How many sets and reps of the bench bodyweight triceps extension should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, choosing a foot position close enough to the bar that you can complete every rep with a straight body line. Progress by walking the feet back an inch or two at a time rather than by adding external weight.

How do I make the bench bodyweight triceps extension easier or harder?

Walk your feet closer to the bar or bench to put less of your bodyweight on your arms, or move them farther back to load more; raising your hands onto a higher bar has the same easing effect as stepping closer.

What is the bench bodyweight triceps extension good for?

It's a strong equipment-free triceps builder and a good bridge toward heavier extension work for anyone without dumbbells or a cable station. It's a poor fit if your wrists or elbows already hurt in a bent-arm plank position, since your full bodyweight rests through both joints.

Intermediate

Bench Bodyweight Triceps Extension

By leaning into a fixed bar and hinging only at the elbows, you turn your bodyweight into a skull crusher you can do with no added weight. The more horizontal your body, the harder it gets, so you can scale the difficulty just by moving your feet. It's a superb equipment-free triceps builder and a strong bridge toward heavier extension work.

Equipment: Bench
Body part: Triceps
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head
Browse by movement: Elbow Extension

How to do it

1
Set a barbell in a rack or brace your hands on the edge of a sturdy bench at about waist height.
2
Grip it shoulder width and walk your feet back so your body is angled and straight.
3
Brace your core and glutes so your body holds a rigid line from head to heels.
4
Bend only at the elbows to lower your forehead toward the bar.
5
Descend until your head passes just under the bar and the triceps stretch.
6
Extend the elbows to press your body back up to the start, then repeat.

Tips

Keep the elbows pointing forward and close, not flaring out to the sides.
Hold a rigid plank; don't let the hips sag or pike as you tire.
Walk the feet closer to the bar to make it easier or farther back to make it harder.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips sag toward the floor as the set gets hard, turning a straight-line skull crusher into a loose hinge at the waist.
Flaring the elbows out to the sides trades the triceps-only bend for a chest-dominant dip pattern.
Walking the feet too far back before you're ready loads more bodyweight than your elbows can lower under control.
The head stops well above the bar on a shortened rep, skipping the stretch that makes this variation worth doing.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the bench bodyweight triceps extension should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, choosing a foot position close enough to the bar that you can complete every rep with a straight body line. Progress by walking the feet back an inch or two at a time rather than by adding external weight.
How do I make the bench bodyweight triceps extension easier or harder?: Walk your feet closer to the bar or bench to put less of your bodyweight on your arms, or move them farther back to load more; raising your hands onto a higher bar has the same easing effect as stepping closer.
What is the bench bodyweight triceps extension good for?: It's a strong equipment-free triceps builder and a good bridge toward heavier extension work for anyone without dumbbells or a cable station. It's a poor fit if your wrists or elbows already hurt in a bent-arm plank position, since your full bodyweight rests through both joints.

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