What you'll gain
Cable tension stays on the triceps through the whole range, including lockout.
The overhead position loads the long head of the triceps under stretch.
Training one arm at a time makes side-to-side differences visible.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Attach a single handle to the low pulley of a cable stack and select your weight.
- 2
Take the handle in one hand and turn to face away from the machine.
- 3
Raise the working arm overhead so the upper arm sits beside your head.
- 4
Bend the elbow to let the handle travel down behind your head under control.
- 5
Extend the elbow to press the handle back overhead, stopping short of a hard lockout.
- 6
Complete the set, then swap hands and repeat on the other side.
Common Mistakes
Letting the upper arm swing forward and back, which turns the lift into a shoulder movement.
Snapping into lockout, which unloads the triceps and irritates the elbow.
Standing too close to the stack, so the cable angle pulls the arm out of position.
Leaning far forward to shift the weight, which recruits the torso rather than the arm.
About This Exercise
The single-arm overhead cable extension loads elbow extension from a low pulley. You stand with your back to the stack, take a single handle, raise the working arm overhead so the upper arm sits beside your head, then bend and straighten the elbow while the cable pulls down and behind you. Unlike a dumbbell, the cable keeps tension on the triceps at every joint angle, including lockout, which is why the guide warns against locking out hard. MoveKit's muscle vocabulary collapses long-head bias into a single Triceps value, so the overhead emphasis is described here rather than in the facet. For a catalog the clip covers cable arm work buyers search for by name, and it fits arm accessory blocks, cable machine equipment filters, unilateral programming, and content on constant-tension training.
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Single-Arm Overhead Cable Extension
A standing single-arm cable extension with the handle held overhead, straightening the elbow against constant tension.
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Choose a focused 104-exercise pack or unlock all 412, with commercial licensing included.
Specifications
Built for
- Arm accessory blocks in a gym training app.
- Elbow friendly triceps option when skull crushers aggravate the joint.
- Unilateral triceps work in asymmetry correction programs.
- Technique content on constant-tension cable training.
Muscles Worked
Details
License Includes
Cable Bar Pushdown
$4.99A standing triceps pushdown using a straight bar attachment — the most efficient way to isolate the triceps with cables.
Cable Rope Overhead Tricep Extension
$4.99Overhead rope extension from a high pulley that stretches the triceps long head before every elbow extension.
Cable Rope Pushdown
$4.99A standing triceps pushdown using a rope attachment that lets the hands separate for a deeper triceps squeeze.
Cable Single Arm Rope Pushdown
$4.99A one-arm rope pushdown that isolates each triceps independently for a deeper squeeze and better symmetry.
Machine Cable V Bar Push Downs
$4.99A V-bar cable pushdown that isolates all three heads of the triceps through a clean, controlled extension.
Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdown
$4.99A cable pushdown taken with the palms up, keeping the elbows tucked so the triceps extend the arm through a long range.