Floor Tricep Barbell Extensions: Sculpt Your Triceps Effectively!

As a veteran personal trainer, if I had to make one exercise mandatory in every lifter’s triceps routine, it would be the floor tricep barbell extensions. This skullcrusher variation helped me bring up my lagging triceps, and it has done the same for many of my personal training clients.

To perform this exercise, lie supine on the floor and hold a barbell over your chest with your elbows fully extended. Then, slowly lower the barbell until the weight plates touch the floor. Performing this exercise on the floor enhances stability, allowing for greater control and a stronger mind-muscle connection.

In this article, I will take you over everything you need to know to master this exercise, including the step-by-step instructions, muscles worked, benefits, and the most effective variations. 

How to Perform Floor Tricep Barbell Extensions with Perfect Form

Here is a step-by-step guide to execute this exercise with a picture-perfect technique:

Step One: Set Up

Place a loaded barbell on the floor. Lie flat on your back so that the barbell is next to your head. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor at shoulder-width. 

Extend your arms overhead and grab the barbell with a shoulder-wide overhand grip (palms facing the ceiling). Avoid the suicide (thumbless) grip. Wrapping your thumbs around the bar will ensure it doesn’t slip out of your hands. Your elbows and shoulders should be aligned in this position.

Step Two: Get into the Starting Position

Brace your core and extend your elbows to a full lockout. Your wrists, elbows, and shoulders should be stacked in the starting position. Squeeze your triceps in this position to fire up the target muscles. 

Step Three: Controlled Descent

Slowly lower the barbell to the floor behind your head by flexing your elbows. 

“It is crucial to keep your elbows tucked in on the way down. However, it’s okay to flare them a little bit on the way up. The best way to find the most optimal grip is to try different variations and see how your elbows, shoulders, and triceps feel,” said Dr. Mike Israetel (Ph.D. in Sports Physiology)

Step Four: Explosive Concentrics

Contract your triceps and extend your elbows to return to the starting position. Pause in the fully shortened position before beginning the next rep.

Tips To Maximize Results For Floor Triceps Barbell Extensions 

Get the best bang for your buck by employing the following training tips:

Use Smaller Plates

Avoid using 45-pound weight plates, as they can significantly limit your range of motion (ROM) and tricep stimulation. I recommend using smaller 25-pound weight plates. Focus on achieving a deep tricep stretch at the bottom of the movement to promote hypertrophy. 

Roll the Barbell Away

This tip is exclusively for advanced lifters who have mastered this exercise’s movement mechanics. Once you lower the barbell to the floor, push the barbell away from your head to maximize tricep fiber recruitment. 

Don’t Rush

Floor tricep barbell extensions are all about controlled movement. Use weights that allow you to use a slow and deliberate range of motion. Using momentum and rushing through the reps can lead to secondary muscle recruitment. 

Muscles Worked During Floor Tricep Barbell Extensions

Below are the muscles trained in this exercise:

Triceps Brachii

This muscle located at the back of your upper arm is the primary muscle engaged. All three heads of the triceps (long, lateral, and medial) work in harmony to extend the elbow against the weight of the barbell. 

A study published in the Journal of Human Kinetics found that the three heads of the triceps brachii muscle do not work as a single unit. The results showed that the long head fatigued first and the medial head fatigued last during an exercise. (1)

The floor tricep barbell extension works all three triceps brachii heads but biases the long head.

Secondary Muscles

Keeping your upper back and hips glued to the floor throughout the exercise demands core activation. Your abs and obliques work hard to prevent your torso from twisting or arching during the exercise. 

Posterior delts help stabilize the shoulder joint during the movement. Holding onto the barbell will engage your forearms and grip strength. 

Benefits of Floor Tricep Barbell Extensions

Adding this exercise to your training regime entails the following advantages:

Build Strength and Muscle Mass

Since you’ll be lifting the barbell off the floor from a dead stop in each rep, you can use heavier weights via an explosive movement. It can help build functional pushing strength, translating to better performance in other exercises and daily tasks. 

The floor tricep barbell extension is a single-joint exercise, resulting in targeted muscle activation. This can help fix muscle and strength imbalances.

Suitable For Lifters of All Experience Levels

Most lifters have difficulty following a fixed barbell trajectory while performing barbell skullcrushers. Lowering the bar to the neck, nose, or forehead on consecutive repetitions limits triceps activation and increases the risk of injury.

Floor tricep barbell extensions are performed while lying on the ground, which improves stabilization and makes it easier to control the movement. Furthermore, the extended ROM leads to better target muscle activation.

Versatile and Adaptable

The long tricep head is usually a lagging muscle for most people. Depending on your movement mechanics and experience level, you can adjust the weight, reps, and grip width to achieve your goals. You can use an EZ bar instead if an Olympic barbell feels too taxing on your wrists.

Common Mistakes: Floor Tricep Barbell Extensions

Avoid these errors to maximize gains and reduce injury risk:

Crashing the Bar on the Floor

This is undoubtedly the most common floor barbell extension mistake I see while training clients. You must control the descent while performing this exercise to maximize gains while limiting injury risk. 

Start light and gradually increase the weight as your form and strength improve. Lifting more weights than you can safely handle in this exercise can be dangerous. Remember, bouncing the bar off the floor can be a recipe for disaster. 

Flaring Elbows

As Dr. Israetel said, it is okay to let the elbows flare a little on the concentric (upward) phase, but you must keep them tight to the sides on the descent to maximize tricep engagement. Letting them flare can strain the shoulder and elbow joints.

Ignoring Your Grip

Your gripping style (monkey or full grip) and width can influence the line of pull and the extent of tricep engagement. Try different grip widths and stick to the one that allows you to keep your elbows close to your torso. As a rule of thumb, you should avoid wide grips as they can lead to greater shoulder engagement. 

Alternatives to Floor Tricep Barbell Extensions

Add the following exercise alternatives to your arsenal to avoid plateaus:

Overhead Dumbbell Extension

You could perform the bilateral or unilateral variation of the exercise depending on your training goals and desired isolation. Let’s focus on the two-arm variation for this exercise:

Steps:

1. Sit upright on a flat bench. 
2. Hold a dumbbell overhead with your elbows fully extended. 
3. While keeping your upper arms glued to your head, slowly lower the dumbbell to the base of your neck by flexing your elbows. 
4. Pause at the bottom for a deep stretch. 
5. Reverse the movement and contract the triceps in the fully flexed position.

Bodyweight Tricep Extension

Contrary to what most people think, you don’t always need heavy external loads to build bigger and stronger muscles. Sometimes, your own weight is all you need. 

Steps:

1. Set a barbell at waist height in a squat rack and grab it with a shoulder-wide overhand grip. 
2. Get into a push-up position so your body is at 45 degrees. The balls of your feet and toes should be the only contact points with the floor. 
3. Slowly lower your head below the bar by hinging at your elbows. 
4. Extend your elbows to return to the starting position. 
5. Repeat for recommended reps. 

Conclusion

The floor tricep barbell extension is an incredibly effective exercise for isolating the triceps brachii. The extended range of motion and added stability make it suitable for lifters of all experience levels. 

If you have any questions about this exercise, drop them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Ali A, Sundaraj K, Badlishah Ahmad R, Ahamed NU, Islam A, Sundaraj S. Muscle Fatigue in the Three Heads of the Triceps Brachii During a Controlled Forceful Hand Grip Task with Full Elbow Extension Using Surface Electromyography. J Hum Kinet. 2015;46:69-76. Published 2015 Jul 10. doi:10.1515/hukin-2015-0035

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