Triceps
Bench dips
- Kit
- Bench or chair
- Works
- triceps
- Also
- front delts · chest · upper back
Bench dips use a bench or sturdy chair behind you while your hands press your bodyweight back up. They load the triceps hard through a long range and ask for some shoulder mobility, which makes them a solid work movement in a circuit when you have no weights. Suitable for most people, though you can cut the depth if your shoulders feel pinched.
Form
How to do bench dips
- 1Sit on the edge of the bench and place your hands next to your hips, fingers pointing forward, then slide your hips off the edge so your arms hold your weight.
- 2Walk your feet out until your legs are fairly straight, heels on the floor, and keep your hips close to the bench rather than drifting forward.
- 3Bend your elbows to lower your hips straight down, tracking your elbows back rather than flaring them out, and breathe in as you descend.
- 4Stop when your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, or sooner if your shoulders complain.
- 5Press through your palms to straighten your arms, breathing out, and keep your shoulders pulled down away from your ears at the top.
- 6Keep moving at a steady pace for the whole effort instead of resting locked out.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Hips drift forward away from the bench, so the front of the shoulder takes the load.
Fix: Keep your back brushing the edge of the bench and lower straight down, like an elevator.
Shrugging so the shoulders ride up towards the ears.
Fix: Set your shoulders down and back before the first rep and hold that position throughout.
Dropping too deep and letting the shoulders roll forward.
Fix: Stop when your upper arms reach parallel, and shorten the range further if you feel any pinching.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions