Machine Triceps Extension

A seated machine isolation exercise in which the upper arms stay supported on a pad while the elbows extend against two handles, loading the triceps along a fixed path without help from the shoulders or torso.

How to do it

1. Sit in the tricep extension machine with your back against the seat pad and your upper arms resting flat on the arm pad in front of your chest.
2. Take a handle in each hand with your elbows bent and your hands up near shoulder height.
3. Keeping your upper arms pressed into the pad, extend your elbows to drive the handles down and away until your arms are straight.
4. Squeeze your triceps at full extension, then bend your elbows to return to the start under control.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Tips

• Set the seat height so your upper arms lie flat on the pad and your elbows line up with the machine's pivot — that alignment is what keeps the work on the triceps.
• Keep your upper arms glued to the pad; letting them lift turns the movement into a press and takes the triceps out of it.
• Straighten your arms fully without snapping the elbows, and resist on the way back instead of letting the weight stack drop.

Muscles

Primary: Triceps