Triceps Press (low bar position)
- Target muscle
- —
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Body part
- Upper Arms
- Type
- Strength
The triceps press in the low bar position is a bodyweight strength exercise that targets the triceps brachii — the muscles along the back of the upper arms — by using a bar set at roughly hip height as resistance. You lean your body forward at a diagonal, grip the bar with hands shoulder-width apart, and press through a controlled bend-and-extend of the elbows. Adjusting your body angle and foot position lets you increase or decrease the load without any additional equipment.
How to do the Triceps Press (low bar position)
- 1Set a barbell in a rack, or find a fixed bar, at roughly hip height — the lower the bar, the more of your bodyweight you will press.
- 2Stand facing the bar and grip it with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart, arms fully extended.
- 3Walk your feet back until your body forms a diagonal line from head to heels, with your weight shifted onto your hands; keep your body completely straight and your core braced.
- 4Tuck your elbows in close to your sides — they should travel straight back toward your hips, not flare out to the sides.
- 5Bend your elbows to lower your chest and upper arms toward the bar in a controlled descent, keeping the rest of your body rigid.
- 6Stop when your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, or when your chest is just above the bar — whichever comes first.
- 7Press through your palms to extend your elbows and return to the starting position, squeezing the triceps at full extension.
- 8Repeat for the desired number of reps, then step forward to release the bar.
Form tips
- Keep your elbows pinned close to your torso throughout the movement — allowing them to flare wide shifts effort away from the triceps and onto the shoulders.
- Maintain a perfectly straight body line from ankles to head; any hip sagging or piking changes the load distribution and stresses the lower back.
- Control the descent — aim for a two-count down and a one-count up rather than dropping and bouncing off the bar.
- To make the exercise harder, walk your feet further back to increase the angle; to make it easier, step your feet closer to the bar to reduce the angle.
- Breathe in as you lower toward the bar and exhale forcefully as you press back up.
Common mistakes
- Flaring the elbows out to the sides during the press, which recruits the chest and shoulders rather than isolating the triceps and can stress the elbow joint.
- Letting the hips sag or the lower back arch as fatigue sets in, which removes tension from the triceps and loads the spine unnecessarily.
- Using a bar height that is too high, which reduces the effective load to the point where the exercise provides minimal stimulus — the bar should be at or below hip height.
- Bouncing off the bar at the bottom of the movement rather than achieving a full eccentric stretch under control, which reduces time under tension and increases the risk of elbow strain.
- Rushing through reps with momentum instead of deliberate elbow flexion and extension, which diminishes triceps engagement and masks form breakdowns.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the triceps press in the low bar position work?
The primary target is the triceps brachii, the three-headed muscle on the back of the upper arm responsible for elbow extension. The anterior deltoid and pectoralis major act as minor stabilizers, but the close-elbow path keeps the focus firmly on the triceps.
How is the low bar triceps press different from a regular push-up?
A standard push-up uses a wide, flared-elbow position that loads the chest heavily and the triceps secondarily. The low bar triceps press uses a narrow, tucked-elbow position and an inclined body angle that shifts almost all the work to the triceps brachii while minimizing chest involvement.
How do I make the low bar triceps press harder or easier without changing equipment?
Walk your feet further back from the bar to increase the angle of your body relative to the ground — this means more of your bodyweight is loaded through your arms, making the movement harder. Step your feet closer to the bar to reduce the angle and lighten the load. No additional weight is needed.
Can I do this exercise if I cannot do full dips or close-grip push-ups yet?
Yes — the low bar position is one of the best regression points for building triceps strength before advancing to dips or close-grip push-ups. Because you can adjust the angle, you can start with a relatively upright stance and progressively increase the lean as your strength improves.
How many sets and reps should I do for the low bar triceps press?
For strength development, 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps at an angle that makes the last two reps genuinely hard is a practical starting point. Rest 60–90 seconds between sets. Adjust the bar height or body angle rather than the rep range to control difficulty.
