What muscles does the bench dip work?

All three triceps heads, weighted toward the long head whenever the arm sits overhead or behind the body. It is classed as a elbow extension movement and trains the arms primarily.

How many sets and reps of bench dip should I do?

3 sets of 10 to 15, resting 60 to 90 sec between sets. Pair it with a curl as a superset to save time without losing quality.

Is the bench dip good for beginners?

With coaching or a lighter load, yes. Learn the position at low weight for a few weeks before adding anything meaningful.

Arms · Elbow extension

Bench Dip

The bench dip is a bodyweight elbow extension movement for the arms. Here is the setup, the execution, the mistakes worth avoiding, and how to program it.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Trains

Arms

Level

Intermediate

ELBOWS BACKHIPS CLOSE TO BENCH

Muscles worked

All three triceps heads, weighted toward the long head whenever the arm sits overhead or behind the body.

Set up

1
Fix the upper arm in place so only the elbow joint moves.
2
Start from a full stretch at the elbow and keep the shoulder from drifting forward.
3
Light load first. Elbows do not appreciate ego on extension work.

How to do it

1
Extend the elbow fully and pause a beat at lockout.
2
Keep the upper arm locked in place through the whole rep.
3
Lower slowly into a deep stretch at the elbow.
4
Stop the set when the elbow position starts drifting.

Common mistakes

Turning it into a press
Fix: Lock the upper arm in place so only the elbow moves.
Short range at the stretch
Fix: Let the elbow bend fully before extending again.
Too much weight, angry elbows
Fix: Higher reps, lighter load. Triceps respond to it and joints prefer it.