Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Bodyweight Kneeling Triceps Extension: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The bodyweight kneeling triceps extension is a bodyweight exercise that targets the triceps, with secondary emphasis on the shoulders and chest. It involves lowering your body by bending the elbows while keeping the core engaged and then pressing back up to the starting position.

Primary muscles
Triceps
Secondary muscles
Chest , Shoulders
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the bodyweight kneeling triceps extension
Front view: muscles worked by the bodyweight kneeling triceps extension. Primary: triceps. Secondary: chest and shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by the bodyweight kneeling triceps extension. Primary: triceps. Secondary: chest and shoulders.
Primary Secondary

How to do the bodyweight kneeling triceps extension

  1. Step 1: Kneel down on the ground with your knees hip-width apart.
  2. Step 2: Place your hands on the ground in front of you, shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing forward.
  3. Step 3: Extend your legs straight behind you, balancing on your toes and hands, forming a straight line from head to heels.
  4. Step 4: Bend your elbows and lower your upper body towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
  5. Step 5: Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your hands to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the bodyweight kneeling triceps extension by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Bodyweight Kneeling Triceps Extension alternatives

More exercises that train the triceps as their main target:

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.