Body Tricep Press
The body tricep press is a kneeling push-up variation with your hands set close together, which shifts most of the work onto your triceps instead of your chest. You lower your chest toward your hands and press back up through a short, controlled range. It's a beginner-friendly way to build real triceps strength using nothing but your own bodyweight.
Why it works
Bringing your hands close together and keeping your elbows tucked against your ribs narrows the angle your arms work through, shifting the load away from your chest and onto your triceps to extend the elbow. Kneeling shortens the lever your arms have to move, which is what keeps this version accessible at a beginner level compared to a full close-grip push-up. Your triceps do almost all the pressing work here, since the narrow hand position and short range limit how much your chest and shoulders can contribute.
Set up
- Kneel on a mat and cross your ankles behind you.
- Place your hands on the floor close together, directly under your chest.
- Set your body in a straight line from your head through your knees.
How to do it
- Bend your elbows straight back, keeping them tucked close to your ribs.
- Lower your chest toward your hands under control.
- Stop just before your chest touches your hands.
- Press back up by extending your elbows, driving through your palms.
- Keep your hips level with your shoulders and knees throughout.
Form cues
- Keep your elbows tucked, not flared out to the sides.
- Don't let your hips sag or pike up.
- Move through a short, controlled range, not a bounce.
Breathing: Inhale as you lower toward your hands, exhale as you press back up.
Common mistakes
Letting the elbows flare out to the sides.
Fix: Keep your elbows brushing your ribs on the way down; that's what keeps the work on your triceps instead of your shoulders.
Letting the hips sag toward the floor.
Fix: Brace your core and keep a straight line from your head to your knees for the whole set.
How to program it
- This works well early in an upper-body session, before your triceps are fatigued from other pressing work.
- Two or three sets of 8 to 12 reps is a solid starting point.
- Two or three days a week is fine for this movement, since it's a light bodyweight isolation exercise rather than a heavy compound lift.
Safety notes
- Stop if you feel sharp pain in your wrists; keep your hands flat and your weight centered over your palms rather than your fingertips.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Push
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any equipment for the body tricep press?
No. It only uses your bodyweight and a mat, which makes it an easy exercise to fit in anywhere.
How is this different from a regular push-up?
The hands are set closer together and the range is shorter, which shifts more of the work onto your triceps and less onto your chest.
What if I can't lower very far yet?
That's normal when you're starting out. Lower only as far as you can control, and let the range grow naturally as your triceps get stronger.
What's a good next step once this feels easy?
Bench dips or a full close-grip push-up both add more range and load once the kneeling version feels manageable.