What muscles does the overhead tricep extension work?

The triceps, with the long head working through the biggest stretch.

Is the overhead extension better than pushdowns?

For growing the triceps, a 12-week study found overhead extensions grew them about 1.4 times as much as the same exercise with the arms down. Pushdowns still work; many people do both.

Both work. The cable keeps steady tension and is easy to get into; the dumbbell needs no machine. Choose whichever feels better on your elbows.

My elbows hurt overhead. What can I do?

Use a lighter weight, a single-arm cable version, and a slightly shorter range at the bottom. If the pain stays, have it checked.

Overhead Tricep Extension: Muscles and Form

How to do an overhead cable extension

Attach a rope to a cable at about hip or chest height.
Hold the rope with both hands, turn your back to the machine and take a step forward, so the rope runs over your head.
Stand in a split stance, lean forward slightly and brace your stomach. Your upper arms point forward and up, beside your head.
Let your elbows bend so your hands travel back behind your head until you feel a stretch in your triceps.
Straighten your elbows to push the rope forward and up until your arms are straight.
Return slowly to the stretch, keeping your upper arms still.

With a dumbbell

Sit on a bench with back support, hold one dumbbell with both hands under its top plate, and press it overhead. Lower it behind your head by bending your elbows, then straighten them. It needs no cable, though the bottom position with a heavy dumbbell can be awkward to get out of, so start light.

Cues that help

"Elbows point forward, not out": keep them roughly shoulder width.
"Upper arms still": only your forearms move.
"Deep stretch": let your hands go well behind your head at the bottom.
"Ribs down": do not arch your lower back as the weight gets heavy.

Common mistakes

Elbows flaring wide. It shortens the range and shifts strain to the shoulders.
Moving the upper arms. If your shoulders swing to push the weight, it has become a pullover.
A short range. The stretched bottom position is the point of the exercise.
Arching the lower back to finish reps. Brace, or use a lighter weight.
Starting heavy with a dumbbell. Getting a heavy dumbbell into and out of position is the hard part.

Why overhead?

The long head of the triceps crosses the shoulder as well as the elbow, so raising your arms stretches it.

A 12-week study had 21 adults train one arm with cable elbow extensions overhead and the other with the arm by the side, with the same sets and reps. The whole triceps grew about 1.4 times as much in the overhead arm (+19.9% against +13.9%), with the long head growing most (+28.5% against +19.6%). They lifted less weight overhead, yet grew more (Maeo et al., 2023).

Sets, reps and weight

For muscle: 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps, stopping 1 to 2 reps short of failure.
Rest 1 to 1.5 minutes between sets.
Expect to use less weight than in a pushdown. That is normal: the stretched position makes it harder.
Add weight once you reach the top of your rep range on every set.

Variations and alternatives

Single-arm overhead cable extension: one side at a time, often the most comfortable for the elbows.
Seated dumbbell overhead extension: one dumbbell, both hands.
EZ-bar overhead extension: a bar held overhead, seated.
Skull crusher: lying on a bench, lowering a bar to your forehead. The long head is stretched less than overhead, more than in a pushdown.
Tricep pushdown: arms down, easy to progress, a good partner exercise.

Tracking your overhead extensions

PushBeyond logs the weight and reps of each set and charts the history of the exercise. Its muscle map counts the overhead extension for your triceps.

Overhead tricep extension: muscles worked and how to do it

At a glance