In this blog post i am going to deliver you brief information about one arm overhead cable triceps extension.
If don’t know what your triceps muscles do, how can you train them? Knowing they attach to three different points is important.
For instance, (1) the long head of the triceps not only attaches to the shoulder joint but also crosses it to allow for maximum extension; and (2) the other two heads are attached to long bones that span across the torso, reaching up to your frontal deltoid.
“The one arm Overhead Cable Triceps Extension is a solid exercise for building stronger tricep muscles.”
You may have initially become attracted to the physical benefits of picking up heavyweights, but don’t forget about the arms training.
Bigger triceps help your chest and shoulders, among other things. It is important for increasing strength and reducing injuries. The one-arm overhead cable triceps extension is one of many excellent ways to work the triceps.
It provides the muscle with a long eccentric stretch and happens to work the smaller muscle fibres, which can make your muscles grow. However, training both arms together can lead to size asymmetries.
You can usually fix a strong back and weak arms by doing one-armed triceps extensions with a dumbbell.
The only problem is that free weight tricep exercises often cause joint pain in many lifters, and cables are often a better option for the reason that cables don’t put as much strain on your joints when lifting heavyweights.
This guide will teach you how to do different variations of the one arm overhead cable tricep extension and then explain the effectiveness.
one arm overhead cable triceps extension:
Table of Contents

A one arm overhead cable triceps extension is a weight training exercise that targets the triceps. This exercise engages your arm, shoulder and back muscles to raise your arm behind your head.
To perform this exercise, stand straight and look forward then reach one arm out in front of you with your palm facing up and make a fist.
With your other arm, hold the bar at eye level with both hands on its underside. Your palms should be facing away from you as if you were holding it over a wall or side directly behind you.
Keeping both elbows close to the body, extend forcefully through the elbow joint until your arms are at full extension (you will feel this with your triceps).
Ensure that as you raise the weight using straight arms that there is no bending of the wrists, which indicates faulty form.
Slowly lower the bar down again until it reaches waist height without letting go from either hand.
you should read our article Reverse grip pushdown
let’s discuss the benefits of one arm overhead cable triceps extension:
If you want to develop your triceps or upper-body strength, then this can be a great addition to your workout routine. Below are two of the benefits of performing one arm overhead cable triceps extension:
- Building bigger arms: The triceps covers the largest area of your arm. This is important if your goal is to increase the size of the upper arm because they are the most effective muscle when it comes to adding bulk. One of the best ways to put on mass there is with overhead tricep extension movements like lying supine or incline bench extensions.
- Increasing arm strength: It might seem like bigger arms are just a vanity project, but that’s not the whole story. Stronger triceps means you’ll be able to bench heavier weights and do more reps of heavy lifts like the overhead press. Larger triceps also help your upper body progress faster.
- Increase joint health and elbow stability: Strengthening your triceps will help prevent injuries and improve health. Lifting usually challenges the elbow in one way or another and strengthening the triceps helps. Overhead cable tricep extensions work. They work to strengthen the muscle and add stability during bending or extension of the elbows.
is one arm overhead cable triceps extension an effective exercise for triceps?
The one arm overhead cable triceps extension is an exercise that can help you develop a proportional pair of arms. This is because it is done with the weights off to one side, which ensures the same amount of stimulation on both sides of the arm.
Yet, it is important to note that just because these exercises are effective, does not mean they are right for everyone. The single-arm version of the tricep extension takes a lot of time to perform because you’re doing twice as many seats as the two-arm version. This is far from ideal if you only have a short amount of time to workout (in which case, you should base your routine on.
For example, if you’re someone who lifts weights and doesn’t have much muscle mass, there’s not much point in performing unilateral exercises (unless you can tell that you have muscle imbalance).
If you want to improve the symmetry of your arms, and you’re willing to spend more time in the gym, then it might be worth including single-arm overhead cable extensions in your workout.
what type of people should do one arm overhead cable triceps extension:
One arm overhead cable triceps extensions are a great exercise when programmed correctly. They will offer bigger, stronger triceps and help build muscle to improve elbow health.
- Regular gym-goers: The one arm overhead cable triceps extension is a great exercise to target the triceps. For example, the cable overhead triceps extension can help many people increase muscle growth of the triceps. If your main goal is to build muscles, then you may want to prioritize compound exercises. However, adding in isolation exercises can round out a good program.
- Fitness, power and strength athletes: One arm overhead cable triceps extensions can be beneficial for all lifters and can be added to any program, regardless of experience. Stronger triceps increase the ability to press weights. This movement can also help prevent injury and stabilize the elbow joint.
how to do one arm overhead cable triceps extension?
Here I will briefly discuss how to do a one arm overhead cable triceps extension and what muscles are worked to perform this exercise.
muscle worked by the one arm overhead cable triceps extension:
The one arm overhead cable triceps extension targets the triceps, as it is an isolation exercise. Depending on how you execute the exercise, other muscles may work to stabilize.
- Deltoids: As a standalone exercise, the overhead cable triceps extension doesn’t target the shoulders directly. However, the deltoids do provide support to maintain perfect form because they stabilize during this movement.
- Triceps: Although the overhead press and benching can also target your triceps, the most direct way to do so is by doing cable presses. Your long head of your triceps does most of the work on this exercise.
