Push Up Tricep Workout Tips You’ll Love to Build Muscle

Understand why tricep push ups matter

If you want a push up tricep workout that actually builds muscle, tricep focused push ups are one of the most efficient moves you can do. They use your bodyweight, require no equipment, and heavily target the back of your upper arms.

Peloton instructor Selena Samuela explains that triceps push ups primarily hit the long head of your triceps brachii, while still engaging all three heads of the muscle. Regular push ups lean more on your chest and shoulders, but shifting to a tricep push up position puts the spotlight on your upper arms.

Exercise physiologist Todd Buckingham notes that your triceps make up roughly 60 to 70 percent of your upper arm. In other words, if you want stronger, more defined arms, you cannot skip tricep work.

Beyond muscle, tricep push ups help you:

• Build pressing strength for daily tasks like pushing doors or getting up from the floor
• Improve shoulder stability and posture
• Strengthen your core since you must hold a solid plank position

Treat tricep push ups as a foundation. Once you learn the correct form, you can adjust the angle or difficulty level to match where you are right now.

Master perfect tricep push up form

Before you start stacking reps, dial in your technique. Proper form makes your push up tricep workout more effective and reduces strain on your wrists and shoulders.

Set up your body

Use this checklist to get into position:

1. Start in a high plank

• Hands directly under or slightly behind your shoulders
• Fingers pointing straight forward
• Feet together or hip width apart

1. Align your body

• Neutral neck, eyes slightly ahead of your hands
• Straight line from head through hips to heels
• Core braced, glutes lightly engaged, no sagging or piking

1. Position your elbows for triceps

• Elbows tight to your sides, not flaring out
• Arms stay flush with your torso as you lower
• Thumbs roughly near the edge of your chest or armpits

Selena Samuela emphasizes that the close elbow position and forward facing fingers are what turn a regular push up into a triceps push up, so pay attention to that detail.

Perform the rep

From your starting plank:

1. Inhale and slowly bend your elbows, keeping them glued to your sides.
2. Lower your chest toward the floor until it is just above the ground or as far as your shoulders comfortably allow.
3. Keep your shoulders away from your ears and your core tight.
4. Exhale and press through your palms to return to the starting position, fully extending your elbows without locking them harshly.

Move in a controlled way. If you feel your elbows flare wide or your hips drop, you are either tired or the variation is too hard for now.

Choose the right starting level

You do not need to hit full floor tricep push ups on day one. Scaling your push up tricep workout makes it more sustainable and lets you practice good form from the start.

Here is a simple progression path based on the research:

Level 1: Wall tricep push ups

Best for: Beginners or anyone returning from a long break

How to do them:

1. Stand facing a wall and place your hands at chest height, slightly narrower than shoulder width.
2. Walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
3. Bend your elbows, keeping them close to your ribs, and lean your chest toward the wall.
4. Press back to the starting position.

Aim for: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps

Level 2: Incline tricep push ups

Best for: When wall push ups feel easy

You can use a bench, sturdy table, couch edge, or even stairs.

1. Place your hands on the elevated surface, again slightly narrower than shoulder width.
2. Walk your feet back so your body is straight and your shoulders are stacked above your wrists.
3. Lower your chest toward the edge, elbows staying tight.
4. Push back up to full arm extension.

Aim for: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps while maintaining a neutral spine

Level 3: Incline tricep plank holds

Best for: Building endurance in your arms and core

1. Set up in a low plank on an incline, forearms on the bench or box.
2. Keep your body straight, core tight, and shoulders directly over your elbows.
3. Hold until you are close to failure, without letting your hips sag.

Aim for: 4 sets to near failure

This isometric work builds stability that carries over to your push ups.

Level 4: Lower incline or knees on floor

Best for: Transitioning to full floor tricep push ups

Two options here:

• Lower your hands to a slightly lower surface, like the next step on a staircase.
• Or move to the floor and perform tricep push ups on your knees.

On the floor:

1. Start in a high plank, then drop your knees while keeping a straight line from head to knees.
2. Keep elbows tight to your sides as you lower and press back up.

Aim for: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps

Progress to full tricep push ups

Once you can handle incline or knee variations with clean form, you are ready for full floor tricep push ups.

Standard floor tricep push ups

How to position yourself:

• Hands: Slightly lower than chest height and just narrower than shoulders
• Elbows: Tight to your sides throughout
• Body: Straight head to heels, core and glutes engaged

Rep guidelines from the research:

• Beginner: 4 sets of 3 reps
• Intermediate: 4 sets of 6 reps
• Advanced: 3 sets of 10 reps or more

It is fine to mix levels. For example, you might do two sets of full push ups, then two sets on your knees to finish the volume.

Tricep focused push up variations

When standard tricep push ups start to feel manageable, you can make your push up tricep workout more challenging.

Based on the research, try these progressions:

• Diamond push ups

• Place your hands close together under your chest so your thumbs and index fingers form a diamond shape.

