How to do the Machine Triceps Extension
Step by step
- Set the seat and grip the handles with your elbows resting on the pad.
- Keep your upper arms planted and your back against the seat.
- Straighten your elbows to press the handles down and away from you.
- Squeeze your triceps at the bottom, then return slowly under control.
The thing people get wrong
Keep your elbows pinned on the pad and move only your forearms - letting your shoulders or body lean into the press takes the work off the triceps.
Coaching cue
Straighten your arms fully and pause a beat before letting the handles come back.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Triceps
What to do instead
Same job, different movement — useful if you don't have the equipment or it doesn't feel right today.
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.