Body-Up
Also works: Abdominals · Forearms
From a forearm plank you press up onto your palms one hand at a time, then lower back to the elbows. The triceps have to extend the elbow against most of your bodyweight while your trunk refuses to rotate, which makes it an elbow extension drill and an anti-rotation plank inside the same rep.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Set up in a forearm plank with elbows directly under your shoulders and forearms parallel, about shoulder-width apart.
- Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs so you are one straight line from heel to head before anything moves.
- Set your feet a little wider than hip-width - that extra base is what stops your hips rotating when one arm presses up.
- Work on a mat or a soft surface. Bare elbows on gym rubber will end the set well before your triceps do.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Exhale as you press up, inhale as you lower back to the forearms. One second up, two seconds down, and never hold your breath long enough to lose the brace.
Before you load it
- If the top position hurts your wrists, press onto fists or parallel handles instead of flat palms. The movement does not require an extended wrist.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Bodyweight only - the load is set by your body angle. Put hands and elbows on a bench to take weight off, and move to the floor once you can do 10 clean reps per side elevated. Make it harder by bringing your feet closer together, not by adding reps until the set turns into conditioning.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Widen your stance and slow to two seconds per press. If the hips still rotate, drop to a knees-down version until the trunk can hold still under the alternating load.
Squeeze the glutes hard and pull your ribs down before the first press, then hold that brace for the whole set rather than resetting it rep by rep.
Cap the set at 6-10 controlled reps per side. The moment the descent becomes a drop onto the elbow, the set is finished.
Plant the palm directly under the shoulder, in the same spot the elbow occupied, so the upper arm stays close to your ribs and the triceps keeps the job.
Why bother
The triceps rarely get loaded with bodyweight in a horizontal position. Here the elbow is the only joint doing useful work: the hand is fixed on the floor and your whole body swings up around it, so the resistance is a real fraction of what you weigh rather than whatever plate happened to be free.
The second half of the job is the plank. Pressing one side up before the other sends a rotational torque through your pelvis, and holding that still is what makes the drill worth more than a set of pushdowns. If your hips see-saw, you are training the plank badly and the triceps barely at all.
Where it fits
Late in a push session, or on a day with no equipment at all. Two or three sets of 6-10 per side is enough. It never loads heavily enough to be your main triceps work, and the elbow and wrist contact turn unpleasant long before the muscle actually fails.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
Asked and answered
Is this enough triceps work on its own?
No. Even at bodyweight the load tops out somewhere a moderate dumbbell would beat, and the trunk usually quits before the arms do. Treat it as an accessory or a travel option and keep a loaded extension - a skullcrusher or an overhead extension - as your main triceps lift.
Why do my forearms burn more than my triceps?
Because the hand and forearm are stabilising your whole body on a small base. Some of that is unavoidable, but if the forearm gives out at rep four you are probably gripping through the fingers. Spread the palm flat and push through the heel of the hand, under the base of the thumb and little finger.
Can I do these from my knees?
Yes, and it is the right regression. Knees down shortens the lever, cuts the load and removes most of the rotational torque, which lets you learn the hand placement before the trunk demand arrives. Move to your toes once you can do 12 clean reps per side.
Do my abs get much out of it?
More than a static plank held for the same time, because the alternating press adds a rotational force your obliques have to cancel on every rep. It is still not a replacement for loaded trunk work like a weighted carry or an ab wheel rollout.