4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension
How to Do the 4-Point Bodyweight Triceps Press | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS] Beginner
Proper Form & Common Mistakes | Home Resistance Training
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
QUICK DEMO
QUICK DEMO
MUSCLES THIS WORKS
MUSCLES
MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN the 4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension
TRICEPS
OTHER MUSCLES WORKED:
- Anterior deltoid
- Middle and lower trapezius
- Rhomboids
- Serratus anterior
- Latissimus dorsi
- Teres major
- Rotator cuff
- Pec minor
- Core muscles (obliques, transverse abdominis, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae, rectus abdominis, multifidi)
STARTING POINTERS
Starting Pointers
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
ALL WE'RE DOING:
Verrrry similar to push-up which we all know, but keeping those elbows closer to our body.
The 4-point bodyweight triceps extension is a fantastic exercise that targets and tones the triceps while also engaging the core and stabilizing muscles. This bodyweight exercise doesn't require any equipment, making it convenient to do at home or anywhere you have enough space. Get ready to strengthen those triceps for sculpted and strong arms!
This variation of Tricep Extensions is done from the knees, with the hips and knees bent to 90 degrees and the forearms on the floor. This position will decrease the amount of weight on the upper body making it a good beginning exercise. As your form and strength improve, you can progress the movement by moving the knees back further from the hands. If this variation of bodyweight triceps is too difficult, start with the inclined bodyweight tricep extensions.
HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE
LOOKS
HOW the 4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension SHAPE OUR BODY
Balances out biceps in the upper arm, gives upper arm horseshoe definition. Toned core, waist.
PROPER FORM
PROPER FORM: 4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension
EQUIPMENT, SETS & REPS
EQUIPMENT
Mat
SUGGESTED STARTING WEIGHT FOR WOMEN:
None (partial bodyweight).
SETS & REPS:
2 sets of reps to fatigue (complete as many reps as you can with perfect form, take a break, and complete one more set until failure (loss of form).
PACE:
Controlled up and very slow down. It is easy to just relax back down - make sure you are working in both directions.
BODY POSITION
BODY POSITION FOR the 4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension
BODY STANCE: Hands and knees position, with your hips and knees, bent to 90 degrees. Your knees should be about hip-width apart and right under your hips. Neutral spine, open chest. You will need to activate your abdominal muscles to avoid arching your low back.
ARMS: Move your hands up about inline with your ears. Bend your elbows to lower your forearms to the floor. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders.
HAND: Eye/top of head level - wherever they end up when your elbows are right under your shoulders. Palms flat on the floor. Fingers pointing straight ahead. Hands slightly narrower than shoulder width.
HOW TO DO
HOW TO DO the 4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension
CUE: Isolate the movement to your elbow joints. The body is pressed up and lowered down as one unit.
Push down into the floor through your forearms and straighten your elbows to lift your upper body off of the floor.
You will be pivoting on your knees, the position of your hips does not change.
Slowly bend your elbows to lower your forearms back down to the floor.
Perform until you are unable to maintain good form or for the desired reps.
HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE
Use your arms to press back up to kneeling.
COMMON MISTAKES
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT TO AVOID WITH the 4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension
KEY TIP:
Guess what? Good news! Many avoids are the same for most movements. Once you learn the basics, there's really only a few extra avoids for each individual movement.
1. Avoid Elbows Flaring Out
AVOID: Letting the elbows flare out.
WHY NOT?
- This will put the shoulder joint moves into internal rotation, decreasing the space between the top of the shoulder blade (the acromion process of the scapula) and the upper arm bone (humerus).
- Reduces the effectiveness of the exercise - it is more difficult to get full elbow extension at the top of the movement.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep the elbows pointing straight forward.
2. Avoid arching spine
AVOID: Sagging your low back.
WHY NOT?
- If your stomach drops down towards the floor then your low back is sagging.
- This may result in low back injury
- This will decrease the muscle activity of the torso and arms.
WHAT TO DO:
- Activate your abdominals to maintain a neutral spine position.
3. Avoid lifting/tucking chin
AVOID: Tucking or lifting the chin.
WHY NOT?
- Your neck should be in a neutral position and feel lengthened to avoid compressing the joints, straining the muscles.
- The cervical muscles will be strengthened because you are holding the weight of your head in line against gravity - you want to make sure that you are strengthening the muscles in the healthiest position.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep your neck neutral throughout the exercise.
4. Avoid locking elbows
AVOID: Hyperextending or locking the elbows when the arms are out straight - at the end of the movement.
WHY NOT?
- This puts too much force through the joint and may result in long-term damage over time.
- Can stretch the ligaments and tendons that support the joint
- This will decrease muscle activity and rely more on the joint surfaces.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep the elbows slightly bent, even at the end of the movement.
5. Avoid hunching shoulders to ears
AVOID: Letting the shoulders rise up towards the ear (no shoulder shrugging).
WHY NOT?
- Shrugging the shoulders will decrease the activation of the postural muscles (mid and lower back, and core) and activate the upper trapezius and levator muscles.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep the shoulder blades retracted and depressed (down and back) to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder and upper back.
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
WHAT & WHY
BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE triceps
WHAT
If this exercise looks suspiciously like a push-up, you would be right. But we tweak it just a bit to target our triceps more specifically.
A TRICEP EXERCISE WITH NO WEIGHTS! JUST YOUR BODYWEIGHT IS NEEDED. #KEEPLIFESIMPLE
Bodyweight tricep exercises are convenient because they can be done almost anywhere and they do not require any equipment. The exercises are pretty intense - moving your body using just your triceps is pretty demanding, not only for your triceps but also for all of the muscles that stabilize the arm, shoulder, and torso.
Bodyweight exercises are done in a closed chain - meaning that the hand is not free to move during the exercise, this trains the muscles of the arm and shoulder to stabilize the joints by improving the neuromuscular control (the nerve communication to the timing and amount of muscle activation) of the smaller muscles of the joints.
Bodyweight exercises require more balance, stability, and control, incorporating many of the muscles of the legs and torso - making it a nice full-body exercise.
WHY BOTHER DOING IT?
WHY
WHY DO WE EVEN CARE?
MAKES SENSE TO STRENGTHEN THE BIGGEST MUSCLE OF OUR ARM
Working the triceps is important to balance the frequently overtrained/overused biceps muscle.
The triceps is the largest muscle of the upper arm, it accounts for about ⅔ of the muscle bulk of the upper arm. This is especially important when the muscles need to work together to stabilize the joints of the elbow and shoulders. When one of the two muscles is proportionately stronger than the other - it can cause poor alignment at the elbow or shoulder joint, putting it at a higher risk for injury. It is smart to include a few bodyweight exercises in your program.
Arm exercises that work the muscles of the legs, torso, and upper body to stabilize the body as the arms work will improve your ability to safely lift, push and pull heavier objects for a longer period of time without injury. Training the muscles with bodyweight exercises teaches the whole body to work together, this is really important for many daily activities - pushing a heavy stroller, wheelchair, grocery cart, lawnmower, putting heavy boxes overhead, working overhead - painting, changing light bulbs, cleaning.
IMPROVE ABILITY WITH LOTS OF OTHER EXERCISES
Many other exercises, especially core exercises we do at Inspireful Women, involve using the triceps to some degree. The more we can strengthen the arms- triceps, biceps, shoulders & upper back muscles, the more we can progress the core exercises. Sometimes it's our arms that are a limiting factor
EVERYDAY LIFE
EVERYDAY LIFE &
MUSCLE FUNCTION
HOW WE USE OUR tricep MUSCLES IN EVERYDAY LIFE
1. STRAIGHTENS (EXTENDS) THE ELBOW (ALL THREE HEADS)
- Pushing an object overhead
- Pushing a door open or shut
- Chopping - swinging down
- Hammering - swinging down
- Sawing - pushing out
- Throwing a ball overhand
- Swatting a fly
2. THE LONG HEAD PULLS THE ARM DOWN WHEN IT IS OVERHEAD (SHOULDER EXTENSION)
- Pulling a cord to open a curtain
- Pulling a window down to shut it
3. ALL THREE HEADS HELP TO HOLD THE ELBOW JOINT STILL (JOINT STABILIZATION), AND THE LONG HEAD HELPS TO HOLD THE SHOULDER JOINT STILL
- Writing
- Pushing a stroller or grocery cart
- Using a screwdriver or knife
- Knitting
- Replacing a ceiling lightbulb
HOW TO FEEL WHAT MUSCLE IS WORKING
How to Feel What Muscle is Working
To feel your triceps activated:
- Lift your arm in front of you and set your hand and forearm on a table or counter.
- Put your other hand on the back of your upper arm.
- Press down with your hand resting on the surface.
- press down as if you were trying to straighten just your elbow;
- press down as if you were trying to pull your upper arm down to your side. In both cases, you should feel your triceps working.
SCIENCY STUFF
ALLLL MUSCLES & WHEN
ALL MUSCLES WORKING & WHEN DURING the 4-point Bodyweight Triceps Extension
The core and hip muscles will work to stabilize the body during the movement. The scapular and back muscles (rhomboids, mid and lower traps, serratus anterior, pec minor, lat, teres major) work to hold the shoulder blades together and down as the elbow bends and straightens with each rep.
The movement begins as the triceps (and anconeus) work concentrically to straighten the elbows and press the weight of the body up. The same muscles work eccentrically when the elbows bend, to control the weight of the body as it is lowered down.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
