How to Perform Tricep Dips: Form, Technique, and Tips
Master the tricep dip with our expert guide. Learn correct form, avoid common shoulder injuries, and build stronger arms with this bodyweight exercise.
How to Perform
- Grasp the parallel bars and jump up to lock out your arms with your body suspended.
- Draw your shoulders down and back by depressing the scapula to create a stable base.
- Inhale and lower your body by bending the elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Maintain a slight forward lean to protect the shoulder joints and engage the chest.
- Exhale and push through your palms to extend the elbows back to the starting position.
- Avoid locking out the elbows aggressively at the top to keep tension on the muscles.
Common Mistakes
- Flaring the elbows out wide which increases stress on the shoulder capsule.
- Dropping too low past the point where shoulders lose stability.
- Using momentum or leg swinging to assist the upward phase.
- Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears during the descent.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Triceps
Stabilizers
- Anterior Deltoids
- Pectoralis Major
- Rhomboids
Related Guides
- Air Pushdown — Arms
- Alternating Biceps Curls With Dumbbell — Arms
- Alternating dumbbell hammer curl — Arms
Triceps · Arms