How to do Chair Dips

Chair dips are a bodyweight triceps exercise. You support yourself on the edge of a chair with your hands, lower your body by bending your elbows, then push back up. All you need is a sturdy chair.

1. Start by sitting on the edge of a stable chair or bench with your palms facing down next to your hips, on the edge of the chair/bench

2. Supporting your bodyweight with your hands, edge yourself off the chair with your legs either straight out in front of you, or bent at the knee (less challenging) with your feet planted flat on the floor

3. Lower your body by bending at the elbow and allow your back to pass down in front of the edge. Be sure not to ‘flare’ your elbows; keep them close to your body

4. When your elbows have reached a 90-degree angle, push into the chair to drive your body back up by using your triceps

Benefits

They work the triceps on the back of your upper arms, which do most of the pushing, with the front of your shoulders and your chest helping. Strong triceps help with every pressing movement, from push-ups to lifting a bag into an overhead locker.

Your feet carry part of your weight, so you can make dips easier or harder just by moving them.

Form tips

• Keep your back close to the edge of the chair as you lower. Drifting forward moves the strain onto the front of your shoulders.
• Lower until your elbows reach about 90 degrees. Going much deeper is where shoulders start to complain.
• Point your elbows straight back, not out to the sides.
• Push the chair against a wall first so it can’t tip or slide.

Variations

• To make them easier, bend your knees and bring your feet closer to the chair.
• To make them harder, straighten your legs, or rest your heels on a second chair.
• For another way to train your triceps at home, try tricep kickbacks with a dumbbell.