Chair Tricep Dip

The chair tricep dip requires no equipment and uses your body weight as the main resistance. It’s a versatile tricep isolation exercise that can be used at home and in the gym.

To help you learn more, we discuss everything you need to know below. We look at the correct form, programming, and main benefits.

How To Do

  1. Place a suitable chair in an open space. Stand in front of the chair with your arms by your sides.
  2. Turn around so your back is facing the chair. Bring your arms down to the chair seat and place them on the sides in an extended position. Your hands should be facing outwards with your elbows tucked in.
  3. Bring your legs out to 90-degree angles in front of the chair. Your chest should be up with your head facing forwards. This is the correct starting position.
  4. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and flex your elbow to lower your body down to the floor. Pause briefly as your upper arms come parallel to the floor.
  5. Inhale and extend your elbows to come back to the starting position.

Tips From Expert

  • Ensure you’re sitting on the edge of the chair before assuming the correct starting position. Your hands should be next to your hips.
  • Keep your back close to the chair to limit shoulder strain.
  • Before coming off the chair, inhale and engage your core. This ensures that you keep a tight body position. 
  • Your elbows should bent down to a 90-degree angle. Avoid overextending them past the normal range of motion.
  • Keep your chest up and head facing forward throughout the movement.
  • Exhale as you come back to the starting position.
  • Perform the chair tricep dip using a controlled movement.

Optimal Sets and Reps

Use the table below as a general programming guide when performing the chair tricep dip.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 3–5 4–6
Hypertrophy 3–4 8–10
Endurance Training 3–4 12+
Power Training 3–5 1–3 (Explosive)
Optimal Sets & Reps of Chair Tricep Dip

How to Put in Your Workout Split

The chair tricep dip is a versatile bodyweight exercise that isolates the three tricep brachii heads. It builds upper-body strength, improves upper-arm muscle growth, and requires no equipment.

When it comes to programming, start by setting your training volume. The programming table above can be used as a general guide for your ideal sets and reps. A minimum training volume of 10 weekly working sets is suggested for muscular hypertrophy.

Next, consider your exercise intensity. Bodyweight movements don’t require loading recommendations. To increase exercise difficulty, use a weighted vest or add weight plates to your knees.

In terms of your programming routine, these are our suggested options:

  • Bodyweight Circuit — The chair tricep dip uses your body weight as the main resistance. Program it as part of a functional bodyweight circuit at home or in the gym. Pair it with push-ups and pull-ups.
  • Bodybuilding Arms Workout — The primary movers are the triceps brachii, Perform it as part of a bodybuilding arm workout to add training volume. Pair it with bicep curls and close-grip bench presses.
  • General Accessory Exercise — With the triceps brachii as the main movers, it works well as an accessory exercise, Program it following your compound weighted movements at the end of your session. It can also be done as part of a back and tricep workout.

Primary Muscle Groups

Triceps Lateral Heads

Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Medial Heads

Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

Triceps Lateral Heads

The triceps lateral heads are the outer parts of the triceps brachii muscles. They’re noted as the strongest of the three heads and are only active during resistance. They originate from the humerus (upper arm) and insert into the ulna (forearm)

During the chair tricep dip, the triceps lateral heads extend the elbows. They contract to bring you from the bottom position back to the start with the arms extended.

With the arms in a neutral position, the triceps lateral heads show a maximum activation rate of approximately 10%. This was shown during a normal elbow extension task. We can apply this to the chair tricep dip because of the similar movement patterns.

Triceps Medial Heads

The triceps medial heads are underneath the lateral heads on the inside of the triceps brachii. They’re active during resistance and normal movement.

During the chair tricep dip, they work with the triceps lateral heads to extend the elbows. They’re mainly active at the bottom position as you push back to the start.

In the same study, the triceps medial heads show an activation rate of approximately 12%–15%. This is slightly higher than the lateral heads.

