Bench Dips
Bench dips have you sitting on the edge of a bench with your hands gripping the edge behind you, legs extended out in front, then lowering your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor before pressing back up. It's a bodyweight compound movement that trains the triceps primarily, with the chest and shoulders assisting through the same pressing motion.
Why it works
Lowering your body with your hands fixed behind you and your elbows bending puts the triceps through a long stretch under load right before they have to contract to press you back up, which is a strong stimulus for a muscle that often gets less direct work than the chest or shoulders in a typical pressing routine. Because your feet and hands stay planted throughout, the exercise isolates the elbow-bending and straightening action more than a push-up does, which is why it tends to feel like a much more focused triceps exercise even though the shoulders and chest are still involved.
Set up
- Sit on the edge of a bench with your hands gripping the edge just outside your hips.
- Walk your feet out until your legs are extended, knees bent or straight depending on difficulty.
- Lift your hips off the bench so your weight is supported by your hands and heels.
- Keep your shoulders down and back before you start lowering.
How to do it
- Bend your elbows to lower your body straight down in front of the bench.
- Lower until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, or as far as your shoulders allow comfortably.
- Keep your elbows pointing mostly backward rather than flaring out to the sides.
- Press through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the top.
- Keep your hips close to the bench throughout, rather than drifting forward.
- Pause briefly at the top before starting the next rep.
Form cues
- Elbows point back, not out to the sides.
- Hips stay close to the bench.
- Lower until upper arms are level with the floor.
- Shoulders stay down, away from your ears.
Breathing: Inhale as you lower your body, exhale as you press back up.
Common mistakes
The elbows flare out to the sides instead of pointing backward.
Fix: Keep your elbows tracking straight back throughout the movement, close to your body rather than winging outward.
The shoulders shrug up toward the ears under load.
Fix: Actively pull your shoulder blades down and back before you start each rep, and keep them there through the movement.
Lowering too far past a comfortable range for the shoulders.
Fix: Stop the descent once your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, or sooner if you feel any pinching in the front of the shoulder.
Bending the legs to make the exercise easier without meaning to.
Fix: Keep your legs at a consistent bend or fully extended so the difficulty stays deliberate rather than drifting rep to rep.
The hips drift forward, away from the bench, as fatigue sets in.
Fix: Keep tracing a straight vertical line right at the edge of the bench, resetting your hand position if you notice yourself creeping forward.
How to program it
- As a bodyweight exercise with real shoulder demand, 2 to 3 times a week works well for most people, with a rest day between sessions if you're feeling shoulder fatigue.
- Two to three sets of 8 to 12 reps is a solid range; bend your knees to make it easier or extend your legs further out to make it harder.
- Pairs well with a pulling exercise like rows in the same session to keep pushing and pulling volume balanced.
- Progress toward straighter legs or a raised platform for your feet before adding external weight.
Safety notes
- Stop or shorten the range if you feel pinching or sharp pain in the front of the shoulder rather than muscular effort in the triceps.
- Use a bench that won't slide or tip under your weight, especially once you're moving through a full range.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Push
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many sets and reps of bench dips should I do?
Two to three sets of 8 to 12 reps is a solid range for most people. Bend your knees to make the exercise easier, or extend your legs straighter and further out to make it harder without needing any equipment.
What can I do instead of bench dips?
A close grip push-up or dumbbell press trains the triceps through a similar pressing pattern if bench dips bother your shoulders or a bench isn't available.
Bench dips vs parallel bar dips, what's the difference?
Parallel bar dips have your whole body hanging and moving through space, which demands more total bodyweight control, while bench dips keep your feet planted on the floor, making them a more approachable starting point for the same triceps pattern.
Why do my shoulders hurt during bench dips?
Shoulder discomfort here often comes from lowering too deep or letting the elbows flare out to the sides. Shorten your range to where your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor and keep your elbows tracking backward rather than outward.