Cross-Body Tricep Extension
The cable cross-body triceps extension is a one-arm pushdown in which you straighten your elbow to pull a single cable handle down and across the front of your body. It works mainly the lateral and medial heads of the triceps, one arm at a time, with the cable keeping tension on the muscle through the whole movement.
Also called: Cross-Body Triceps Extension, Cross-Body Cable Tricep Extension, Cross-Body Pushdown, Cross-Body Triceps Pressdown · Equipment: strength · Pattern: isolation
Step by step
- Attach a single handle to a cable pulley set at or above head height.
- Stand facing the stack with your feet hip-width apart and take the handle in one hand with an overhand grip.
- Pull the handle down until your elbow is bent to about 90° and your upper arm is by your side. This is the start position.
- Brace your trunk and keep your hips and shoulders facing the stack. You can rest your free hand on your hip or the machine.
- Straighten your elbow to push the handle down and across your body towards your opposite thigh, moving only your forearm.
- Squeeze at the bottom with your arm straight, then let the handle rise under control until your elbow is back to about 90°.
- Complete all reps on one arm, then swap to the other.
- Elbow pinned to your side
- Push down and across to your opposite thigh
- Only your forearm moves
- Squeeze with your arm straight
- Hips and shoulders square to the stack
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps brachii: lateral head | Prime mover | C |
| Triceps brachii: medial head | Prime mover | C |
| Triceps brachii: long head | Secondary | B |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | D |
| Obliques (internal/external) | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Elbow drifting away from the side
Fix: Keep your upper arm by your side and move only at the elbow.
Twisting the trunk with each rep
Fix: Brace and keep your hips and shoulders facing the stack.
Short, partial reps
Fix: Move from an elbow at about 90° to a fully straight arm on every rep.
Letting the stack yank the handle up
Fix: Take one to two seconds to let the handle rise back to the start.
Leaning over the handle
Fix: Stand tall and use a load you can move without leaning.
What the research says
Muscle growthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Arm position — A controlled trial found triceps extensions with the arms by the sides grew the triceps less than the same exercise overhead, a difference driven by the long head. Many lifters pair pushdowns with an overhead extension.
- Load and reps — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure. Many lifters use about 10–20 reps per arm on this lift.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit; true failure adds only a small extra effect.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Pressing also works the triceps, and counting those sets improves volume estimates.
- One arm at a time — Studies find training tends to carry over best to movements done the same way, one side or two. That research is mostly on the legs, and there is little direct research on one-arm triceps work.
Log the cross-body tricep extension in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.