Wave Goodbye to Flabby Arms
- Bench Dips For The Triceps and How to Make Them Work Better For You

The Bench Dip is an excellent exercise for the tricep muscles, which are located on the back of the upper arms. It is very simple and can be done with a minimum of equipment.

You can use a bench (or even an ordinary chair) for this one. Start by sitting on the bench. Place your hands on the bench right beside your glutes with your fingers curled over the front edge. It will almost look as though you are sitting on your hands.

You will find pictures of how to do this exercise and the tricks described below at the URL listed at the end of this article.

If this is your first time doing this exercise, set your feet flat on the floor a foot or two away from the bench. Your knees will be bent.

Move your butt forward off the bench a few inches. Now dip your upper body down as though scraping your back along the front edge of the bench. Push yourself back up, squeezing the triceps hard.

This is the easiest position. As you get stronger at this exercise, you will find that this position is too easy. Now it's time to increase resistance.

Move your feet further away from the bench. This forces your triceps to take up more of your bodyweight. As you get even stronger, move your feet as far out as you can so your legs are straight. Your next position after that is with your feet up on a bench with your legs straight. You may even with to try it with your feet on a bench that is higher than the one you have your hands on.

If you get really strong and ambitious, you can even add extra resistance to your body. Have a partner stand behind you (on another bench, if necessary) and push down hard on your shoulders as you push yourself back up. Another option is to place weight plates on your lap or squeeze a dumbell between your thighs, but the partner-resistance is normally more effective.

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of BetterU, Inc., an internet- based personal training company. He has been training for more than 14 years and has been a personal trainer for more than 8 years. He is the author of the training eBooks "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of", "Gluteus to the Maximus" and "Specialization Training". Go to his Web site for more information on these books.

More Articles by Author Nick Nilsson
Return To Weight Lifting Articles Archive