Arms
The main muscle group listed for this exercise.
Exercise guide
Bench Dips
Bench Dips is a beginner-friendly arm exercise using body weight. It also involves the chest and shoulders.
Bodyweight
The equipment listed for this variation.
Beginner
The recorded setup and movement complexity.
Arms
Bench Dips also involves chest, shoulders.
Strength
Movement pattern: horizontal push. This is a compound exercise.
Beginner
This level reflects the setup and movement complexity recorded for this exercise.
Instructions
How to do Bench Dips
- For this exercise you will need to place a bench behind your back. With the bench perpendicular to your body, and while looking away from it, hold on to the bench on its edge with the hands fully extended, separated at shoulder width. The legs will be extended forward, bent at the waist and perpendicular to your torso. This will be your starting position.
- Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper arm and the forearm. Tip: Keep the elbows as close as possible throughout the movement. Forearms should always be pointing down.
- Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Related workouts
Workout templates that use this exercise.
If you want to see this movement inside a more complete training session, start here.
Beginner Home Workout
A bodyweight-only starting plan you can run at home with very little setup.
View workout3-Day Full Body Split
A three-day split that spreads total weekly work across three full-body sessions.
View workoutArm Workout
A focused arm session with direct biceps and triceps volume you can recover from.
View workoutRelated exercises
More exercises in the same lane.
Use these when you want a similar movement pattern, a different setup, or more exercise options for the same target area.
Dips - Triceps Version
Dips - Triceps Version is a beginner-friendly arm exercise using body weight. It also involves the chest and shoulders.
View exerciseClose-Grip Barbell Bench Press
Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press is a beginner-friendly arm exercise performed with a barbell. It also involves the chest and shoulders.
View exerciseJM Press
JM Press is a beginner-friendly arm exercise performed with a barbell. It also involves the chest and shoulders.
View exercisePushups
Pushups is a beginner-friendly chest exercise using body weight. It also involves the shoulders and arms.
View exerciseRelated tools
Related calculators for this exercise.
Use these calculators when you want to connect the exercise itself to calories, protein, strength targets, or training volume.
FAQ
Common questions about Bench Dips.
What muscles does Bench Dips work?
Bench Dips primarily trains the arms and also involves the chest and shoulders.
Is Bench Dips beginner-friendly?
Yes. It is listed as beginner-friendly.
What equipment do I need for Bench Dips?
This variation uses body weight.
Track this exercise for free in Logbook.
Once the movement is in your plan, use Logbook to record sets, reps, load, and progress without guessing what happened last week.