Muscles worked
With your feet raised, more of your bodyweight shifts onto your hands, so your triceps have far more to lift than in regular bench dips. Your chest and front shoulders assist low in the movement. The higher your feet are relative to your hands, the harder it gets. Your trunk keeps your body still between the benches, so only your arms move.
Common mistakes
- Unstable benches. Two benches sliding apart mid-set can make you fall. Set them where they will not slip, check that both stand firm and adjust the gap to your height before you start.
- Bending at the hips instead of the elbows. You can lower your bum by folding at the hips while your elbows barely bend. It looks like a rep, but your triceps do little. Keep the angle at your hips roughly the same and let your elbows drive the movement.
- Half reps because it is heavy. With your feet up it gets heavy fast, and many people only go down a few centimetres. Reach the same depth on every rep, and bend your knees or lower your feet rather than shortening the movement.
Variations and alternatives
- Bench dips with your feet on the floor, the easier version to return to.
- Triceps dips between bars, where your arms carry your whole bodyweight, if you have access to dip bars.
- Machine dips when you want to choose the exact weight and progress in small steps.
Sets and reps
For muscle, 6 to 12 reps over 2 to 4 sets suits most people. Once you can do more than 15 with good form, make the exercise harder rather than adding still more reps. For endurance, 12 to 20 works with your feet a little lower. More on picking a range is in the guide to sets and reps.
The usual next step is a weight plate on your lap. Ask someone to place it if you can, and start light, as it has to stay put for the whole set. That is progressive overload built on your bodyweight. Pain at the front of the shoulders, as opposed to hard work, means you should stop and have a doctor or physiotherapist look at it.