Triceps dips are a great bodyweight exercise that builds arm and shoulder strength. This simple exercise can be done almost anywhere and has many variations to match your fitness level. Use it as part of an upper-body strength workout.

How to Do Triceps Dips

Sit on the edge of a stable chair, weight bench, or step and grip the edge next to your hips. Some pull-up bars can also be used for tricep dips. Your fingers should be pointed at your feet, your legs extended, and your feet about hip-width apart, with your heels touching the ground. Look straight ahead with your chin up.

1. Press into your palms to lift your body and slide forward just far enough that your buttocks clear the edge of the chair.
2. Lower yourself until your elbows are bent between 45 and 90 degrees. Control the movement throughout the range of motion.
3. Push yourself back up slowly until your arms are almost straight, and repeat.
   

Benefits of Triceps Dips

The triceps dip is one of the most effective exercises for activating the triceps brachii muscle in the back of your upper arm. Additionally, you must activate your core as you hold your hips off the ground.

Your triceps are used to extend your elbows. They also help you push while using a lawnmower or shopping cart and other similar movements.

Triceps also keep your body in balance. If you participate in sports that use pulling actions (which involve the biceps), you need to maintain strength in your triceps to prevent muscle imbalances and injury.

Other Variations of Triceps Dips

You can vary the triceps dip to make it less or more challenging. Start with easier versions of triceps dips while you work on perfecting your form, and add intensity as you build fitness.

Reduced Range of Motion for Beginners

Limit how far you lower your hips to decrease the effort used during triceps dips. As you get stronger, you can increase the range of motion. As you build arm strength you can perform the full triceps chair dip.

Triceps Dip With Bent Knees

This variation is also a bit easier than the traditional triceps dips and involves bending the knees versus keeping the legs straight throughout the exercise. Because your legs offer more support in this position, less stress is placed on your shoulder joints.

Triceps Dips With Two Chairs

You can increase the intensity by using two chairs or two sturdy benches during triceps dips. One chair or bench supports your upper body, and the other supports the lower body. In this version, you will be lifting more of your body weight.

Here's how to perform triceps dips with two chairs:

1. Place the chairs facing each other, about 3 feet apart.
2. Sit on the edge of one chair and grip the edge with your hands.
3. Place your heels on the edge of the other chair and hold yourself up using your triceps.
4. Slide forward just far enough that your behind clears the edge of the chair, then lower yourself until your elbows are bent between 45 and 90 degrees.
5. Push yourself back up to the start position and repeat. Go slowly and control the movement throughout the range of motion.

Triceps Dips With Bars or Rings

A more intense version of triceps dips is performed using parallel bars or a set of rings. In this version, sometimes referred to as assisted dips, you will be lifting the entire weight of your body with no support other than your arms.

1. Use an overhand grip to hold the rails or rings with straight arms. Contract your core and take your full body weight onto your arms, bending your knees so your feet are off the ground.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your body slowly. Begin by lowering for two seconds or as low as you can without significant discomfort in your shoulders.
3. Pause in the low position for a second or two.
4. Press back up to the upright position.
5. End by straightening your legs to stand up.

Triceps Dips: Common Mistakes

While performing triceps dips might seem straightforward, there are a few things to be mindful of. Avoid these errors to get the most from this exercise.

Hunching Shoulders

Keep your shoulders down away from your ears when performing triceps dips. Strive to maintain a long neck throughout the movement.

Dipping Too Low

Pay attention to the strain on your shoulders during triceps dips. Don't go any lower if you begin to feel a heavy strain. Otherwise, you risk possible shoulder injury.

Locking Elbows

Don't lock your elbows at the top of triceps dips. Keeping elbows slightly soft maintains tension on the triceps.

Leaning Forward

You will exercise your chest rather than your triceps if you lean forward. Maintain a straight line in your body without any forward lean.

Safety and Precautions

Triceps dips can stress your elbow and shoulder joints, so be careful if you feel pain.

If you have joint pain, you may want to use the push-up exercise to build strength in your triceps and shoulders instead. If you have shoulder problems, you may want to avoid triceps dips altogether.

Begin with 3 sets of 10 repetitions and increase your sets and reps over several weeks as you build muscle and strength in your triceps.

Try Triceps Dips

Incorporate triceps dips into one of these popular workouts:

• Staircase Circuit Workout
• Advanced Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps Workout
• Complete Triceps Workout for All Fitness Levels