How is this different from a diamond push-up?

A Diamond Push-Up is a compound press that bends at the shoulders and elbows and works the chest and front shoulders alongside the triceps. The kneeling triceps extension moves almost only at the elbow, so it puts the triceps under more direct load.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Bring the knees closer to the hands or keep more weight back over the knees to make it easier, or do the same movement standing with your hands on a wall or bench. Walking the knees farther back, leaning more weight over the forearms, and eventually lifting the knees into a plank make it harder.

Is this the same as a tiger bend push-up?

No. A tiger bend push-up starts from a full plank on the toes and links a forearm plank to a push-up, which makes it a much harder compound movement. The kneeling triceps extension builds the forearms-to-hands strength that the tiger bend needs.

How many reps should I do?

Most people train it for 8 to 15 controlled reps per set. Once you can do more than 15 with clean form, move the knees back or progress to the plank-position version rather than adding more reps.

Can I do this if my elbows are sensitive?

Often you can, as long as the elbows are warm and you lower slowly with the knees close enough to keep the load manageable. If the elbows still ache during or after the set, switch to a lighter triceps exercise such as the TRX Triceps Extension at a more upright angle.

Bodyweight Kneeling Triceps Extension

What Is the Bodyweight Kneeling Triceps Extension?

Bodyweight Kneeling Triceps Extension is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the shoulders, serratus anterior and core as stabilizers. It is an intermediate-level movement performed on the floor from hands and knees: you start with your forearms flat on the floor and press through your palms until your arms are straight, lifting your upper body with nothing but elbow extension.

The movement works like a skull crusher turned upside down. Instead of moving a weight toward your head, your hands stay planted and your body travels over them, so your own body weight is the load. Because your arms reach forward of your head, the triceps work with the shoulder raised in front of the body, a position that keeps the long head involved along with the lateral and medial heads.

The exercise is a practical way to train the triceps directly when no dumbbells, cables or bars are available, and it fits at the end of an upper body or push session once the elbows are warm. It is also a stepping stone to harder bodyweight triceps work such as the plank-position extension, where the knees come off the floor, and the tiger bend push-up, which links a forearm plank to a full push-up.

Difficulty is easy to adjust. Kneeling closer to your hands and keeping your hips back makes it lighter, while walking the knees farther back or leaning more of your weight forward over your forearms makes it harder. If pressing up from the floor is too much at first, build triceps strength with a narrow-hand Kneeling Push-Up or with the more adjustable TRX Triceps Extension, where a more upright body angle reduces the load.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Primary
Deltoid: Medium
Serratus Anterior: Medium
Pectoralis Major: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
External Oblique: Minimal

Instructions

Kneel on a mat on your hands and knees, with your knees about hip-width apart and the tops of your feet on the floor.
Lower onto your forearms and set them flat on the floor, parallel and about shoulder-width apart, with your palms down and fingers pointing forward.
Shift your weight forward so your hips move ahead of your knees, your head sits low between your hands and your elbows are under your shoulders.
Brace your abs and keep your back flat from hips to head.
Press your palms into the floor and straighten your elbows, lifting your forearms off the floor while your hands stay in place.
Keep your elbows pointing back toward your knees, not out to the sides, as you press.
Finish with your arms straight and your hands in front of your shoulders, without pushing your hips back toward your heels.
Bend your elbows slowly to lower your forearms back to the floor under control.
Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Common Mistakes

Flaring the elbows
Letting the elbows drift out to the sides turns the movement into a press and shifts work from the triceps to the chest and shoulders.
Rocking the hips back
Pushing the hips back toward the heels to get up moves body weight off the hands and lets the legs do the work the triceps should be doing.
Sagging through the midsection
Letting the lower back arch and the hips drop leaves the trunk loose and makes each rep less stable.
Dropping onto the forearms
Falling back to the floor instead of lowering slowly skips the eccentric phase and jars the elbows.
Cutting the range short
Stopping before the forearms reach the floor or before the arms straighten reduces the stretch and the contraction the triceps get each rep.
Kneeling too far back too soon
Starting with the knees far behind the hips loads the elbows beyond what you can control and usually leads to shortened, sloppy reps.

Injuries

Bodyweight Kneeling Triceps Extension is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The knees stay on the floor and the forearms land on the floor at the bottom, so there is little to fall from, but the elbows carry a large share of your body weight while deeply bent, and the wrists bear load once the arms straighten.

The elbows are the most common complaint, usually as aching around the back of the joint where the triceps tendon attaches. Do the exercise after the elbows are warm from other pressing work, lower under control rather than dropping onto your forearms, and keep the elbows pointing back instead of flaring out. Kneel on a mat so the forearms and knees are not pressed into a hard floor.

Wrist pain at the top of the rep usually means the palms are taking too much weight in extension. Spread the fingers, press through the whole hand and avoid shifting far forward over the hands at lockout. If the full kneeling version is too heavy, move the knees closer to the hands, perform the movement standing with your hands against a wall or a sturdy bench, or use the TRX Triceps Extension, where body angle sets the load. To progress, walk the knees back, then move to the plank-position version with the knees off the floor.

Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the elbow or wrist, pain that lingers after training, or numbness or tingling in the hands. Persistent elbow pain with triceps work is worth having assessed by a qualified clinician before continuing.

Overview

Primary Focus: Triceps
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from a diamond push-up?: A Diamond Push-Up is a compound press that bends at the shoulders and elbows and works the chest and front shoulders alongside the triceps. The kneeling triceps extension moves almost only at the elbow, so it puts the triceps under more direct load.
Q: How do I make it easier or harder?: Bring the knees closer to the hands or keep more weight back over the knees to make it easier, or do the same movement standing with your hands on a wall or bench. Walking the knees farther back, leaning more weight over the forearms, and eventually lifting the knees into a plank make it harder.
Q: Is this the same as a tiger bend push-up?: No. A tiger bend push-up starts from a full plank on the toes and links a forearm plank to a push-up, which makes it a much harder compound movement. The kneeling triceps extension builds the forearms-to-hands strength that the tiger bend needs.
Q: How many reps should I do?: Most people train it for 8 to 15 controlled reps per set. Once you can do more than 15 with clean form, move the knees back or progress to the plank-position version rather than adding more reps.
Q: Can I do this if my elbows are sensitive?: Often you can, as long as the elbows are warm and you lower slowly with the knees close enough to keep the load manageable. If the elbows still ache during or after the set, switch to a lighter triceps exercise such as the TRX Triceps Extension at a more upright angle.