Fitness & Exercise
Triceps Dips: the #1 Exercise for Strong, Sculpted Arms
Sep
Looking for stronger, more sculpted arms in the near future? I got you.
Strong, sculpted arms scream “I’m fit!”. More than a few of my clients have messaged me at some point, sharing their absolute delight in seeing their triceps during a workout or by surprise in the bathroom mirror. It’s a great feeling. And tricep dips are a great way to get that strong, toned and sculpted look.
Dips are simple. They’re great for beginner and seasoned athletes alike. Plus, when done correctly, tricep dips are a super effective exercise to build strong, sculpted arms. So get ready to do more of them!
In this article I’ll walk you through:
- the benefits of tricep dips
- everything you need to know to master the movements
- trainer tips to maximize each movement
- regressions and progressions
- a tricep challenge to carve out sculpted arms in 30 days
Why Tricep Dips are So Effective
Walk into a gym and you’ll see 9 people doing bicep curls and 1 person working triceps. Contrary to what that visual might imply, if you want toned arms you ought to focus more of your attention on your triceps. They make up a large percentage of your arm musculature and deserve more of the limelight.
Tricep dips are a particularly effective hypertrophy exercise. Why? Because it’s a compound movement. With one rep you hit arms, shoulders, chest and lats. Compound exercises like dips improve strength and VO2 max faster than isolated exercises like kickbacks or curls. Plus, dips enable you to lift more mass than any other tricep exercise.
Quick anatomy lesson…
The tricep is actually a group of three muscle “heads”: long, lateral and medial. The long head runs from your shoulder blade down the length of your arm bone. The lateral and medial heads mimic that lateral design but initiate at the humerus and are located on the outer and inner side of the arm, respectively. Dips are one of the few tricep exercises that hit all three heads.
Mastering Tricep Dips on the Bench
Right from the get go, understand that dips (no matter the variation), are not about letting gravity do the work. You’re engaged from start to finish. Here’s how:
- Sit on the edge of a workout bench or other flat, sturdy surface. Place your hands on either side of your hips, fingertips facing away from you*.
- Extend your legs until you are resting on your heels, look straight ahead, press into your palms and shift your butt until it’s just off of the bench. Arms should still be straight at this point.
- Slowly lower yourself until your arms are bent at an angle of about 90 degrees (this will vary depending on shoulder mobility).
- Push yourself back up until your arms are straight. That’s one rep.
*Turning your wrists so that you fingertips are facing away from your body is a trainer tip that will eliminate potential bad form at the top of your dip, and dial in tricep engagement. Check out the video below to learn why this is a next level set up cue!
Variations of the Tricep Dip for Every Fitness Level
Whether you want a variation to increase or decrease the difficulty of this exercise, there’s a dip for you.
Bench Tricep Dips with Bent Knees
Performing a tricep dip with bent knees and feet flat on the ground takes some of the weight off of your arms. This is a great variation to start with in order to perfect your form and gain confidence. As you get stronger, you can walk your feet out away from the bench little by little to increase the challenge.
Bench Tricep Dips with Feet Up
This progression variation places your feet up on a sturdy platform a few feet away from your hands. You’ll perform the exercise the same way but because your feet are up, you’ll be lifting more of your body weight which makes the exercise more challenging.
Tricep Dips on Parallel Bars
Ready to really take it up a notch? In this variation of tricep dips you’ll grasp parallel bars instead of a bench. Here’s how:
- Use a neutral grip to grasp the bars on either side. Engage your core and straighten your arms to lift your body up off of the support surface. Keep your chin up. Bend your knees and cross your ankles.
- 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.
- Pause in the low position for one count. Press back up to the upright position.
Decrease Weight
If you’re ready to level up from bench dips but not quite ready for straight parallel bar sets, you’ve two options:
- Add a loop resistance band between the bar and your knees to take on some of your body weight.
- Use a assisted dips/pull up station to support you.
Add Weight
Any of these exercises can be made more challenging by adding weight.
For bench dips, I recommend using a flat plate or placing a smaller dumbbell in your lap. For parallel bar dips, you’ll need a lifting belt specifically designed to attach to a plate.
Avoid These Common Mistakes
While tricep dips are pretty straight forward, be mindful about the following errors that I see most often in the gym:
The Hunch
Pull your shoulders down and back to avoid scrunching your shoulders up to your ears. Try to keep what I call a ballerina neck through the exercise…long and straight, chin held high.
The Dip ‘Lo
Yes, you want to get a full range of motion to effectively build strong, sculpted arms. But go too low without the necessary mobility or strength and you risk shoulder injury or strain. Stay within a comfortable range.
The Forward Lean
The more you lean, the more you rely on your chest to complete the rep. If you’re working chest that’s fine. But if your goal is to build toned arms, try to stay up right with little to no forward lean.
30 Day Tricep Challenge
I recently finished a 30 day push up challenge and I have to tell you, on top of raising money for St. Jude’s Research Hospital, I really levelled up my push up game. So I’m not going to re-invent the wheel.
This challenge is simple (which is one of the reasons it works). Complete 100 bench dips every day for 30 days. I said simple, not easy!
You can complete them however you choose. 1 set of 100. 10 sets of 10 throughout the day. Multiple sets of reps until failure. Whatever works for you. I can promise you though that if you do this, you will feel stronger, you’ll complete better looking dips, and you’ll be rocking some more sculpted triceps!
Time to take action!
Make sure to come back here and tell me about the before-and-after. I bet you’ll have something to say!
