# Tricep Dips: How to Do Them and the Most Common Mistake

> How to do bench dips and parallel-bar dips correctly, what they work, the shoulder-rolling mistake that causes most dip injuries, and how to scale difficulty.

*Author: Trainera Team  |  Published: 2026-11-03  |  Updated: 2026-11-06  |  Reading time: 6 min*

## Tricep dips, done either as bench dips or parallel-bar dips, train the triceps along with the chest and front shoulders, and the most common mistake in both versions is letting the shoulders roll forward and descending so deep that the shoulder joint takes on excessive stress

Both variations load the triceps through elbow extension, but they differ enough in setup and difficulty that they're worth treating as two distinct exercises rather than interchangeable versions of the same move.

## Bench dips: setup and form

1. **Sit on the edge of a bench** with your hands placed just outside your hips, fingers pointing forward or slightly inward.
2. **Walk your feet out** until your hips clear the bench, legs extended (harder) or knees bent with feet flat on the floor (easier).
3. **Keep your shoulders back and down**, not hunched up toward your ears, and your chest relatively open rather than caved forward.
4. **Lower your body** by bending your elbows straight back (not flaring out to the sides), until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor. This is usually a sufficient depth for most people.
5. **Press back up** through your palms until your arms are extended but not snapped into a hard lockout.

## Parallel-bar dips: setup and form

1. **Grip the parallel bars** and lift yourself up with arms extended, shoulders set down away from your ears.
2. **Lean your torso slightly forward** if you want more chest involvement, or stay more upright to keep the emphasis on the triceps.
3. **Lower your body under control** by bending your elbows, keeping them pointed backward rather than flaring out wide.
4. **Stop the descent once your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor**, or sooner if you feel any pinching or strain in the front of the shoulder.
5. **Press back up** to full arm extension, keeping the torso controlled rather than swinging or kipping to generate momentum.

## What tricep dips work

* **Triceps**: the primary mover in elbow extension in both variations.
* **Pectoralis major (chest)**: contributes more in parallel-bar dips, especially with a forward torso lean, and to a lesser extent in bench dips.
* **Anterior deltoids**: assist throughout the pressing motion in both versions.
* **Core and scapular stabilizers**: work to keep the torso and shoulder blades controlled, particularly in the parallel-bar version where the body is fully suspended.

## The most common mistake: shoulders rolling forward and going too deep

In both bench and parallel-bar dips, letting the shoulders round forward and sink below the elbows at the bottom of the movement puts the shoulder joint into a vulnerable, stretched internally-rotated position under load. Combined with descending too deep, well past the point where the upper arms are parallel to the floor, this is widely considered the main way dips lead to shoulder strain, particularly anterior shoulder or labrum irritation over repeated sessions. Keeping the shoulders pulled back and down, and treating "upper arms parallel to the floor" as a natural stopping point rather than a soft limit to push past, addresses most of the risk.

| Factor            | Bench dips                             | Parallel-bar dips                  |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Difficulty        | Easier, partially bodyweight-supported | Harder, full bodyweight (or more)  |
| Equipment needed  | A single bench or sturdy platform      | Parallel dip bars or a dip station |
| Loading potential | Limited (plate on lap, feet elevation) | High (dip belt with added weight)  |
| Shoulder position | Hands fixed behind the body            | Full range, arms fully suspended   |

## Sensible rep ranges

Bench dips are commonly trained for higher reps, 12–20 per set, since the exercise is naturally lighter in relative load. Parallel-bar dips, especially once weighted, often fall into a more moderate 6–12 rep range, similar to other compound pressing movements. As with any bodyweight exercise, if you can comfortably exceed 20 clean reps on parallel-bar dips, adding external weight with a dip belt is usually a more effective way to keep progressing than continuing to add reps indefinitely.

