If you’re in need of a new fitness goal, might I suggest mastering triceps dips? This upper-body exercise can be done in a few different ways, increasing in difficulty until you’re doing dips on parallel bars, lifting your full body weight with just those muscles on the backs of your arms.
Even personal trainers feel a sense of accomplishment when they master the advanced version: “I started doing them with my coach back in April and now I'm able to do full bodyweight triceps dips without any assist,” says Roxie Jones, CPT, a trainer at Body Rox. “It's been very exciting—almost like achieving a pull-up for the first time.”
But if this move is new to you, you’re probably going to need to start by doing them using your sturdiest bench or chair. Here’s everything you need to know about how to do triceps dips.
Meet the experts: Roxie Jones, CPT, is a strength and nutrition coach at Body Rox. Judine St. Gerard, CPT, is a NASM-certified trainer.
Benefits Of Triceps Dips
Triceps dips (in all their variations) are a heavy hitter for anyone looking to tone and create definition in their upper arms, says Judine St. Gerard, a NASM-certified personal trainer. The move works your upper body, primarily targeting your triceps (obviously). But you can also expect to see some gains in your shoulder and chest area. This includes your anterior deltoids, or the muscles on the front of your shoulders. “Working them will boost your ability to lift so many things like weights, kids, or that recently delivered Amazon package waiting at your front door,” she says.
Strengthening your triceps also helps with any pushing movements, says Jones. Think: getting yourself up off the floor, pushing a heavy door open, or getting your luggage into an overhead compartment (a.k.a. my worst nightmare).
But the triceps dip is not only focused on your arms and shoulders. You'll also be targeting your core as you lift your hips up and down too.
How To Do A Triceps Dip
- Grip the front edges of a chair or bench with your hand.
- Hover your glutes just off and in front of the seat, feet flat, and legs bent so thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Straighten your arms. This is your start position.
- Lower your body toward the floor until your arms form 90-degree angles.
- Then, engage your triceps to press back to start.
- That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: Your glutes should be grazing the front of the chair or bench, and your shoulders should be rolled down your back and away from your ears to keep the work out of your neck, says St. Gerard.
Sets/reps for results: Aim for three sets of 10–15 reps 2–3 times a week. You can also do it as an isometric exercise during a warm-up, says Jones. Once you bend your arms, hold in place for 10-20 seconds to warm up your muscles.
Variations On The Triceps Dip
If you’re trying to do a bench triceps dip but it’s not quite working yet, have no fear. You have options. First, if you’re experiencing shoulder discomfort, or maybe just don’t have the strength to do them yet, you can go for a good old-fashioned pushup. They can be inclined or on your knees as well. Less glamorous, sure. But they’re a classic for a reason.
How to:
- Start in an incline plank position with hands on a chair, bench, or step and feet on floor with head to heels aligned.
- Lower down, with elbows pointing 45-degrees away from body, until arms bend to 90-degrees.
- Press back up keeping body in a straight line. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: If you want the pushup to really target your triceps (more so that just your chest), keep your arms close to your sides than a normal pushup.
Skull crushers are another exercise that work the triceps if you’re looking to build up strength in that muscle group but triceps dips are uncomfortable.
How to:
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted hips-width on the floor.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms extended toward the ceiling, making sure wrists are directly above shoulders. Arms should be straight with a soft bend in the elbows.
- Bending at the elbows, lower weights just past your temples. The upper arm should remain still, perpendicular to the floor.
- Pause for one second at the bottom of the movement, then slowly lift weights and straighten arms to return to starting position. That’s 1 rep.
More Tips To Progress Your Triceps Dips
Once you’ve mastered a bench triceps dip, you can move your feet further away from the chair or bench. With just heels planted on the floor, you’re increasing the weight your triceps will need to lift. Eventually, you can also go for elevated triceps dips, add weight, or increase volume (i.e. adding more reps).
- Elevated Triceps Dip: Raise your feet onto another surface (bench or chair) the same height of the surface where your hands are resting. This will increase the intensity of the move and force you to engage your core even more.
- Weighted Triceps Dip: Place weight plates or a barbell on your upper quads/hip crease to make things really spicy! This will help you build up strength in your lower body too.
- Triceps Dip On Parallel Bars: This is the most advanced version of the move. Using a set of parallel bars at your gym, hoist yourself up using your body weight and keep shoulders away from your ears. When you’re ready to descend, tip your body slightly forward with knees bent and lower down, keeping elbows and wrists aligned.
How To Work The Triceps Dip In To Your Routine
- Do it as a warm-up: A bench triceps dip is a great exercise to prep for the bench press or other push movements like pushups, says St. Gerard. But due to the demands on your shoulder, make sure those are warmed up too by doing arm circles and stretches.
- Do them as a superset: Because the triceps dip is an upper-body focused exercise, it could be a nice active recovery between sets of lower body moves like squats, allowing you to give your legs a break and fully recover while still working.
Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health where she covers health and fitness. She previously wrote for The Cut, POPSUGAR, and Salon and has written about everything from New York Fashion Week to dating app trends to the United States Women’s National Soccer team (a.k.a. her heroes). When she isn’t writing, Olivia is likely catching up on Bravo shows or running late to barre class.
