Suspension triceps extension
A falling-forward extension against the straps. Triceps work with no weights, where your elbows stay high and your body stays straight.
The movement
Arms straight ahead
01 Arms straight ahead
Facing away from the anchor, lean forward onto straight arms in one line from heels to head.
02 Head between the hands
Let the elbows bend so the head travels forward between your hands; the upper arms stay put.
How to do it
Setup
- Face away from the anchor with a handle in each hand, palms facing down, straps at chest height.
- Walk your feet back and lean forward onto the straps with your arms straight ahead of you.
- Squeeze your glutes so your body is one line from heels to head.
Execution
- Let your elbows bend so your head travels forward and down between your hands.
- Stop when your hands are beside your ears and your upper arms still point forward.
- Press back to straight arms by straightening your elbows only.
BreathingInhale as you lower forward, exhale as you press back to straight.
Form cues
- Your upper arms stay fixed; only your forearms move.
- Fall forward as one piece, then press back with your triceps.
Common mistakes
- Folding at the hips to help the press, which removes most of the load.
- Letting your elbows flare wide, which turns it into a sloppy press.
- Leaning too far forward before your triceps can hold the position.
Worth knowing
- Your elbow is at the end of a long lever at the bottom of this. Reduce the lean if you feel the joint rather than the muscle.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The triceps make up two thirds of your upper arm and finish every press you do, and they are almost impossible to train on their own without equipment. Push-up variations load them but always share the work with the chest. This is the rare bodyweight movement that asks the elbow to straighten and nothing else.
Everything depends on holding your upper arms still. The exercise works because your elbows keep pointing forward while your forearms swing through a long arc. The moment your shoulder joins in, it becomes a press and your triceps stop being the limit. The failure is easy to see. Your hips fold, your body bends, and your head stops travelling as far.
It gets hard faster than it looks. Leaning forward puts your hands well in front of your shoulders, and the leverage at the bottom is unforgiving, so a foot position that feels reasonable for a strap row will be far too hard here. Start closer to upright than you expect and take small steps back over several sessions.
If your elbows complain instead of your triceps, the fix is almost always less lean and a slower descent. This is accessory work, and no version of it is worth training through joint pain.