Back to Library

Exercise Guide

How to do dips on chair

Master the setup, range of motion, and tempo for safer, more effective reps.

Chair dips are a versatile bodyweight exercise that effectively targets the triceps, shoulders, and chest. Utilizing a stable chair or bench, this movement involves lowering and raising your body using your arms. It is an excellent choice for home workouts or as a finishing move in the gym, helping to improve upper body endurance and muscle tone without requiring specialized equipment or heavy weights.

Stats

TIER
3
DIFFICULTY
Untrained to Advanced
EQUIPMENT
None
TARGET MUSCLES
Triceps, Chest, Front Shoulder

Instructions for Proper Form

Setup:

  1. Chair position: Position a sturdy chair against a wall for extra stability.
  2. Hand placement: Sit on the edge of the chair and place your hands on the seat next to your hips, fingers facing forward.
  3. Foot position: Extend your legs in front of you, heels resting on the floor. Lift your hips off the chair.

The Lift:

  1. Initiate: Engage your core and slowly lower your body by bending your elbows. Aim to go down until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor.
  2. Focus on triceps: Concentrate on using your triceps to power the movement. Maintain an upright torso, avoiding excessive leaning forward.
  3. Powerful press: Forcefully push yourself back up to the starting position, extending your elbows fully.
  4. Reset: Breathe and prepare for the next repetition.

Tips:

  • Adjust difficulty: To make it easier, bend your knees and place your feet closer to your body. For a greater challenge, straighten your legs and elevate your feet on a bench or chair.
  • Elbow position: Keep your elbows relatively close to your body throughout the movement.

Common mistakes: Allowing the elbows to flare out to the sides, shrugging the shoulders toward the ears, and not maintaining a vertical torso which shifts focus away from the triceps.

Alternatives

Bench

dumbbell incline triceps extension

Triceps
Cable

cable one arm tricep pushdown

Triceps
Cable

cable pushdown(with rope)

Triceps
Cable

cable one arm side triceps pushdown

Triceps
Bench

barbell incline triceps extension

Triceps
Cable

cable bent overhead tricep extension

Triceps
Cable

cable overhead triceps extension

Triceps
Dumbbell

dumbbell incline two arm triceps extension

Triceps
Cable

cable lying triceps extension(low)

Triceps
Cable

cable reverse grip triceps pushdown(sz-bar)

Triceps
Bench

barbell seated overhead triceps extension

Triceps
Dumbbell

dumbbell seated triceps extension

Triceps
Dumbbell

dumbbell one arm tricep extension

Triceps
Cable

cable lying triceps extension

Triceps
Bench

barbell lying triceps extension

Triceps
Triceps Extension Machine

machine triceps extension

Triceps
Cable

cable triceps pushdown(SZ bar)

Triceps
Decline Bench

ez-barbell decline triceps extension

Triceps
Dumbbell

dumbbell one arm kickback

Triceps
Bench

dumbbell triceps kickback

Triceps
Dip Bar

weighted triceps dips

TricepsChest+1
None

dips on chair

TricepsChest+1
Barbell

barbell incline close grip bench press

TricepsFront Shoulder+1
None

kneeling triceps extension

Triceps
Dumbbell

dumbbell lying triceps extension

Triceps
Ez Barbell

ez-barbell incline triceps extension

Triceps
Dumbbell

dumbbell seated triceps extension

Triceps
Cable

cable triceps pushdown(v-bar)

Triceps
Smith Machine

smit-machine close grip bench press

TricepsChest+1
Bench

barbell close grip bench press

TricepsChest+1