Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown: A Complete Guide

Quick Intro

Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown, also called the Underhand Tricep Pushdown or Supinated Pushdown, is a machine-based strength training exercise performed standing at a cable machine, pressing a bar down with an underhand grip until the arms fully extend. The underhand grip shifts emphasis toward the medial and long heads of the triceps more than a standard overhand pushdown.

Equipment Needed

A Cable Machine is required, set up with a straight bar attachment on a high pulley. No other equipment is needed.

Why It Matters

This pushdown works the back of the upper arm through a high number of controlled reps under steady cable tension, building endurance in the muscle along with strength. Turning the palms to face upward changes which part of the triceps does the most work compared with an overhand grip, since the underhand position puts the medial and long heads in a slightly different line of pull. One muscle handles the whole movement: the back of the upper arm (triceps brachii).

When to Do It

Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown works well as a finishing movement on a push or arm day, placed after the main chest and shoulder pressing work once those muscles are already fatigued. Training it two to three times a week, with a rest day or two between sessions, suits most people.

Anyone with a current wrist or elbow issue should get individual guidance before loading this exercise heavily, since an underhand grip places the wrist in a different position than a standard grip and can feel less stable at first.

Getting Ready

A few minutes of wrist circles or light pushdowns raises blood flow to the forearms and triceps before adding cable resistance. A light set with the underhand grip, focusing on keeping the wrists neutral and not flexed, previews how the movement feels before the working sets begin.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The setup. Stand facing the cable machine, grip the bar with an underhand grip at roughly shoulder-width and pin the elbows to the sides.

2. The starting position. Bend the elbows to roughly ninety degrees so the hands sit close to the chest.

3. The press. Extend the elbows to press the bar down, keeping the wrists neutral throughout.

4. The return. Let the elbows bend back to the starting position under control, keeping them pinned to the sides.

How Many, How Often

Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown is dosed by reps, sets and the weight on the stack, with the load chosen relative to how well the elbows stay fixed through a full set.

Wrists that stay neutral and elbows that stay pinned through the whole set matter more here than how much weight sits on the stack, since a flexed wrist under load shifts stress away from the triceps and onto the joint.

Modifications and Variations

As a different technique with the same equipment, Cable Tricep Pushdown uses a standard overhand grip, trading the underhand version’s shift toward the medial and long heads for a more evenly distributed contraction across the muscle.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the wrists flex under load. Allowing the wrists to bend forward as the weight gets heavier shifts stress onto the wrist joint and off the triceps. Keeping the wrists neutral throughout the set protects the joint and keeps the tension where it belongs.

Letting the elbows drift forward or flare wide. Allowing the elbows to swing away from the sides turns the movement into a shoulder-assisted press. Pinning the elbows to the ribs from setup through the last rep keeps the load on the triceps.

Rushing the eccentric on the way back up. Letting the cable snap the arms back up between reps skips the controlled portion where much of the triceps’ strength is built. Lowering the weight under control through the whole return builds more usable strength than a fast, uncontrolled bounce.

After Your Set

Raising one arm overhead and bending at the elbow so the hand drops behind the neck opens up the triceps, with the free hand gently pressing the elbow a little further back. Rotating the wrists slowly in both directions afterward loosens the forearms before moving on.

Going Deeper

Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown usually closes out a push or arm day, adding a final round of triceps fatigue from a slightly different angle than the main pressing work already covered. The underhand grip changes the wrist position, so fatigue in the forearm and grip often shows up before the triceps are fully worked, especially for people new to this grip. Building forearm endurance separately and easing into heavier loads gets past a plateau sooner than adding more weight to the stack.

Someone new to this exercise typically learns a comfortable, stable underhand grip within the first few sessions, then works up to a confident working weight over four to six weeks as the wrists and triceps adapt together.

How to Know You’re Improving

1. Wrists that stay neutral through the whole set, without flexing under load
2. Elbows that stay pinned to the sides from the first rep to the last
3. A full extension reached on each rep, finished with a brief squeeze
4. A working weight heavy enough that the last 1 to 2 reps are hard for the triceps

Neutral wrists and pinned elbows matter more as progress than the number on the stack.

Muscles Worked

• Triceps Brachii (the back of the upper arm, doing the whole movement)

FAQ

Is Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown better than a regular Cable Tricep Pushdown? Neither is strictly better. This version shifts more emphasis toward the medial and long heads of the triceps because of the underhand grip, while Cable Tricep Pushdown spreads the work more evenly across the muscle, and many arm programs benefit from including both.

Why does the underhand grip feel different in the wrists? Turning the palms upward changes the angle the forearm and wrist work through compared with a standard grip, which can feel less familiar at first even though the elbow mechanics stay largely the same.

How does the overhand pushdown compare? Cable Tricep Pushdown uses a standard overhand grip that distributes tension fairly evenly across the triceps, while this version’s underhand grip shifts more of that tension toward the medial and long heads.

Is some forearm fatigue after this exercise normal? Yes, fatigue through the forearms and grip after a full set is expected, since the underhand position recruits them somewhat differently than a standard grip. A sharp, pinching pain at the wrist or elbow is a separate signal worth having a doctor or physical therapist look at.

How often should the reverse grip pushdown be trained? A couple of sessions a week works well for most people, since pressing movements earlier in the same session have already worked the triceps before this exercise starts.

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Related to Cable Tricep Pushdown, the overhand-grip alternative.