One exercise I never skip on upper body day: rope tricep pushdowns. I do use the straight bar sometimes, but I prefer the rope. It gives that extra range of motion at the bottom and a better stretch when you pull it apart, just like in the video. If your triceps aren’t burning during your routine, chances are you’re just going through the motions. Today’s workout was a good one. One of the guys came up to me and asked if I could train him. I wasn’t too surprised, as I can be pretty vocal in the gym when it comes to form, giving advice here and there (even though I’m trying to dial that back). He said it was his arm day, so I told him to start with dumbbell curls, then barbell curls, and finish with pushdowns. I’ve noticed that tricep pushdowns are one of the easiest exercises to get wrong, so I decided to record a quick video to show him proper form.
- Setting up
Attach the rope to the machine - Keep your elbows tucked close to your body to avoid flaring and losing tension on the triceps.
Slight lean forward, core tight, just like in the video
- The movement
Push the rope down while separating the ends at the bottom for full contraction
Fully extend your arms (this is key) - I noticed he wasn’t doing this. His elbows stayed slightly bent. I corrected him, but there’s still some work to do
Control the movement on the way back up - don’t just let it snap back
Common mistakes I've noticed
Using too much weight - this ruins form. I told him to go lighter, but he insisted it felt easy… he eventually understood why form comes first.
No full extension - he struggled to fully lock out his arms, but we’ll fix that.
Letting shoulders take over - most obvious mistake. It’s a tricep exercise, let the triceps do the work.
It was a fun session, training and teaching at the same time. Try it properly next time and see if you feel the difference. Till next time.
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