Triceps Long Heads

The triceps long heads are located on the inner side of the tricep brachii musculature. They’re the longest of the three tricep heads.

Like the other tricep heads, they extend the elbows to bring your body up from the bottom position. Alongside this, they stabilize the shoulders during both phases of the chair tricep dip.

The long heads show a maximum activation rate of approximately 25%–18%.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Latissimus Dorsi

Large, triangular shaped muscles located just below your shoulder blades. They extend along your spine down to your pelvis.

Upper Trapezius

Triangular shaped muscles located between your neck and shoulder blades.

Middle Trapezius

Muscles located in the middle of your back between your upper and lower traps.

Anterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the front of your shoulder region

Anterior Deltoid

The anterior deltoids are the front portions of the shoulder complex. They bring the arms in front of the body and above the head.

Because of this, they’re involved in many pressing and pushing movements. In the chair tricep dip, they mainly stabilize the shoulder position as your triceps extend the elbows.

Sternal Head Of Pectoralis Major

The sternal heads of the pectoralis major are the middle parts of the chest muscles. They mainly function to adduct the arms, meaning they bring them closer to the midline of the body.

As you perform the chair tricep dip, the sternal heads adduct the arms slightly. This happens when you move from the bottom position to the starting position. It happens at the same time as the triceps brachii heads perform elbow extension.

Abdominal Head Of Pectoralis Major

The abdominal heads of the pectoralis major are also known as the lower chest. They’re the most variable part of the chest musculature and may not be present in some people.

When performing the chair tricep dip, they bring the arms behind the body as you lower down from the starting position. This helps to control the movement as you come to the bottom position.

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi muscle makes up a significant part of the back musculature. It’s a large, superficial back muscle that sits below the trapezius muscle group. It originates from the lower spine and is inserted into the upper arms.

The latissimus dorsi works with other muscle groups to adduct and extend the arms. When performing the chair tricep dip, the latissimus dorsi extends the arms as you lower to the bottom position. Alongside this, it slightly adducts the arms as you extend the elbows back to the starting position.

Upper Trapezius

The trapezius muscle extends from the base of the neck down to the lower back area. Its primary role is to stabilize and move the scapula.

When performing the chair tricep dip, the upper trapezius elevates the scapula. This happens as your shoulder extends when coming down to the bottom position.

For targeted work, use the chair tricep dip as part of a back workout at home or in the gym.

Middle Trapezius

The middle trapezius is just below the upper trapezius muscle group. Like the upper trapezius, they stabilize and move the scapula.

As you lower down to the bottom dip position, the middle trapezius protracts the scapula. This means that they bring them into the body’s midline. They work alongside your upper trapezius as you elevate your shoulders.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Chair

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Chair

Use for stability during exercises. Ensure it's sturdy and level.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Diamond Push-Up

Overhead Triceps Stretch

Close-Grip Push-Up

Crab Walk

Knee Diamond Push-Up

Side Lying Tricep Press

Tricep Dip On Bench

Forearm Push-Up

Knee Close-Grip Push-Up

Wall Tricep Press

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Ez Bar Lying Triceps Extension

Triceps Dip

Barbell Lying Triceps Extension

Dumbbell Skull Crusher

Cable Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown

Ring Dip

Cable Tricep Pushdown

Overhead Cable Tricep Extension

Rope Tricep Extension

Dumbbell Close-Grip Press

Who Should Do?

Recreational Populations

Recreational populations are still at the beginner level of resistance training. During this stage, time should still be spent working on the foundational skills. More advanced exercises can be added once a solid base is developed.

The chair tricep dip uses a simple movement pattern with a small initial learning curve. Therefore, it’s a perfect option for recreational populations to build these functional skills. Alongside this, it helps beginners to build confidence before progressing.

Home Gym Users

The prevalence of home gym training has continued to rise following the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Because of this, home gym users look for clever ways to work their full body while minimizing the equipment used. This helps to save home gym space and money.

