Triceps Dip Form

Prop up your phone and RepSensei counts your triceps dip reps and flags some visible issues, right on your device. Video never leaves your phone.

How to do it

1. Grip the parallel bars and jump or step up to straight arms, shoulders pushed down away from your ears.
2. Keep your body fairly upright, legs straight or knees bent with ankles crossed, and brace your trunk.
3. Bend your elbows to lower yourself, keeping them pointing back rather than out to the sides.
4. Stop when your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, or a bit higher if your shoulders feel strained.
5. Press back up to straight arms, keeping your shoulders down and chest open.

Coaching cues

Shoulders away from ears

Keeping them down stops the joint jamming forward at the bottom.

Elbows back

Elbows tracking backwards keeps the work on the triceps.

Stay upright

A more upright body shifts work to the triceps; leaning forward makes it more of a chest dip.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Going too deep

Sinking far below parallel puts the front of the shoulder under a lot of stretch and load. Fix: Stop with upper arms around parallel. Use a box underneath as a depth guide at first.

Shoulders shrugging up

The shoulders roll forward and up, putting strain where you do not want it. Fix: Push the bars down and keep a long neck through every rep.

Elbows flaring out

Wide elbows reduce triceps work and stress the shoulders. Fix: Keep the elbows pointing back and close to your sides.

Swinging the legs

Momentum takes over and control at the bottom is lost. Fix: Cross your ankles, brace your stomach and slow the lowering to two to three seconds.

Half lockouts

Stopping short at the top misses the hardest triceps work. Fix: Straighten your arms fully each rep without snapping the elbows.

Muscles worked

Main: Triceps. Also: Chest, Shoulders, Abs.

Who should take care

If you have had shoulder problems, start with an assisted dip machine or a short range and build up slowly. Stop if you feel pain at the front of the shoulder and see a physiotherapist.

Variations

• Dip Machine: Easier: a seated machine with adjustable weight.
• Bench Dips: Home option: hands on a bench, but keep the range short to spare the shoulders.
• Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press: Alternative: a triceps press lying down if dips bother you.
• Ring Dips: Harder: unstable rings demand more control.

Filming your triceps dip

Prop the phone side-on, two to three metres away at chest height, so it can see your elbow angle at the bottom. You can track it with the RepSensei camera, which counts reps and can flag some visible issues from one angle; it cannot see everything. See how to film your form.

Questions

How deep should dips go?

Upper arms about parallel to the floor is a good target for most people. Going deeper adds shoulder stress without much extra triceps work.

Are bench dips bad for you?

Not by default, but they put the shoulders in a stretched position. Keep the range short and stop if your shoulders complain.

Do dips work the chest or triceps?

Both. Staying upright biases the triceps; leaning forward with elbows slightly out biases the chest.

See the Dips - Triceps Version exercise guide with a 3D figure.

More form guides

• Bench Press form
• Overhead Press form
• Push-Up form

General guidance, not medical advice. Stop if anything hurts. The camera can miss things, so no issue seen doesn't mean perfect form.