Tricep V Bar Pushdown: Muscles Worked, How-To & Variations

A tricep V bar pushdown is a cable pulley exercise where you work the triceps by making a downward motion with your hands. This brings your V bar down as you extend your elbows to target your tricep muscles.

In this article, we’ll cover all you need to know about the tricep V bar pushdown.

We’ll get to know which part of your triceps muscles this exercise works and see whether there are any other surrounding muscles that benefit from tricep V bar pushdowns.

We’ll also get a little crash course on equipment. Why is a V bar handle better than a straight handle, EZ bar or rope attachment for this move?

The answer to that question is coming up soon.

We’ll also see how to work through your tricep V bar pushdowns with perfect technique. Get set-up, body position and movement advice with a targeted set-rep range that is best for this exercise.

Finally, we’ll cover a few variations of the tricep V bar pushdown that you can try. If you’re looking to work the triceps in a different way or simply looking for a change of equipment, this article is your total guide to acing the tricep V bar pushdown.

What is a tricep V bar pushdown?

The tricep V bar pushdown is an isolation exercise that targets your triceps brachii (the muscles at the backs of your upper arms).

You do this move using a V bar handle. This is a type of grip handle that you attach onto a cable pulley machine for workouts.

The V-shaped grip of the V bar makes it useful for wide-grip exercises.

Triceps muscle anatomy

The triceps sit on the backs of your upper arms.

What do triceps do?

The main function of these powerful muscles is to extend your elbow joints. Think of them as an opposite muscle to your biceps brachii (the muscles on the inside of your upper arms).

Bending the elbows, you use your biceps. To straighten them out again, your triceps do all the work.

There are many fantastic exercises you can do to blast your triceps including bodyweight dips and medial head tricep exercises.

Hey! What is the medial head of the triceps, anyway?

Good question. We can understand the way the triceps are structured in part due to their name. As we’ll see, this is also how the heads work.

This term comes from the Latin “tri” (three) + “ceps” (head). And you guessed it, the medial head is just one of three heads that your triceps have.

The other two heads include the lateral head and the long head (triceps brachii longus).

Here’s a quick pic if you need a visual.

What tricep head does the V bar pushdown target?

This variation targets all three heads of the trice. It is one of the best long head tricep exercises, but is even more effective for the lateral head of the triceps.

Why is the V bar so effective for hitting your long head?

We can understand this if we think about hand grips.

Let’s go through a little crash course on wrist positioning for the sake of seeing which cable attachment makes the most sense.

For pushdowns, you can either use:

• Pronated Grip: Overhand grip, with your palms facing toward the floor.
• Supinated Grip: Underhand grip with your palms facing toward the ceiling
• Neutral Grip: With your palms facing towards each other.

These grip types are seen in other exercises too. For example, you can do neutral grip pull-ups or flip your pull-up grip to a supinated position to turn your pull-ups into chin-ups for biceps.

How to do a tricep v bar pushdown

• Set-Up: Attach a V bar handle to your cable pulley. Make sure the cable is anchored to a high point on the pulley.
• Body Position: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Grab one side of your V bar with each hand using an overhand grip. Keep your core braced and your chest proud, with your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
• Pushdown: Keep your upper arms pinned to your sides as you use your tricep strength to push the bar down, fully extending your elbows.
• Reverse: Slowly and with control, resist your weight to bring your arms back to the starting position, resuming their 90-degree bend. Make sure to keep your elbows an upper arms glued to your sides as you reverse your movement.
• Reps: Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps if you are new to this movement. For more advanced or intermediate weightlifters, you may want to lower your set range but use more weight. For example, you may prefer working at 2 sets of 8-12 reps with a heavier weight. This will help you to build up your strength.

Is the EZ bar better than the V bar for pushdowns?

The two pieces of equipment are pretty similar in terms of working your triceps in this move.

They’re not interchangeable, though.

The V bar has a steeper downward angle compared to the EZ bar. People tend to prefer this attachment for that reason.

If you get to the gym, though, and there’s no V bar available, don’t be scared to work on this move with an EZ bar. You may even find you like it better.

Ultimately, your equipment preferences are up to you. Test the waters. Try things out and see which handle feels most comfortable in your grip.

As you progress, you’ll eventually get a feel for what suits you best.

Is a straight bar better than the V bar for pushdowns?

Whether a straight bar or V bar is better for cable pushdowns depends on your wrist flexibility.

For people with less flexible wrists, a V bar may feel like the more comfortable option.

Rope or V bar for tricep cable pushdowns?

Using a rope handle attachment is another common choice for people looking to strengthen their triceps brachii with cable pushdowns.

It’s a good option if you want to train your wrist stability.

But using a rope can be counterproductive if you want to go heavy. Because a rope bends along its whole length, unlike the V bar, you get more room to manipulate it.

Many lifters like to pull the ends of the rope apart at the bottom of a pushdown. What this does is redirect more of your effort into your forearms.

If you’re looking for forearm work in addition to tricep work, you may see this as a plus. But to really hammer your triceps directly, a V bar may be more suitable.

On top of this, because it’s a less sturdy piece of equipment to work with, many people tend to go lighter on their tricep pushdowns when working with ropes.

If you’re focused on technique, finesse and wrist mobility, try the rope. If not, stick with a tricep V bar pushdown.

Will cable pushdowns help my triceps grow?

Absolutely!

This move is killer for building strong tris.

On top of cable pushdowns, it you’re serious about training triceps, consider working on other moves like:

• Standing tricep extension
• Skullcrushers
• Seated tricep extension

Extensions especially are a fantastic tricep workout. Famous bodybuilders like Tom Platz are even notorious for crushing reps on reps of tricep extensions.

Even if you’re just a regular Joe or Jane and not training like a bodybuilder or powerlifter, these moves are great to crush your upper body days. Remember to progressively overload your weight as you progress.

This means increasing your weight, your number of reps or the intensity of your workouts. This technique is the best way to help you gain strength and muscle mass.

Final thoughts

Stretch the triceps after you work them, eat plenty of protein post-exercise and get some good rest in. Combined with your tricep V bar pushdowns for an upper arm pump, what you do outside the gym matters in getting the body of your dreams.

For more information on how you can fuel up and recover, we have some info on protein loading and rest for you:

• Can Protein Powder Go Bad
• How is Protein Powder Made
• Can You Mix Creatine With Protein Powder
• Nap After Workout