- Core: Your core also helps stabilize your body during the cable triceps extension. This means it helps you contract your abs to resist twisting and improves stability for other exercises.
how to do this exercise correctly:
- Face away from the low pulley cable machine and grasp the handle with your arm fully extended. By doing this, you are turning your palm inward.
- This is your starting position. Keep your arm with the weight pointed up and at elbow height. Support the raised arm with your other hand to prevent injury.
- Keep your elbows close to your back, point them upwards as you inhale, and bend your arm, lowering the grip down.
- Exhale, then slowly bring the handle back to the starting position keeping your elbows locked and your upper arm immobile.
- Repeat this for a complete set.
- Then switch your side.
sets and reps of one arm overhead cable triceps extension:
If you are looking for exercise to strengthen your triceps, overhead cable triceps extensions are a good accessory that can be easily added to your workout routine.
You should use light loads to train your elbows and triceps. Otherwise, you will overwork them, which can lead to injury.
- Building muscles: One of the main reasons to train the overhead cable triceps extension is because it helps build bigger triceps. To develop more muscle growth, it’s best to do 3-5 sets with 10-15 repetitions or 2-4 sets with 15-25 reps with moderate to heavyweight.
- Increasing g strength: The overhead cable triceps extension is not the optimal exercise to build top-end strength like other exercises such as the bench press or overhead press. Typically, you want to do exercises in the range of five to ten reps. You can use this exercise to support other, stronger exercises like the bench press.
let’s discuss the variation of one arm overhead cable triceps extension:
The one arm overhead cable triceps extension is mainly used for targeting the triceps. It isolates the muscle, so many variations have been developed to target different areas of it. Popular variations include using single-arm weights, changing the attachment, and altering the angle of how far your arms are stretched behind you.
straight bar overhead cable tricep extension:
The straight bar overhead cable extension is a variation of the overhead tricep extension. It is done with a fixed bicycle handle rather than an adjustable cable crossover machine but still transfers power using the same principle as the standard overhead tricep extension.
This exercise forces you to keep your upper arm (from your elbow to your shoulder) parallel with the ground while moving from straight in front of you, over your head and down behind your head.
Another similar exercise which accomplishes this elbow position is to create a 90-degree angle at your shoulders and elbows, by crossing one arm behind the opposite armpit and having that arm attached to free weights on a low pulley station.
one arm cable tricep extension:
Learning to do a one-arm cable tricep extension is a great way to add more muscle and target muscles in your back, shoulders, forearms and biceps. Simply set up the cable machine by placing it on the high pulley position for the bench press.
Grab the weight with one hand and an appropriate weight, then extend your arm out to push with resistance towards parallel to the ground. Keep your torso straight above so you do not lean while performing this move. Return
down correctly after contracting your biceps.
alternatives of one arm overhead cable tricep extension:
For those without a cable stack, getting one can be expensive or inconvenient. Don’t worry, though. There are many alternatives to do with dumbbells, bands, and/or bars. All of them allow for similar repetition ranges and train the triceps muscle until it’s fatigued.
dumbell overhead tricep extension:
Dumbell Overhead tricep extension is mainly focused on the forearm and triceps. It is an isolation exercise which can focus on the degree of amplitude.
You may set your arm above the head, letting it hover at the back, or have your arm in front of you. With the dumbbell hanging down at the side of your shoulder, bend your elbow and bring your arm up in a slow-motion to just below shoulder height.
overhead tricep extension with resistance band:
Resistance bands provide resistance for stretching and help train muscles to function properly. They are similar to cables but instead of weight, the resistance is supplied by standing, pulling, or pushing tension against a folded hoop taut over a tube length with rigid, adjustable attachments at either end.
straight bar tricep pushdown:
A straight bar is more stable than a rope and allows the user to take very heavy weights for increased hypertrophy. The range of motion stays the same through the movement, unlike with a rope where the direction can change. You can easily switch your grip for more variation.
overhead rope tricep extension:
The overhead rope triceps extension is excellent for targeting both your instant and long term goal. You can work on mobility and stability at the same time. The overhead position puts more stress on the muscle, so it comes out looking more fulfilling. Such a workout will also help strengthen your shoulders, which has a lot of implications on overall health.
reverse grip tricep extension:
The reverse grip triceps extension is a variation of the straight-bar triceps pushdown. Compared to the pushdown variant, it can be used with higher loads due to the greater stability over the hand. Along with stricter technique, strict technique and mental toughness are required, though it might be too advanced for some people.
the bottom line:
The one arm overhead cable triceps extension is a great isolation exercise to increase the size of your arms, improve tricep strength and stability for pressing exercises, and strengthen your elbow stabilization. To maximize you should focus on stretching and strengthening with this exercise rather than lifting heavily.
people also ask this questions:
what should if doing one arm overhead cable tricep extension hurting elbow?
Some lifters may find that this exercise is painful on their elbows. If you experience elbow pain, use lighter variations or the resistance band variation and try again later. You could also be lifting too much weight which is the likely culprit of your injury.
which bicep exercise we can add with one arm overhead cable tricep extension as superset?
I would suggest you to add rope hammer curl as superset with this tricep exercise.you will feel the burn in your arms your arms will look huge.