## Other common mistakes

* **Flaring the elbows out wide** instead of keeping them tracking backward, which increases shoulder strain and shifts emphasis away from the triceps.
* **Using momentum or bouncing** at the bottom of the movement instead of controlling the descent and pressing back up deliberately.
* **Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears** throughout the set, which reduces shoulder stability and scapular control.
* **Rushing the descent** and relying on the stretch at the bottom to bounce back up, rather than controlling the lowering phase and pressing back up deliberately.
* **Letting the hips drift forward away from the bar or bench** in either variation, which changes the angle of the torso and shifts load in ways that are harder to control.

## Breathing and bracing

Take a breath and brace your core as you begin the descent, keeping that tension through the bottom of the movement, then exhale as you press back up. A braced midsection helps keep the torso from swinging or twisting during the dip, which matters more in the parallel-bar version where there's no bench supporting part of your body weight.

## How to scale difficulty

* **To make bench dips easier:** bend the knees and keep feet closer to the bench, reducing how much bodyweight the arms have to support.
* **To make bench dips harder:** extend the legs fully, elevate the feet on a second bench or box, or add weight on the lap.
* **To make parallel-bar dips easier:** use an assisted-dip machine or a resistance band looped under the knees/feet for support, or perform the movement over a partial range of motion.
* **To make parallel-bar dips harder:** add weight with a dip belt, slow down the eccentric (lowering) phase, or increase range of motion gradually as shoulder mobility allows.

## Who should be cautious with this exercise

Anyone with a history of shoulder impingement, rotator cuff issues, or anterior shoulder instability should approach dips carefully, since the bottom position places the shoulder in a deeply flexed, loaded stretch that can aggravate those conditions. Limiting the range of motion to well short of a deep stretch, prioritizing bench dips with bent knees or assisted parallel-bar dips over full-bodyweight versions, and stopping the movement at the first sign of shoulder discomfort rather than pushing through it are reasonable precautions.

It's also worth noting that "working through" sharp or pinching shoulder pain during dips is a different situation than ordinary muscle fatigue in the triceps: the former is a signal to stop and reassess depth, elbow path, and shoulder position (or substitute a different pressing exercise entirely), rather than something to push past for the sake of finishing a set.

Anyone newer to resistance training, or coming back from a layoff, is generally better served starting with bench dips before attempting bodyweight parallel-bar dips, since the bench version lets you build up triceps and shoulder strength and confidence in the movement pattern with a built-in ability to reduce the load simply by bending the knees more or placing the feet closer to the bench.

A gradual progression might look like: bench dips with knees bent and feet close, then bench dips with legs extended, then feet-elevated bench dips, then assisted or band-supported parallel-bar dips, and finally full bodyweight parallel-bar dips. Moving through these stages over weeks or months, rather than jumping straight to full bodyweight dips, gives the shoulders and elbow tendons time to adapt to the increasing demand.

## FAQ

### Are bench dips or parallel-bar dips better for triceps?

Both train the triceps effectively, but parallel-bar dips generally allow more range of motion and progressive loading (via a dip belt), while bench dips are more accessible for beginners since body weight is partially supported by the legs.

### How deep should I go on a tricep dip?

Stopping once your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor is a reasonable general depth for most people. Going noticeably deeper increases shoulder joint stress without necessarily adding much extra triceps benefit.

### Why do my shoulders hurt during dips?

This is most often caused by letting the shoulders round forward and descending too deep, which places the front of the shoulder joint under significant stretched load. Keeping the shoulders set back and limiting depth to upper-arms-parallel usually reduces this.

### Can beginners do parallel-bar dips?

Many beginners aren't yet strong enough to control their full bodyweight through a dip safely. Starting with bench dips, assisted-dip machines, or band-assisted parallel-bar dips is a more appropriate entry point before progressing to full bodyweight dips.

### Do dips work the chest or the triceps more?

It depends on torso angle: staying upright emphasizes the triceps more, while leaning the torso forward shifts more of the work onto the chest. Bench dips, done with an upright torso, tend to keep the emphasis more squarely on the triceps.

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Source: https://trainera.fit/blogs/tricep-dips-how-to-common-mistakes