Reverse Triceps Bench Press

An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the triceps, using a barbell.

Reverse Triceps Bench Press — Starting position Starting position
Reverse Triceps Bench Press — End position End position
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Strength
Equipment Barbell
Primary Muscle Triceps
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Reverse Triceps Bench Press

  1. Lie back on a flat bench. Using a close, supinated grip (around shoulder width), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked extended in front of you and perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position.
  2. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest. Tip: Make sure that as opposed to a regular bench press, you keep the elbows close to the torso at all times in order to maximize triceps involvement.
  3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your triceps muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
  4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
  5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Reverse Triceps Bench Press does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Reverse Triceps Bench Press

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Bench Press

    Bench Press

    The bench press is the most popular upper body exercise for building chest strength and muscle mass. It's a compound movement that also develops the triceps and anterior deltoids.

    intermediate Barbell
  2. 2 Lying Close-Grip Barbell Triceps Press To Chin

    Lying Close-Grip Barbell Triceps Press To Chin

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the triceps, using an E-Z curl bar.

    intermediate E-Z Curl Bar
  3. 3 Lying Triceps Press

    Lying Triceps Press

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the triceps, using an E-Z curl bar.

    intermediate E-Z Curl Bar
  4. 4 Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press

    Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the triceps, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  5. 5 Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press

    Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the triceps, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  6. 6 Push-Ups - Close Triceps Position

    Push-Ups - Close Triceps Position

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the triceps, needing no equipment.

    intermediate No Equipment
  7. 7 Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown

    Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the triceps, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  8. 8 Seated Triceps Press

    Seated Triceps Press

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the triceps, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  9. 9 Standing Low-Pulley One-Arm Triceps Extension

    Standing Low-Pulley One-Arm Triceps Extension

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the triceps, using a cable machine.

    intermediate Cable Machine
  10. 10 Tate Press

    Tate Press

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the triceps, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do reverse triceps bench press work?

Reverse Triceps Bench Press primarily works the triceps. The chest and shoulders assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for reverse triceps bench press?

Reverse Triceps Bench Press uses barbell.

Reverse Triceps Bench Press: is it suitable for beginners?

Reverse Triceps Bench Press is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.

What can I do instead of reverse triceps bench press?

Bench Press, Lying Close-Grip Barbell Triceps Press To Chin, Lying Triceps Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my reverse triceps bench press reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; reverse triceps bench press can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Reverse Triceps Bench Press with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.