Are you looking for a simple and effective way to do tricep dips at home? Maybe you’ve tried them before but couldn’t find a good way to activate your triceps?
Or perhaps you’re not sure how this exercise would benefit you over more traditional choices like push-ups and tricep extensions?
Below, we’ll go over everything you need to know about tricep dips, how they benefit you, and why you should do them at home.
What Makes Tricep Dips At Home So Great
Tricep dips are one of the best bodyweight movements for your upper arms. You can do them with your feet on the floor or having them elevated on an object like a sofa, chair, or stool
Plus, you don’t need any special equipment to do these at home. All you need is a simple chair, low table, or even a couch.
But if you do want to use the perfect setup for doing tricep dips at home, consider home dip bars. These are very high quality and make the exercise quite fun and enjoyable.
You can also do them anywhere as part of flexible and effective workouts. So long as you have a low table, bench, chair, or another sturdy object, you’re good to go. Do them at home, on the beach, in the park, or a hotel room.
Performing Tricep Dips at Home
Classic Tricep Dips
NOTE: An easier tricep dip to perform is with your feet on the floor. This makes the tricep dip easier to perform (less resistance). This powerhouse exercise is also called the tricep bench dip.
Tricep Dips With One Chair
Tricep Dips With Two Chairs
NOTE: Safety is paramount here! You need to make sure the chairs are solid and can support your weight. You also need to make sure you have a really good grip. Make sure to first test the movement with your feet on the floor, and gradually increase your body weight.
Tricep Dips On the Floor
NOTE: For this motion to be effective, you need to slide your body down AND forward.
Tricep Dips With Parallel Bars
(at home you can use adjacent kitchen counters)
NOTE: Safety is key here. Make sure you have a very strong grip, and both base objects are solid and can easily support your weight.
Click for a few complete home tricep workouts…
How to Make The Most of Your Home Tricep Training
A great way to build tricep mass is to start with tricep dips at home. For instance, take a sturdy chair, place it against a wall for support, put your palms on it, and do dips. Start with three sets, stop just shy of failure, rest up to two minutes, and repeat. A couple of days later, go back, and do the same thing.
Of course, this simple approach is excellent, and most people can follow it well enough. But if you’re interested in a more varied approach, try this:
Do tricep (close hand) push-ups first and follow that up with tricep dips afterward. This might seem easy, but the push-ups will pre-exhaust your triceps and make the dips that much more challenging and valuable.
And if you want to go “next level,” these dip bars for home are a great addition to your home workout collection….
Tricep Muscle Anatomy And Functions
Your triceps are three-headed muscles situated on the posterior of your upper arms. Two of the three tricep heads – the medial and lateral – originate from the upper part of your humerus (the larger upper arm bone) and insert into the elbow. The third (long) head originates from the scapula and also inserts into the elbow. (1)
So, besides its functions to extend your elbows, your triceps also play a role in shoulder extension and stability.
Contrary to popular belief, your bicep is smaller than your tricep. Indeed, the three-headed muscle makes up roughly ⅔ of your upper arm, so making sure to train it regularly is vital for optimal arm growth.
With that said, you should approach bicep and tricep training equally. Do as much work for your biceps as you do for your triceps.
Safety With At-Home Workouts
Of course, no effective training program is complete without safety. Too many people overlook the safety aspect when doing home workouts. They feel comfortable because they are at home, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But this comfort often makes them careless, which can lead to injuries.
Always make safety a priority, no matter the type and location of the training you do. First, always make sure to warm up nicely. This is especially important for your wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Also, make sure your bench, chair, or other surface is solid. And finally, always make sure to do each exercise with proper technique.
Click to return to more home workouts.
David Williams
A diet and fitness enthusiast, David Williams is an ex-Army Airborne Ranger and Infantry soldier with decades of fitness and wellness experience. A West Point graduate with a degree in engineering, he focuses on technical research related to fitness, nutrition, and wellness. He loves the beach, and spending time with his wife and daughters.
References
- MD, G. S. (2022, February 16). Triceps brachii muscle. Kenhub. https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/triceps-brachii-muscle
