The cable rope extension contracts all three triceps heads.
Did you know that your triceps comprise two-thirds of your upper arm muscles? So if you’re looking to bulk up those biceps, you might be surprised to learn that it’s the triceps you should focus on. That’s where the cable rope extension comes in — it’s a killer triceps workout that targets those tricep muscles and helps give you those bigger, more defined arms you’ve been dreaming of. So stick around as we delve into all the amazing benefits they can bring to your workout routine.
Now we’re not saying that you shouldn’t work your biceps. However, bodybuilders who want to turn heads when they do their front double bicep pose know to focus on their triceps a lot. This study proves that the triceps are about twice the size of your biceps (1).
There are many routines that you can use to build your triceps. For example, the dumbbell triceps kickback, skull crushers, diamond pushups, dips, and the cable rope extension. Out of these, the cable rope extension offers separate benefits.
The cable rope extension is an isolation strength exercise that targets all three of your triceps heads. You do this movement with a tricep rope extension and a cable machine. Read on for more details on this exercise, how it explodes the triceps heads, and the different variations you can try to get stellar results.
Anatomy
To understand why the cable rope extension is so effective, we must first look at the anatomy of the triceps. Did you know that the triceps got their name because they are made of three heads? Tri is three, and cep is head, literally meaning three heads.
The triceps brachii comprises the lateral, medial, and long head (2). It’s the only one in the posterior part of your arm and spans almost the entire length of your humerus. The main function of this muscle is to extend your forearm at the elbow, and every head has a different origin.
The Long Head
The long head of your triceps originates from the scapula. It extends slightly to the glenoid labrum and blends with the glenohumeral capsule of your shoulder. As a result, the long head of your triceps also contributes to the stability of your shoulder joint.
The Medial Head
The medial head of your triceps originates from the entire posterior surface and the radial groove of your humerus. It extends over the elongated triangular interval that is on your humerus. It’s adjacent to your bicep muscles on the medial side.
The Lateral Head
The lateral head of your triceps comes from the narrow liberal ridge on the posterior of your humerus. It attaches behind the deltoid tubercle and above the attachment for the medial head.
How This Triceps Workout Builds Your Triceps
Your triceps work to extend your elbows and shoulders. But while they assist in extending your elbows, they’ll also work to interfere with it by extending your shoulders. As a result, you won’t get full stimulation of your muscles if you only do presses which make the lateral and medial head work to extend the elbows with the long head pulling it back. Moreover, you won’t get the same just doing other movements like barbell upright row, where your triceps help to extend the shoulders but interfere with elbow flexion. Cable rope extensions train all three heads, fully stimulating your triceps.
When you do cable rope extensions training all three heads of your triceps brachii, they explode with hypertrophy. Cable rope extensions are arguably the best horseshoe tricep builders out there.
Other Benefits of This Triceps Workout
Cable rope extensions offer other benefits besides being convenient for building muscle mass in your upper arms.
Increased Grip Strength
The rope attachment used for this exercise is great for building grip strength. This helps you to improve your performance when doing other movements like deadlifts. Your grip strength is also important for preventing injuries with movements like skull crushers.
Versatility
This triceps workout is versatile; you can stand, lie, and sit. This lets you add variety to your workouts to break through a plateau and prevent training monotony (3).
Carry Over Into Pressing Movements
Building stronger triceps with a cable rope extension will help to make your presses, such as the barbell shoulder presses and barbell bench presses, better. This is because your triceps are responsible for the elbow, shoulder, and wrist stability in an extended position. This is a necessary factor for doing a strong lockout during your presses.
Variations of This Workout
The versatility of the cable rope extension is one of its strong points. You can switch up this exercise by changing the angle, load, body positioning, and grip positioning, using it to explode the size of your tricep heads. Below are some variations of the cable rope extension.
Overhead Cable Rope Extension
This variation greatly targets the long head of your triceps and the other heads. The bigger the size of your long head, the larger your triceps and, ultimately, your arms. It’s done by attaching the rope to the bottom pulley of the cable machine.
High Pulley Overhead Cable Rope Extension
This variation attaches the tricep rope to the overhead pulley of the cable machine. It’s also great at targeting the long head of your triceps.
Seated Cable Rope Extension
With this triceps workout variation, you can target your triceps while sitting on a bench. This provides a stable base for the movement so you can focus on using only your arms, leading to greater muscle growth.
Lying Cable Rope Extension
You can do the lying cable rope extension by lying face up on either a flat bench or the floor. Doing cable rope extensions this way completely eliminates any momentum. This allows you to focus on and completely isolate your triceps.
Single Arm Cable Rope Extension
When doing this triceps workout, you attach the tricep rope to the overhead pulley and pull it with one arm. You also use your other arm to support the arm pulling. This variation is a great way to build your triceps and fix any muscle imbalances unilaterally.
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References
- Holzbaur, K. R., Murray, W. M., Gold, G. E., & Delp, S. L. (2007). Upper limb muscle volumes in adult subjects. Journal of biomechanics, 40(4), 742–749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2006.11.011
- Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. [Updated 2022 Aug 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/
- Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(24), 4897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897
