Reverse push-ups: a great triceps exercise without dumbbells

The reverse triceps push-up is a common exercise. Many consider it a “beginner version” of parallel bars, but biomechanically it is a different movement. It includes the medial and lateral heads of the triceps. The exercise is often used as an auxiliary exercise in strength sports, and even more often in fitness, because it is accessible to beginners and can be used by fairly advanced people too.

The exercise helps to diversify your training, which allows you not to get bored if you are a fitness specialist, and to achieve better muscle development if you are a bodybuilder. It is also suitable for home training; you just need to sit on the sofa and take the starting position. The exercise can be done on a park bench too. In general, it is universal and can be used in both sports and physical education training.

The exercise is considered simple, but has several technical nuances, ignoring which can lead to a person simply wasting time rather than training his triceps.

What muscles are used by reverse push-ups?

As I said earlier, reverse push-ups are aimed at developing the muscles of the arm. Namely triceps.

This exercise uses all three heads:

• Lateral. Outer head of triceps.
• Long. Located in the middle. In reverse push-ups we can stretch it properly
• Medial. Inner head. Is the smallest. But at the same time it takes on most of the load.

Additional muscles are also included:

• Breasts. They work especially well in the negative phase. That is, they lowered the bodies down in time. In this position they will stretch as much as possible.
• Anterior delta. The position of this muscle must be constantly monitored. Beginners have stiffer deltoids. And this means they are more difficult to stretch. And until they become elastic, there is a high risk of injury to this muscle group.

reverse push-ups
And of course, don’t forget about the muscles that work statically (without movement).

• Forearm. I will not describe each one, since the forearm has a little less than 20 muscles in its arsenal. And almost all of them are involved in reverse push-ups. Thanks to them, our hands are fixed.
• Abdominal muscles. We are talking about the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles. They fix our spine and prevent the body from tilting forward.
• Back. This includes the rhomboids, erector spinae, lats, and trapezius. All these muscles allow us to keep our back straight. And they make it possible to isolate the pectoral muscles and exclude the inclusion of the anterior delta. This happens due to the convergence of the shoulder blades. As a result, the chest moves forward and the shoulders go back.

As you can see, it seems like a simple exercise. But at the same time it involves almost the whole body.

What's the point

Reverse triceps push-ups, or dips on bench, or “dips” are an exercise that is performed using a bench. Depending on the execution options, it can be aimed at developing strength and mass, endurance or muscle tone.

By doing push-ups, men can get beautiful, voluminous and strong arms, and women can get toned triceps. The exercise can be performed in any conditions. The idea is to use your own weight or additional weights to push up from a bench or bar located behind your body.

Pros and cons of reverse push-ups

I will not tire of repeating that this exercise is very effective. And it has more advantages.

pros

• Involves three triceps bundles at once. This allows us to reduce training time. Since one exercise will be enough to adequately load the triceps muscle.
• Due to the wide variety of execution variations, it can be performed by athletes of any level of training. From beginner to professional.
• Availability of the exercise. No special equipment is required to perform it. Therefore, you can do it anywhere: at home, in the gym and on the street.
• The triceps are under constant tension both in the positive and negative phases.
• It's very easy to add weights. Its role can be played by: a weight, a barbell, a pancake or a simple bottle. For those who train at home or outside. As a weight, you can use a regular briefcase filled with bottles of water or sand.
• If you perform reverse push-ups on a consistent basis, you can increase the width of your chest.
• A large number of stabilizer muscles also work. Which we cannot use in any isolated triceps exercise.
• It is a good replacement for dips. Therefore, if for any reason you cannot perform them. Then feel free to use reverse push-ups.

As you can see, the list of advantages is quite significant. So I don't understand why this exercise is starting to go out of fashion. After all, no one has yet invented anything better than basic exercises. And it doesn’t matter whether the athlete uses pharmacology or you try to achieve everything on your own. If you're looking for an effective triceps exercise, this is it!

Of course, as I always say, every exercise has its downsides.

Minuses

• I already talked about this. That this exercise is dangerous for your deltoids. Therefore, you should not immediately grab a lot of weight. Give your muscles time to become more elastic. And then you will not be bothered by injuries.

Push-up training program

Execution options

For ease of understanding of this topic. I will describe variations of the exercise from the simplest one that beginners should start with. And I’ll end with something more complicated.

Reverse push-ups

Reverse push-ups
This is the simplest option that will allow our triceps to get stronger and move to the next level. It is performed from the floor. In order to start the exercise, we must take the starting position. To do this, we sit on the floor. We rest our hands on the floor so that our fingers point in the direction of our heels. We bend our legs at the knee joint, and rest our feet on the floor. Straighten your arms completely. The back is straight, the shoulder blades are brought together. From this position we begin to perform the exercise. Of course, the amplitude will be small, since the distance from the pelvis to the floor is very small. But you can increase it a little. For this purpose, special push-up supports are used. If they are missing, then kettlebells or dumbbells will do. We will rest our hands on them. In general, experiment and choose the equipment that is more convenient for you. You can also fully straighten your legs and press your heels into the floor. This will complicate the exercise and even with a small amplitude, it will be possible to load the triceps more. This option will help you practice the technique of the exercise and I would advise beginners to start with it.