The chair tricep dip uses a chair as the main exercise equipment. Besides this, all it requires is your body weight. Heavy household items can also be used to increase the difficulty if safe to do so.

This gives you a versatile home gym exercise that can be used to isolate the tricep muscles. It can be used alongside weighted and bodyweight exercises as a chest and tricep workout.

Bodybuilders

Bodybuilding training focuses on two main training determinants to achieve muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth). These are training volume and training intensity. This refers to the amount of work performed and exercise difficulty. 

The chair tricep dip is easy to set up and perform. While it offers a lower intensity, it works great as a superset to increase training volume. This is when you perform two exercises without rest. 

As a bodybuilder, it works great after your weighted compound movements. Program it using different supersets or as an upper body, push, or dedicated arm workout. 

Who Should Not Do?

Advanced Athletes

At an advanced level, a solid foundation has already been developed. Time has been spent performing the basic movement patterns to build important physical skills. 

Therefore, these athletes can focus on more advanced movement patterns that provide a suitable exercise stimulus. This allows the body’s adaptive training responses to take place. 

The chair tricep dip is a relatively easy movement pattern to perform. Also, it can only be progressed so far as a bodyweight movement. While it can be added to an advanced routine, it shouldn’t be the main focus. 

Those With Shoulder And Elbow Issues

Shoulder and elbow issues are common problems when resistance training and during sports performance. The prevalence of shoulder issues in an overhead athlete population was estimated at 31.3%.

The chair tricep dip requires large degrees of shoulder extension, elbow extension, and elbow flexion. Even though it’s not a weighted movement, it still requires large ranges of motion. 

This may not be possible for those with shoulder and elbow issues. Symptoms often include reduced range of motion and pain. Common examples include elbow tendinitis and shoulder impingement syndrome. 

Benefits Of The Chair Tricep Dip

Builds Upper Body Pressing Strength 

Most upper-body strength exercises can be split into pushing and pulling movements. Pushing movements use the chest, shoulders, and triceps as the primary movers. 

The triceps are a key muscle group that performs the push or press lockout as the arms extend. They take over from the chest and shoulders as the primary movers. Exercise examples include the barbell bench press and Military press.

The chair tricep dip is a tricep isolation exercise that helps to improve their strength and function. This can improve the lockout phase when a suitable training intensity is used. Program them as a pushing accessory exercise when training as a beginner gymgoer. 

Improves Upper Arm Aesthetics 

The upper arms comprise a significant proportion of the upper body’s appearance and function. They can be split into two main muscle groups — the biceps brachii and the triceps brachii.

The triceps brachii make up two-thirds of the upper arm mass. Because of this, they are largely responsible for most of the upper arm appearance.

The chair tricep dip isolates the three heads of the triceps brachii. This provides a large training volume for muscle growth to occur. With this, it’s a great exercise to improve upper arm aesthetics. Add it to an upper body or push routine.

No Equipment Needed 

When resistance training at home or in the gym, one of the considerations should be equipment. This determines programming elements such as exercise order and number of exercises. 

The chair tricep dip requires only your body weight and a chair. This means no cost, little set-up time, and little equipment needed. Because of this, it’s a versatile exercise option to isolate the triceps. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are chair dips good for the triceps?

Chair dips are great for isolating the three heads of the tricep brachii. This is due to the arm and elbow positions which shift the main exercise focus to the triceps.

What are the disadvantages of chair tricep dips?

The main disadvantage would be that you can only progress them to a certain point. This can be done using a weighted vest or loading plates on your knees if it’s safe.

How often should I do chair tricep dips?

Aim to perform the chair tricep dip with your push, upper-body, or arm sessions. This should equal approximately 2–3 times per week. This number will vary depending on your programming and ability level.

How many chair tricep dips a day?

Use the programming table to find your ideal sets and reps for each training style. Performing them every day is not needed with the right programming.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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