Arms · Triceps extension
Cross-Cable Triceps Extension
The Cross-Cable Triceps Extension mainly trains your triceps.
Both cables
Stable
How to do it
- Stand centered: left hand takes the right cable, right hand takes the left
- Elbows at your sides, forearms crossed in front of your chest
- Extend both arms down and out
- Return slowly until your hands cross again
Coach’s tip
The signature exercise for a dual cable machine: each arm extends outward exactly along its natural line, and you don’t need any attachments. Skipping the handles and gripping the rubber stop ball at the end of the cable is often even more comfortable for the wrists.
Setup
Pulley
Both pulleys at the top
Grip
Single handles, crossed over (or hold the cable ends directly)
Load
Both cables
Needs two cable towers
Stability
A bench, the floor or the frame takes the counterforce, or the cable pulls straight up or down. Good for heavy sets.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (triceps extension). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Cross-Cable Triceps Extension work?
Mainly the triceps.
How do I set up the cable machine for the Cross-Cable Triceps Extension?
Pulley: Both pulleys at the top. Grip: Single handles, crossed over (or hold the cable ends directly).
Can I do the Cross-Cable Triceps Extension on a single cable tower?
Not like this. The Cross-Cable Triceps Extension needs both cables at once, so two towers. If you set up DCFT for one tower, the app leaves it out of your plan and uses exercises such as Rope Triceps Pushdown and Overhead Triceps Extension instead.
What can I do instead of the Cross-Cable Triceps Extension?
For the same movement: Rope Triceps Pushdown, Overhead Triceps Extension and Bar Triceps Pushdown. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Cross-Cable Triceps Extension in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.