• This deeply targets your triceps.

• If this is too difficult, drop to your knees to keep good form.

• Decline tricep push ups

• Elevate your feet on a bench or step.

• Keep the same close elbow position.

• The steeper the angle, the more demanding on your triceps and shoulders.

• Plyometric tricep push ups

• From the bottom of the rep, explode up so your hands briefly leave the floor.

• Land softly with elbows slightly bent and repeat.

• Use this sparingly and only if your joints feel solid.

Jeff Cavaliere of ATHLEAN X notes that push up style tricep moves like tricep push ups and skullcrushers require careful technique to avoid common tricep training mistakes that limit growth. His Athlean X TNT Triceps program and ATHLEAN X Training System focus heavily on eliminating these errors by walking you through form step by step, which is useful if you want deeper coaching on your technique.

Avoid common tricep push up mistakes

Form mistakes quietly steal results from your push up tricep workout. A few to watch for:

• Elbows flaring out

• Turns the movement into more of a chest push up and stresses your shoulders.

• Fix it: Think about scraping your ribs with your elbows as you lower.

• Hips sagging or piking up

• Reduces core activation and can strain your lower back.

• Fix it: Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs like you are preparing to be lightly poked in the stomach.

• Head dropping

• Puts pressure on your neck and shortens your range of motion.

• Fix it: Keep your gaze slightly in front of your hands, not at your feet.

• Rushing reps

• Uses momentum instead of muscle and makes it hard to feel your triceps.

• Fix it: Lower for a controlled 2 to 3 second count, then press up more powerfully.

Cavaliere also warns that stacking multiple small mistakes, in your tricep push ups, other tricep exercises, and your nutrition, can add up and stall progress. The more intentional you are with your technique, the better your results over time.

Structure a simple push up tricep workout

You can build a focused tricep push up routine in 15 to 20 minutes. Use this as a starting template and adjust based on your level.

Warm up first

Spend 5 minutes on:

• Arm circles and shoulder rolls
• Wrist circles and gentle wrist stretches
• A few easy wall or incline push ups to rehearse your form

Sample beginner workout

Do this 2 to 3 times per week on non consecutive days:

1. Wall tricep push ups

• 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps

1. Incline tricep push ups

• 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps

1. Incline tricep plank holds

• 3 sets, hold to near failure

Rest 45 to 60 seconds between sets. When the top end of your rep range feels smooth, move to a harder variation.

Sample intermediate workout

For when you can do at least 8 solid knee tricep push ups:

1. Knee tricep push ups

• 2 sets of 8 to 12 reps

1. Standard floor tricep push ups

• 3 sets of 4 to 8 reps

1. Diamond push ups on knees

• 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps

Optional: Add 1 to 2 sets of regular push ups at the end for extra chest and shoulder work.

Sample advanced workout

For experienced exercisers:

1. Standard tricep push ups

• 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps

1. Diamond push ups

• 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps

1. Decline tricep push ups

• 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps

1. Optional finisher: Plyometric tricep push ups

• 2 sets of 5 to 8 explosive reps

Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets, and reduce volume if your form starts to break down.

Combine push ups with other tricep work

Push ups are compound exercises, so they recruit your triceps, chest, shoulders, core, serratus anterior, and even your forearms. This makes them very efficient for both strength and calorie burn compared with isolation moves.

You will see the best arm growth when you pair your push up tricep workout with:

• One or two additional tricep exercises like dips, skullcrushers, or cable pushdowns
• Balanced pulling work, such as rows or pull ups, to support shoulder health
• Enough protein and overall calories to support muscle repair

The research notes that integrating push up variations into a weekly routine, alongside other tricep focused exercises and a balanced diet, leads to gradual improvements in tricep size and strength over time.

Know how many sets and reps to use

To keep things simple:

• Beginners

• 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps of a scaled variation

• Focus on control and consistency

• Intermediate

• 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps of floor push ups, knee or standard

• Add 1 challenging variation like diamonds or low incline

• Advanced

• 3 to 4 sets of 15 to 20 or more reps of standard tricep push ups

• Mix in advanced variations like decline or weighted push ups

If you cannot reach the lower end of the rep range with clean form, scale the movement. If you can easily surpass the upper end, increase difficulty, for example by lowering the incline, elevating your feet, or tightening your hand position.

Put it all together

A smart push up tricep workout does not need to be complicated:

• Start at a level where you can control your form.
• Keep elbows close to your body and your plank position solid.
• Progress slowly from wall to incline to floor to advanced variations.
• Pair your push ups with a couple of other tricep moves and good nutrition.

Try adding one or two tricep push up variations to your next workout. Pay attention to how your arms and core feel afterward, then adjust the angle or reps to match your current strength. Over the next few weeks, those small tweaks will add up to noticeable gains in strength, definition, and confidence in your upper body.

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