Exercise library

How to do the Body-Up

A intermediate isolation exercise using bodyweight, working the triceps.

Primary musclesTriceps
Secondary musclesAbdominals, Forearms
EquipmentBodyweight
LevelIntermediate
TypeIsolation
ForcePush

Steps

  1. Assume a plank position on the ground. You should be supporting your bodyweight on your toes and forearms, keeping your torso straight. Your forearms should be shoulder-width apart. This will be your starting position.
  2. Pressing your palms firmly into the ground, extend through the elbows to raise your body from the ground. Keep your torso rigid as you perform the movement.
  3. Slowly lower your forearms back to the ground by allowing the elbows to flex.
  4. Repeat.

Tracking it in OneRep

Add the body-up to a routine and your previous weight and reps sit beside every set, so the decision to add load is made by what is already on the screen rather than by memory. Exercise history and volume trends are one tap away, and logging works offline for the gyms where signal does not reach.

Because OneRep tracks food on the same timeline, a stall on this lift can be read against what you were actually eating that month — which is the difference between a programming problem and an eating one. More on that in tracking progressive overload without a spreadsheet.

Where the instructions come from

The steps above come from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. They are general guidance, not coaching for your body: if a movement hurts, stop and get someone qualified to look at it.