A tiny band and a tight press for a surprising triceps burn.
Keep your elbows pinned and spread the band as you lock out to peak the squeeze.
With elbows pinned to your sides, pressing your hands down and apart is pure elbow extension, and the band's resistance climbs to its maximum exactly at lockout, where the triceps finish the job. It borrows the pattern of a cable pressdown without needing the stack, and the spread-apart finish adds a squeeze normal pressdowns never give you. Small kit, strict form, surprising pump.
The cable loads the whole rep evenly and goes heavy, the band saves its worst for lockout where triceps finish. Use cables for progressive loading and the band for pump work, warmups, and training anywhere.
Either works, wrists keep your grip out of it entirely, hands let you adjust tension by choking up on the loop. Pick whichever keeps the band flat and your wrists neutral.
Flaring recruits your shoulders and chest to help, which is exactly the cheat to avoid. Pin the elbows to your ribs and think of the forearms as the only moving parts.
