Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Elbow Dips: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

Elbow dips are a bodyweight exercise targeting the triceps, performed using a bench or chair. The movement involves lowering and raising the body by bending and straightening the elbows while keeping the back close to the bench.

Primary muscles
Triceps
Secondary muscles
Chest , Shoulders
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the elbow dips
Front view: muscles worked by the elbow dips. Primary: triceps. Secondary: chest and shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by the elbow dips. Primary: triceps. Secondary: chest and shoulders.
Primary Secondary

How to do the elbow dips

  1. Step 1: Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge next to your hips.
  2. Step 2: Slide your hips forward off the bench and straighten your legs, keeping your heels on the ground.
  3. Step 3: Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the ground, keeping your back close to the bench.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your hands to straighten your arms and lift your body back up to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the elbow dips by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Elbow Dips alternatives

More exercises that train the triceps as their main target:

More triceps exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.