon at the back of the elbow can become irritated by sudden jumps in weight or volume, by repeatedly snapping the elbow hard into lockout, or by stacking a lot of pushdowns on top of heavy pressing in the same week. The front of the shoulder can also be strained when the shoulder rolls forward to help move the weight.
Use a load that lets the elbow stay beside the ribs and the torso stay square to the front for every rep. Set the shoulder down and back before the first rep, straighten the arm fully under control rather than slamming into the bottom, and return the cable slowly instead of letting the stack pull the hand back up. Increase weight in small steps and give the elbow time to adapt to added sets.
If holding position against the cross-body pull is difficult, regress to the Cable Single-Arm Pushdown, where the cable pulls straight down, or to the Band Triceps Pushdown. Progress by adding load or slowing the return. Stop the set if you feel sharp pain at the back of the elbow or in the front of the shoulder, and have an elbow ache that lingers into the next day or keeps worsening checked by a physical therapist or doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is this different from a regular single-arm pushdown?
In the Cable Single-Arm Pushdown the pulley sits in front of you and the hand moves straight down. Here the cable comes from a high pulley on the opposite side, so the hand starts at the front of the opposite chest and finishes in front of the working hip, and you also have to resist the cable pulling the arm across your body.
- Q: Which pulley should I use?
Use a high pulley on the side opposite the working arm, so the left pulley for the right arm and the right pulley for the left arm. Stand far enough from it that the weight stack stays lifted when your hand is back at your chest.
- Q: Do I need a handle, or can I hold the cable?
Either works. You can grip the bare cable just above its stopper ball or clip on a single handle. One study that compared a standard handle with ball handles during the standing triceps pushdown found no difference in triceps activity between them, only in how the forearm muscles worked.
- Q: Can this replace overhead triceps extensions?
Not if you want the most triceps growth. In a 12-week study of 21 untrained adults who trained one arm with cable elbow extensions at the side and the other overhead, the overhead arm gained about 1.4 times as much total triceps size, with the biggest difference in the long head. Pair this pushdown with an overhead movement such as the Cable Single-Arm Overhead Triceps Extension.
- Q: How many sets and reps should I do?
Two to four sets of 10 to 15 reps per arm suits most programs. Start with your weaker arm and match its reps with the stronger one.