For triceps growth
For triceps growth, overhead cable extension rates well ahead on our research criteria: more stretch, more of the work on the triceps.
Single-arm cable pushdown is easier on the joints.
Both are good choices, and they train the triceps differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Overhead Cable Extension. Overhead extensions grew the triceps about 1.4× more than the arm-at-side version in a 12-week study.
Single-Arm Cable Pushdown. One arm at a time with steady tension. Joint-friendly, with less stretch than overhead work.
For triceps growth, overhead cable extension rates well ahead on our research criteria: more stretch, more of the work on the triceps. Single-arm cable pushdown is easier on the joints. Both are good choices, and they train the triceps differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Overhead cable extension needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Single-arm cable pushdown needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Single-arm cable pushdown: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for overhead cable extension.