Band triceps pushdown
A band anchored high and pressed down to straight arms. The gentlest way to train triceps hard, with the tension highest where they are strongest.
The movement
Forearms parallel
01 Forearms parallel
Elbows pinned to the ribs, forearms level, band already under tension.
02 Straight arms
Press down to genuinely straight arms and hold a beat. That last inch is the point.
How to do it
Setup
- Anchor a band well above head height and take an end in each hand.
- Stand a step back with a slight forward lean, your elbows pinned to your ribs and bent.
Execution
- Press your hands down until your arms are completely straight.
- Squeeze your triceps for a beat at the bottom, where the band is tightest.
- Let your hands rise slowly until your forearms pass parallel to the floor, keeping your elbows pinned.
BreathingExhale as you press down, inhale as your hands rise.
Form cues
- Elbows stay at your ribs; only your forearms move.
- Straighten your elbows fully at the bottom of every rep.
Common mistakes
- Letting your elbows drift forward away from your ribs, which brings in the shoulders and chest.
- Leaning further forward through the set to press a band that has become too heavy.
- Stopping short of straight arms, which misses the part of the range this exercise is for.
Worth knowing
- Check that the anchor above head height will hold, and inspect the band. A failure here releases toward your face.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The pushdown is the most forgiving triceps exercise there is, and a band makes it available anywhere. Your elbow stays in a comfortable position throughout, you adjust the load by stepping toward or away from the anchor, and the band pulls hardest with your arms straight. That is where the triceps are strongest and where most other triceps exercises have already run out of resistance.
Elbow position is the whole technique, and it drifts without you noticing. Pinned to your ribs, the exercise trains the elbow alone. Allowed to travel forward, your shoulders start pressing and the set gets easier in a way that shows up as extra reps rather than as visibly worse form. Tucking a light object between your upper arm and your ribs makes the drift obvious.
Straightening fully matters more here than in most isolation work. The largest part of the triceps only finishes its job in the last few degrees, and that is exactly the range the band is loading hardest. Cutting the rep short throws away the reason for doing it this way.
Use it alongside a pressing movement rather than instead of one. Two or three sets of twelve to twenty after push-ups or a press is plenty. Your triceps have already worked, and this finishes the range the press did not reach.