Have you ever wondered which is more beneficial? Is there a difference between doing overhand tricep pushdowns and underhand, or reverse-grip, tricep pushdowns? We’ll explain how to execute both below, as well as why they both have different advantages.
Run-down of both variations:
Overhand Pushdowns: Attach an angled, short or straight bar onto the high-cable pulley you’re working at, and stand facing it. Keep a slight bend in your knees, do your best not to lock out. Grab the bar, with an overhand grip, and hold it right below your chest level, with your elbows close to your sides.
Push the bar straight down, straightening your arms until they are fully extended. Pause for a brief moment fully extended to make sure you feel your triceps flex, and then slowly return back to your starting position.
Underhand Pushdowns: Attach a straight, or EZ-curl bar onto the high-cable pulley you’re working at, and stand facing it. Keep a slight bend in your knees, and grab the bar with an underhand grip (palms facing up).
Hold the bar right below your chest level, with your elbows pulled in close to your sides. Pull the bar down by straightening your arms until they are close to fully extended. Pause for a second to feel the flex in your triceps, and gradually return the bar to your starting position.
So, which is better for your workouts?
First off, underhand pushdowns force you to use a lighter weight than with an overhand grip. When you use the overhand grip, your delts help to assist your triceps move the weight.
In the underhand version, you’re not pushing down, but actually pulling down, so the movement targets your triceps more, rather then your shoulders.
With this in mind, the underhand version is a better way to fully isolate your triceps, great for use at the end of your workout. Further more, the overhand pushdown tends to focus more on the triceps lateral head (the portion on the outer arms), and the underhand pushdowns hit more of the medial head (the portion on the inner arms).
Which move is best to use? Underhand or Overhand?
When it comes to fully working out a muscle, there are a lot of techniques. From changing up the volume of your workout, to the weight, it’s all about putting together different moves to mix it up, and build new muscle. This is where both underhand and overhand triceps pushdowns come in handy.
It’s best to utilize both versions, to balance out develop of each head of the triceps. The overhand version lets you to hit more weight, allowing you to build greater overall triceps mass, while the underhand variation will isolate the actual triceps muscle and lead to better medial head development.
What’s the best way to include both in my workout?
One technique to use would be to use a different variation for each triceps workout you do, rotating between the two every time. A more preferable method is to do two or three overhand sets, while you have the most energy, and follow it up with two or three underhand sets to isolate the triceps muscle even more and completely burn them out.
Run-down of both variations:
Overhand Pushdowns: Attach an angled, short or straight bar onto the high-cable pulley you’re working at, and stand facing it. Keep a slight bend in your knees, do your best not to lock out. Grab the bar, with an overhand grip, and hold it right below your chest level, with your elbows close to your sides.
Push the bar straight down, straightening your arms until they are fully extended. Pause for a brief moment fully extended to make sure you feel your triceps flex, and then slowly return back to your starting position.
Underhand Pushdowns: Attach a straight, or EZ-curl bar onto the high-cable pulley you’re working at, and stand facing it. Keep a slight bend in your knees, and grab the bar with an underhand grip (palms facing up).
Hold the bar right below your chest level, with your elbows pulled in close to your sides. Pull the bar down by straightening your arms until they are close to fully extended. Pause for a second to feel the flex in your triceps, and gradually return the bar to your starting position.
So, which is better for your workouts?
First off, underhand pushdowns force you to use a lighter weight than with an overhand grip. When you use the overhand grip, your delts help to assist your triceps move the weight.
In the underhand version, you’re not pushing down, but actually pulling down, so the movement targets your triceps more, rather then your shoulders.
With this in mind, the underhand version is a better way to fully isolate your triceps, great for use at the end of your workout. Further more, the overhand pushdown tends to focus more on the triceps lateral head (the portion on the outer arms), and the underhand pushdowns hit more of the medial head (the portion on the inner arms).
Which move is best to use? Underhand or Overhand?
When it comes to fully working out a muscle, there are a lot of techniques. From changing up the volume of your workout, to the weight, it’s all about putting together different moves to mix it up, and build new muscle. This is where both underhand and overhand triceps pushdowns come in handy.
It’s best to utilize both versions, to balance out develop of each head of the triceps. The overhand version lets you to hit more weight, allowing you to build greater overall triceps mass, while the underhand variation will isolate the actual triceps muscle and lead to better medial head development.
What’s the best way to include both in my workout?
One technique to use would be to use a different variation for each triceps workout you do, rotating between the two every time. A more preferable method is to do two or three overhand sets, while you have the most energy, and follow it up with two or three underhand sets to isolate the triceps muscle even more and completely burn them out.
