Triceps Press (low bar position)
Strengthen your triceps and improve upper body pushing power with the low bar triceps press. Master this effective bodyweight exercise for stronger arms.
Description
A weight training exercise targeting the triceps muscles, performed using a bar in low position.
How to Do Triceps Press (low bar position)
- 1Setup
Set a horizontal bar (like a Smith machine bar or sturdy rack bar) to a low height, typically between your hip and waist level, depending on your strength.
- 2Setup
Stand facing the bar and grasp it with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart, ensuring your arms are fully extended.
- 3Setup
Step back until your body is at an incline, forming a straight line from your head to your heels, with your weight supported by your toes and hands.
- 4
Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows, lowering your chest towards the bar while keeping your elbows tucked close to your body and pointing straight back.
- 5
Continue lowering until your triceps are fully stretched and your chest is close to the bar, maintaining a rigid torso.
- 6
Exhale and powerfully extend your elbows, pushing your body back up to the starting position, maintaining that rigid body line throughout the press.
Tips
- Maintain a rigid plank position throughout the entire movement, actively engaging your core and glutes to prevent any hip sagging or piking.
- Keep your elbows pointing straight back and tucked close to your sides during both the descent and ascent to maximize triceps activation and minimize shoulder strain.
- Adjust the bar height to modify the exercise difficulty: a lower bar increases the body's incline, making the exercise harder, while a higher bar makes it easier.
- Focus on a controlled eccentric (lowering) phase, taking 2-3 seconds to descend, to increase time under tension and enhance muscle growth.
Common Mistakes
- ×Flaring elbows out wide reduces triceps engagement and places unnecessary stress on the shoulder joints; always keep your elbows tucked close to your body.
- ×Sagging hips or piking the glutes compromises core stability and diminishes the exercise's effectiveness; maintain a straight body line from your head to your heels.
- ×Using momentum to push up diminishes the targeted triceps work; focus on a controlled, deliberate press using only your triceps to extend your elbows.
Variations
Triceps Press
Master the bodyweight triceps press to build strong, defined triceps. This effective exercise uses your own bodyweight to challenge your upper arms,
Triceps Press (Head Below Bench)
Challenge your triceps with this bodyweight press, positioning your head below the bench for increased range of motion and muscle activation.
Triceps Press (high bar position)
Strengthen your triceps with the high bar triceps press. This bodyweight exercise effectively builds arm strength and muscle endurance.
Related Exercises
Barbell Lying Close grip Triceps Extension
Perform barbell lying close grip triceps extensions to effectively isolate and build strength in all three heads of your triceps for powerful arms.
Barbell Seated Overhead Triceps Extension
Strengthen your triceps with the Barbell Seated Overhead Triceps Extension. This isolation exercise targets all three heads of the triceps for sculpted
Triceps Dip on High Parallel Bars
Master the triceps dip on high parallel bars to build powerful triceps and upper body strength. This compound exercise effectively targets arm extension.
Weighted Triceps Dip on High Parallel Bars
Master the weighted triceps dip on high parallel bars to build incredible upper body strength. Add resistance for advanced triceps development.
Assisted Standing Triceps Dip
Build triceps strength with machine assistance that lets you focus on proper dip form at a manageable load.
Body Up
Master this advanced bodyweight move that combines a pull-up with a dip for complete upper-body strength.
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