The bench dip puts your hands behind you on a bench and lowers your bodyweight with the elbows, which makes it the one triceps exercise you can do in a hotel room with no kit at all. It loads far less than a parallel-bar dip and it asks a lot of the shoulder in an awkward internally rotated position, so it earns its place on availability rather than on being the better movement.
How to do it
- Hands on the bench behind you, feet out in front — further out is harder.
- Keep your back close to the bench as you lower.
Common mistakes
- Going deep with the shoulders internally rotated, which is a lot of strain for little gain.
What it trains
- Triceps
- extend the elbows to push you back up — the prime mover throughout
- Front delts
- take the load at the bottom, where the upper arm sits behind the torso
- Chest
- assists a little, more so if you let your torso drift forward
Variations and alternatives
Common questions
Why do bench dips hurt my shoulders?
Because your hands are fixed behind your body, so going deep pushes the shoulder into extension and internal rotation at the same time. Stop at about 90° at the elbow rather than dropping as far as you can, and keep your back close to the bench. If it still pinches, parallel-bar dips or pushdowns do the same job without that position.
How do I make bench dips harder?
Put your heels on a second bench, then set a plate on your lap. Straight legs on the floor is the middle step and bent knees is the easy one, so the ladder is bent knees, straight legs, feet elevated, feet elevated plus load.
Are bench dips as good as parallel-bar dips?
No. A parallel-bar dip carries your whole bodyweight with the shoulders in a far better position and loads cleanly with a belt, which makes it the better long-term triceps builder. Bench dips are the version you do when there are no bars.
In StackUp. Logged as reps per set. Add weight if you use a belt or a dumbbell and StackUp progresses it like any other lift. Get the app.
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