Chair tricep dips
Muscles worked : Triceps · Shoulders, chest
How to do it
- Sit on the edge of a stable chair, hands beside your hips.
- Slide your hips off the chair, legs straight or slightly bent in front of you.
- Bend the elbows backwards to lower your torso, not past 90°.
- Push through the hands to come back up to straight arms.
Common mistakes
- Going too low: puts excessive strain on the shoulders.
- Shoulders riding up towards the ears instead of staying down.
- An unstable or sliding chair: check the support before you start.
Where you should feel it
The back of the arm, distinctly. Tension at the front of the shoulder means the descent went too far or the shoulders rolled forward: that is the limit not to cross on this exercise.
Range of motion
Lower until the elbow reaches about 90°, no further. This is the one exercise in this library where maximum range is not desirable: past 90°, strain on the front of the shoulder rises quickly for very little gain.
Tempo and breathing
Two seconds down, one up. Keep the shoulders down and away from the ears throughout.
What works, precisely
The triceps brachii is the prime mover: it extends the elbow. The lower portion of the pectoralis major and the anterior deltoid assist, and the shoulder-blade muscles work to stop the shoulder rolling forward.
Movement mechanics
Elbow extension in a closed chain, the body travelling around fixed hands. Leg position sets the load: the further they extend, the greater the share of bodyweight the arms support.
Benefits
- Targets the triceps more directly than push-up variants, where the chest takes a large share of the work.
- Strengthens the ability to push up out of a low support — getting out of a bath, or a deep armchair.
- Scales with no equipment, simply by moving the feet closer or further away.
Adapt and progress
- Easier : Bring the feet closer, knees bent: the load on the arms drops markedly.
- Harder : Extend the legs further, or rest the heels on a second support at the same height.
- Move on when : When three sets of twelve go by with straight legs and no shoulder rolling.
Precautions
Demanding for the front of the shoulder. With any history or discomfort there, cut the range sharply or replace it with a push-up variant.