Bench Dip
How to Do a Bench Dip
Sit on the edge of a sturdy bench and place your hands beside your hips with the fingers gripping the edge.
Walk your hips slightly forward off the bench while keeping the shoulders controlled.
Use bent knees for an easier version or straighten the legs to increase difficulty.
Keep your torso close to the bench as you bend the elbows and lower your body.
Descend only as far as your shoulders remain comfortable and controlled.
Press through the hands and extend the elbows to return to the top.
Finish with the elbows straight but not aggressively locked, then repeat.
Form Check & Technique
DO THIS (Technique Tips)
- Start with bent knees if you are learning the movement.
- Keep the hips close to the bench throughout the repetition.
- Use shoulder comfort, not an arbitrary depth target, to set ROM.
- Control the eccentric instead of dropping quickly.
- Choose pushdowns or close-grip push-ups if bench dips consistently irritate the shoulders.
AVOID THIS (Common Mistakes)
- Dropping too deep — Fix: Stop before shoulder position becomes uncomfortable or unstable.
- Letting the hips drift far away from the bench — Fix: Keep the torso close to the support.
- Flaring the elbows excessively — Fix: Keep them tracking generally backward.
- Shrugging the shoulders — Fix: Keep the shoulders controlled and away from the ears.
- Bouncing from the bottom — Fix: Reverse direction smoothly.
- Progressing to added weight too early — Fix: Master comfortable bodyweight repetitions first.
About Bench Dip
The bench dip is a bodyweight triceps exercise performed with the hands supported behind the body on a bench or sturdy platform. The triceps extend the elbows to raise the body, while the chest and front shoulders assist. Bench dips require substantial shoulder extension, so depth should be limited by control and shoulder comfort rather than by forcing the body as low as possible.
Bench Dip Muscles Worked
Bench dips primarily train the triceps through elbow extension.
- The chest and anterior deltoids assist in stabilizing and moving the shoulder.
- Compared with parallel-bar dips, the bench version places the arms farther behind the torso and can require greater shoulder-extension range.
Sets & Reps Guidance
Technique / Learning
Technique: 2–3 sets of 8–12 bent-knee reps.
Strength Focus
Advanced weighted work: 3–4 sets of 6–10 reps only after comfortable bodyweight control.
Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)
Hypertrophy: 3–4 sets of 8–15 reps.
General training baseline. Need.fit automatically adjusts exact sets, reps, and working weight based on your individual fitness level, recovery, and progress over time.
Exercise Variations & Alternatives
Tricep Dip
Bodyweight dip performed on parallel bars or dip handles.
Diamond Push-Up
Close-hand push-up emphasizing elbow extension.
Rope Pushdown
Cable triceps isolation exercise with less shoulder extension.
Barbell Bench Press
Learn proper barbell bench press form, muscles worked, grip and bar-path cues, common mistakes, and practical sets and reps for strength or muscle.
Dumbbell Bench Press
Learn dumbbell bench press form, muscles worked, setup, range-of-motion cues, common mistakes, and practical sets and reps for controlled chest training.
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Learn proper incline barbell bench press form, muscles worked, bench-angle guidance, grip and bar-path cues, common mistakes, and sets and reps.
How Deep Should You Go on Bench Dips?
Lower only through a range where the shoulders remain comfortable and the upper arms can move without forcing the shoulder joint. There is no need to chase maximum depth if it causes discomfort or loss of control.
Bench Dip vs Parallel-Bar Dip
Bench dips keep the hands behind the torso on a fixed support and usually allow easier loading with the feet on the floor.
- Parallel-bar dips suspend the entire body between the bars and involve a different shoulder path.
- Biomechanical research has found greater shoulder-extension range in the bench-dip variation.
Bent-Knee vs Straight-Leg Bench Dip
Bending the knees and placing the feet closer to the bench reduces the amount of bodyweight supported by the arms. Straightening the legs increases the lever and usually makes the exercise harder.
Why Bench Dips Can Bother Some Shoulders
The hands stay behind the body while the shoulders move into extension.
- Some lifters tolerate this well, while others may find deeper positions uncomfortable.
- Use a controlled range and choose another triceps exercise if the movement consistently causes shoulder pain.
Sources & References
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- [2]