Exercise Library
Weighted Tricep Dips
Position yourself on parallel bars with arms fully extended and a weight secured via dip belt, vest, or held between the legs. Keep your body upright and core tight. Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are around parallel to the ground or slightly below. Pause briefly at the bottom, then push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position. Keep elbows close to your body and avoid swinging or leaning excessively forward.
Primary muscle
Triceps (primary)
Secondary muscles
Chest, Shoulders
Equipment
Weighted
Category
Triceps
How to Do the Weighted Tricep Dips
- Attach a plate to a dip belt around your hips, or hold a dumbbell between your ankles.
- Grip the parallel bars and press up to a straight arm support with shoulders down away from the ears.
- Keep your torso as upright as possible and cross or bend your legs behind you.
- Lower your body by bending the elbows, letting them travel backward, not outward.
- Descend until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
- Press through your palms to drive back up to full lockout.
- Squeeze the triceps at the top and repeat for 5 to 10 reps.
Common Mistakes
- Diving too deep: Sinking far below parallel under added load is a common shoulder injury recipe. Stop at parallel unless you have built that range for months.
- Leaning far forward: A big forward lean turns the dip into a chest exercise. Stay vertical with elbows tracking back to keep the triceps in charge.
- Half lockouts: Stopping short at the top skips the triceps hardest range. Finish every rep with straight arms.
- Adding weight before owning bodyweight: Strap on plates only after 10 to 12 clean unweighted dips. Loaded struggling reps groove bad mechanics.
Track This Exercise in the App
Log your weighted tricep dips sets in 1RM.fit and watch your estimated 1RM update automatically as you get stronger.