Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredBodyweight
- MechanicsCompound
- Force TypePush
- Experience LevelBeginner
- Secondary Muscles
Chest, Shoulders
Target Muscle Group
Triceps
Tricep Dip Instructions
Many people don't know that there are two ways to do dips - focusing on your triceps, or focusing on your chest. This version of the dip hits the triceps hardest.
- Grab the parallel dip bars with an inward grip.
- If the bars are adjustable, adjust them to around shoulder-width apart.
- Jump up off the floor and take your weight on the bars.
- The key to hitting your triceps on this version of the dip is to keep your body as straight as possible and don't lean forward. This may mean not crossing your legs and keeping them hanging down.
- Slowly lower yourself down, keeping your eyes facing forward.
- Lower until your elbow is at around the same height as your shoulder, and then raise your body back up without locking your arms at the top of the movement.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Tricep Dip Tips
- Do not lower yourself down too far, as this can result in heavy strain on your shoulder joints and possible injury.
- Use the mind-muscle connection to focus on working your triceps throughout the movement. Squeeze your triceps hard at the top of the movement and feel the stretch on the way down.
- Do not lock your elbows out at the top of the movement.
- And finally, keep the rep timing slow for maximum results from this exercise.
32 Comments
Hello. I am loving your workouts. I am currently doing the 8 week muscle building program for 40+
I am 46 years old and had spinal fusion surgery in late August of last year. I am not new to working out but was inactive for a few years due to my condition.
Anyway. The nerve damage to my shoulders was pretty bad and am currently unable to do dips or pull-ups though I am working really hard the past month to regain strength. Any tips or alternate exercises you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hey Matt, thanks for reading M&S!
Some form of triceps pushdowns (any handle) and lat pulldowns would be what I suggest. They are simple to execute and will work for you as you progress and get stronger. You could also try pushups for triceps and some form of pullover for lats if the machine exercises aren't options. Hope you make gains and keep us posted!
What can you do as an alternative to this exercise if you don’t have those bars — or if you’re just too heavy to be able to lift your own body weight?
Are you training at home or a gym, Markus? If at home, let me know what you have access to. I want to make the best suggestions possible for you.
I’m training in my basement, in the gym that’s there. It’s a gym with limited equipment. I’m also far too heavy AND far too weak to ever pull off this exercise. There’s just no chance…
Understood. Then I would suggest starting with pushups with your hands on a barbell inside a squat rack. So, standing pushups if that makes sense. As you progress, take the bar lower and lower until you are doing them on the floor. Once you get to the point that you can do pushups with your feet elevated and your hands on the floor, then you could try dips.
Also for future reference, your comments are going through, but they need to be approved before you see them on the page. So, you only need to submit your comment once. We see them and will answer as soon as we can.
Hi! I tried pushups on a barbell for the first time today. How will I know when I progress, though? Also, when you say “your feet elevated”, do you mean that I should prop them up on something while I do regular pushups on the floor? Also, how will I know that I can do tricep dips once I can do that? Will that mean that I’m then strong enough and/or lightweight enough?
By then, I will hopefully be back in my local public gym again, as I’ll have lost enough weight, which also probably means that I’ll actually have access to the dip bars…but how much strength and/or how little weight will I actually need before I can actually do that?
For context, my current weight is 146.2 kg (322.3 lbs) at a height of 180 cm (5 ft 11 in), and as for my strength: when I do the “military press” exercise, I don’t yet feel comfortable with putting any weights at all on the barbell. As in, just the barbell itself is heavy enough for me right now. So, it’ll likely take me quite a while to even be able to perform this exercise, is my point…
Also: yes, I noticed after the fact that comments need to be approved before they are shown. At first, I didn’t see the text informing me of that, as it was rather small. I would like to apologize for any annoyance caused by me writing multiple replies…
When you feel the pushups against a bar are no longer a challenge, then you will be able to evolve by doing to doing them on the floor with your knees, then on your toes, and so on. As you do more reps and you find it to be less challenging, that is progress, regardless of whether it is strength based or due to weight loss. The pushups with the feel elevated is an advanced technique that shifts the focus to the upper pecs. Once you can do 10 like that, you can try doing dips.
I appreciate the context and if the bar is all it takes for now, simply do your best with that. Whether it is small plates or more reps, shoot for a little progress each time you train.
Thanks
what if you don't have dip bars, is there an alternate way to do these? I'm think a chair and just lower myself down and then back up or something like that.
That is a good one, Isaac. Are you training at home full time or do you go to the gym sometimes as well? Let me know, and I will try to come up with other suggestions.
How do you “squeeze the triceps hard at the top” if you “don’t lock out at the top” of the movement?
You don't need to completely lock out your elbow to flex your triceps. As long as they're close to straight, you can squeeze the handles as tight as you can and still get a good contraction, especially when you're pushing against resistance or lifting your bodyweight.
Hey I have one issue after the tricep extensions I find it hard to do the dips,is that normal, should I use band to reduce the resistance ?
Hi, Olivier. The tricep extensions have pre-exhausted the triceps, which is what is making the dips more difficult. Switch the exercises. Do the dips first, then the extensions. If you really want to keep doing the extensions first, then yes, go with bands to assist. Hope this helps!
Plz suggested alternative exercise
Hey Victor - you can try a dumbbell tricep kickback (https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/tricep-kickback.html) or a rope tricep extension (https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/rope-tricep-extension.html)
any advice on how to ignore the numbness of the bottom part of your palm while doing dips?
Hi, Video isn't found.
can i get a private lesson from you?
I like the way you work out because its making a progression in my body and it helps when i go to the gym.
I don't have membership to a gym, I also don't have equipment, and the gym at my college is closed until the middle of January. I want to start this Tricep workout now, but I need a back up what do you suggest?
Use two chairs facing each other. legs straight like a board and reverse grip on other.
Start dipping and don't use flimsy chairs.
Im an 18 yo, been lifting for a year now but my triceps are not getting bigger...
Give me solutions...
Here's a really good tricep routine you could throw in once in a while to blast your arms.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/power-muscle-burn-tricep-work...
Do a bunch of tricep push-ups. That's what worked for me.
You probably have strength, if you want them to get bigger you need to eat a lot of food, healthy food, season you food! anyways, you muscles depend on proteins and calories, get these up and your muscle mass will or should grow. for easier explanation, start bulking!
How good is dips compared to close-grip bench press. If I'd go for power sets?
I don't have the machine either but I do dips using the side of the bathtub and with my feet in front of me lower my body. Would that work the same way?
Sure, that will target the triceps.
With dumbbells you could try seated overhead dumbbell extensions.
what excersise i can use like this one cos i dont have this machine with dumbells or what do yo recomend me.