Dear girls, pay attention to this option. Thanks to this exercise, you can give your hands a more trained look. And don't worry, your triceps won't get as big as men's.

Reverse push-ups with feet on the floor

Reverse push-ups from a bench with feet on the floor
This is a more complex variation of reverse push-ups. Due to the fact that we will rest our hands not on the floor, but on the bench. Well, or any other elevation: a bench, chair, sofa or low horizontal bar. Our range of motion will increase. And we will be able to use the full potential of our triceps. But do not forget about the risk of injuring the delta! Therefore, you should go down until you begin to experience pain in your shoulders. If you feel it, then this is your maximum depth of movement. In order to perform this option, we need a bench press bench. Sometimes they use a step platform, but in my opinion it has a very small height. And therefore the exercise will not be very different from push-ups. Set up a bench. Sit on it and rest your palms on the edge closest to you. The toes are turned towards the heels. Straighten your arms completely and move your body forward a little so that when you bend your arms, you can lower yourself down. As for the position of the legs, the same principle applies. You can bend them at the knee joint and rest your feet on the floor. This placement of the legs will make it easier to perform the exercise, due to the fact that they will take part of the weight of your body onto themselves. If you want to complicate the exercise, then straighten your legs and rest your heels on the floor. You will immediately notice the difference.

Reverse arm and leg push-ups on a bench

Reverse arm and leg push-ups on a bench
And of course, the most difficult option. To perform it, you will need two bench press benches. Install them parallel to each other. The distance is selected individually according to your height. The main thing is that your legs lie on the edge of the bench and are completely straight. The starting position is identical to the previous one. We rest our hands on the edge of one bench, and place our feet with our heels on the other. The shoulder blades are brought together, the back is straight, the gaze is directed forward. The abdominal muscles are tense. We can also make the exercise more difficult by placing weights on our feet. They mainly use a disc from a barbell (“Damn” in common parlance). They simply place it on their legs closer to the pelvis. And do reverse push-ups. At first it will not be very convenient to do this. But with a little practice you will get the hang of it. Also, the problem of placing and removing the plate can be solved with the help of a training partner. Well, or a trainer if you use this service.

Description

Reverse push-ups can be performed not only with the help of a bench. The use of a chair or other support is allowed as the main equipment. The triceps receive the main load, and the anterior deltoid muscles and chest receive additional load. Separately, it is worth noting the high-quality stretching of the pectoral muscle.

Benefits of the exercise:

• Ease of implementation and versatility.
• Possibility of varying the load over a wide range, guaranteeing results for both sexes (men and women).
• With the help of this exercise, women quickly tone the back of the arm, which is considered one of the most problematic areas.
• Each of the triceps heads is involved in the work. Many people forget that it is larger than the biceps, and therefore requires more attention and a variety of exercises.
• You can perform reverse push-ups on vacation, at home or in the training room. No special equipment is required. A chair, bench, sofa or even a park bench can act as an auxiliary tool. There are also no problems with weights. A barbell plate or any heavy object will do here. For example, a bottle filled with water will do.
• The triceps are under load both during the rise and fall of the body.
• Variations of the exercise are allowed to be changed. The methods are as follows: feet on the floor, feet on the second bench, working with or without weights.

Execution technique

Take the starting position from the options suggested above.

• Next, while inhaling, bend your arms at the elbow joint. We do this until you feel a tingling sensation in your shoulders. This will be a signal that there is no need to go lower.
• The back should remain straight throughout the entire exercise.
• As you exhale, lift your body up and straighten your arms. At the top point we leave a slight bend in the elbows.

Hand and foot option on the floor

Foot on the floor option

Bench leg and arm option

If you find it easy to do the exercise with your own weight. Then feel free to add weights.

Typical mistakes of athletes

Back-to-bench triceps push-ups are a technically simple isolation exercise and don't have as many pitfalls as, for example, the close-grip bench press. However, the technical errors described below will prevent you from getting the maximum benefit from this exercise, and if you recognize yourself in any of these points, adjustments to your technique will need to be made immediately. In order to learn how to properly do push-ups from a bench from behind your back, watch a couple of training videos on the Internet or contact a personal trainer at your gym.

There is discomfort - don’t do it

Do not perform the exercise if you feel discomfort in your shoulders or elbows while doing it. Take care of your body (restoring cartilage tissue is a long, expensive and unpleasant process). It is better to replace this exercise with any other isolated exercise that works the triceps, for example, extensions from the upper block.

Hands too wide

Do not place your hands too wide on the bench; the optimal width is slightly wider than shoulder level. By spreading your arms too far to the sides, it will be more difficult for you to control their position. You may unknowingly push them inside, risking injury to your elbow joints and ligaments.

Don't linger in the upper phase

Do not linger too long at the top point with your arms fully extended - there is too much stress on your elbows. It is best to work non-stop, without fully extending your arms at the top point. This will provide the triceps with the greatest blood supply.

Injuries to joints and ligaments

Be especially careful when performing this exercise if you have previously had injuries to your joints and ligaments. Warm up thoroughly, use elastic bands, and perform the movement as smoothly and under control as possible.

Be careful with weights

Don't overdo it with additional weights. If your triceps are already well developed, then the main strength load should be obtained from basic exercises performed with free weights. In this case, leave the bench push-ups for the end of the workout. Such a scheme will help to comprehensively develop the triceps muscle of the shoulder and achieve good relief.

Do not combine with parallel bars

Do not perform push-ups and dips in the same workout. These exercises have almost the same biomechanics, and you risk simply overtraining your muscles.

The support must be solid

Do not perform the exercise on an unstable or soft surface. This way you will be too distracted by the position of your arms and legs, and you will hardly be able to concentrate on working your triceps.

Don't experiment

Do not make unnecessary experiments in your triceps training - all the truly “working” things have already been invented before us. Several times I had to observe the following picture. During push-ups, the athlete leaned on the bench not with his palms, but with his fists, while his elbows “walked” from side to side. It makes no sense to do this, and your hands can be well strengthened with the help of other exercises without resorting to such amateur activities.

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Recommendations

• If you can do your own weight more than 20 times. Then add weights.
• Reverse push-ups are a basic exercise. Therefore, their place is at the beginning of triceps training.
• Don't rush to add weight. For us, the correct execution technique is more of a priority.
• Do not spread your elbows too far to the sides. This will prevent you from loading your triceps properly.
• If, while resting your hands on the bench, you experience pain in the wrist joint. Then turn your brushes slightly inward.
• Avoid jerky movements. Do the exercise smoothly and under control.
• Throughout the entire exercise, your back should be straight.

And most importantly, avoid common mistakes, which are described below.

Main muscles involved

Reverse push-ups primarily work the triceps . The triceps brachii muscle attaches to the back of the humerus and is responsible for extending the elbows. The exercise also involves :

• anterior deltoid muscle;
• pectoralis major muscle;
• latissimus dorsi muscle;
• abdominal muscles.

The deltoids, wrist extensors, rotator cuffs, rhomboids, and trapezius maintain body position during the exercise.

Common mistakes when performing reverse push-ups

Too much weight

Excessive weight will not lead you to the desired result. You will only end up getting injured or wasting your time. Since you are unlikely to be able to perform the exercise with proper technique. Therefore, be patient and begin to gradually move towards your goal. And your weight gain will begin to increase along with your muscle development.

Too much weight

Rounding the back

As for the back. It should be smooth. This is done so that the front deltoids are less involved. If we bend over, our shoulders will follow our back by inertia. And they will begin to get very involved in the exercise, especially when lifting the body up. As a result, the triceps will not be able to work to their maximum. And the risk of getting a shoulder injury will increase.

Rounding the back

Incorrect position of the pelvis relative to the floor

Our main task is for the body to go down and up in a vertical line. If we place our feet very far away, then the pelvis will be far from the bench. And it will already descend at an angle. This technique can lead to stretching of the anterior deltoid. Or shoulder displacement. This means you will have to pause your training for a long time. So watch your body position!

That’s basically all the relevant information on this exercise for today. Maybe over time they will come up with some kind of miracle exercise machine that will replace all the basic exercises. But until this happens, you can safely do reverse push-ups. And if you do everything right. Then your triceps will burst with abundant muscle growth!

Good luck to everyone in your training!

Types of effective exercises

1. With your knees bent - an option for beginners. This position allows you to easily control the muscles of the forearms and spine.
2. With legs extended forward - a classic option. Straight legs stand hip-width apart with emphasis on the heels.
3. Elevated but bent legs are a much more intense form of training. In this exercise, the palms and feet are at the same height.
4. With raised straight legs - an option for experienced athletes. Additional weight, such as discs, is often placed on the extended legs. The weight placement is done by your training partner.

The different range of motion allows you to adjust the force load on the triceps.

• Half the amplitude is when the elbows bend at an angle of 45-50 degrees. This exercise option is suitable for beginner athletes.
• Full amplitude is a method for a more advanced level. The movement ends at a right angle at the shoulder joints or even below.

Exercise effectiveness

The back-to-bench push-up is an exercise that is highly regarded in the bodybuilding community. It not only strengthens the triceps muscle of the arm, but also perfectly shapes it. So if you're looking for athlete-worthy shoulders, you should definitely include this exercise in your strength training routine.

Tricep push-ups are also very beneficial for women who often have cellulite and stretch marks.

Women are usually afraid to train their arms because they don't want to have bodybuilder muscles. But this is the wrong view. This exercise will help you successfully cope with fat deposits in problem areas of the arms and the whole body.