Arms · Bodyweight
Body-up
How to do the body-up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start in a forearm plank with your toes on the floor. Press your hands into the ground one at a time to push yourself up onto straight arms, then lower back down to your forearms one side at a time, keeping your body in a straight line.
- 1Feel your triceps and chest pressing you up to straight arms
- 2Keep your hips level and core braced the whole time
- 3Move one arm at a time without twisting your torso
Common mistakes
- Don't let your hips sag or pike up as you press
- Avoid twisting your shoulders or hips side to side
- Don't rush and lose the straight-line plank position
Muscles worked
The body-up mainly works the triceps, with the mid chest, upper abs, lower abs, front delts, forearms, and obliques assisting.
- TricepsPrimary
- Mid ChestSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Upper ChestMinor
- Lower ChestMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the body-up for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More triceps exercises
- How to do the bent-over tricep extension
- How to do the crossbody tricep extension
- How to do the cable katana tricep extension
- How to do the cable single arm tricep extension
- How to do the kickback
- How to do the lying tricep extension
Last reviewed June 2026.