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Pulley Pushdown

PULLEY PUSHDOWN

Taken from Dave Draper's book, Brother Iron, Sister Steel

Not a power or mass exercise, the pushdown effectively forms the triceps and adds to their health. Grip your favorite handle and stand approximately one foot away from the overhead pulley. Bend your arms at the elbows and locate them close to your torso, directing them slightly forward. Extend the handle downward to a straight-arm position, contracting the triceps tightly. Slowly return to the starting point with an accent on the negative for maximum advantage. I regard the pushdown with affection and apply ample body thrust to load the triceps totally while properly engaging an army of associated upper body muscles (erectors and torso stabilizers, serratus, minor pec, and upper back). This vigorous performance transforms the minor isolated action into a more substantial movement packed with energy and spirit. Ideal for supersetting with sets of twelve to fifteen reps.

Wicked Willie here. Vince Gironda often taught a variation of of the pushdown that he called "Power Pushes." Done in the manner as described in the following, it emphasized the lateral head of the tricep, making the upper arm appear thicker. It is a potentially severe movement, so work into it slowly:

A wide pushdown or "power push down" as Vince described them are performed as follows:

Grip the tricep pressdown bar (a straight bar, not a V shape) with 12-14 inches between the hands. Use a loose grip. (I prefer no actual grip at all, the bar is cradled in the crook of my thumb and index finger.)

When performing the push down, you keep your elbows wide to the sides (rather then pinned to your side as in a conventional tricep pressdown). The bar only travels up to the lower pec line, versus almost to the chin conventionally. I slightly lean over the bar, with the cable passing very close to one side or the other of my face. (Careful!) Then you press or push straight down, versus the arc of the conventional movement. The elbows stay above the bar at all times.

This movement is for the triceps but also activates the pectorals for me. Heavy weights are possible but need to be obtained very gradually, since the movement can also be severe for the shoulders.

• Dave expanded on his definition in this recent article. Here's the pulley pushdown part:

You want a treat for strong cable training, use the various thick handles: more muscle recruitment, less lost energy, relief from wrist and elbow injury. Don’t ask me why. It’s like the switch on the wall; you flick it and the lights come on. A miracle, I guess.

What is a simple and effective secondary triceps exercise, the pulley pushdown can be creatively modified and executed to extend its worth to a larger portion of the upper-body musculature. Start with the standard close-grip pushdown standing several inches outside the overhead pulley. Draw the moderately loaded handle down and position your elbows near your torso for the first phase of 8 to 10 repetitions -- the upper arms are held rigid against the torso as the hands and forearms move up and down by the strong effort of the triceps. This groove is quite ordinary and the effect on the tris is gratifying, but limited.

Now, take one step back from the starting placement, crouch and lean forward from the hips while retaining the same tightly tucked upper arm position. Complete 4 to 5 reps -- full up and full down -- following the lean of the body. The lean and the distance away from the pulley extends the range of motion, engages a different (and fresh) region of the triceps. We’re burning. Now, take one step forward from the starting placement and with a split leg stance lean into the overhead cable, allowing your upper arms to naturally extend away from the torso. Here you execute another handful of now-brutal reps pushing the handle away from you and toward the cable system you’ve come to adore. There’s nothing left... except the relief -- and finishing reps -- you offer the upper body by stepping back from the machine while extending your arms and upper body in line with the cable system. Feel the stretch.

The triceps have been hit from every angle and the grip is a under heavy load. You can feel the resistance climbing up the forearms, though the burning tris and into the supporting deltoids. The upper torso is hot, sizzling about the serratus and intercostals from the fight for balance and stability as the tris work gallantly. Bend the arms slightly, lean into the resistant cable and extend the arms fully and pull the handles downward and toward your midsection. Arch your weary back in an effort to meet the handle and contract tightly. Repeat the sweeping motion with grace and gratitude for 4 or 5 reps. Done.

This convolution of the pushdown is at once tiring and exhilarating. It takes practice and involvement and once accomplished, the transition through the four subtle yet distinct variations of the movement becomes smooth and controlled. Muscle fatigue is compensated by sufficient muscle-engaging body thrusts to execute and complete the reps. A new level of maximum muscle involvement and exertion is achieved.

I do this as the last set in a triset for forearms: wrist curls (5 sets x 12 reps), thumbs-up curls (10-12 reps) and extended pulley pushdowns (20 some reps).