Chest · Dip Bar
Tricep Dip
How to do the tricep dip, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dip Bar
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Grip parallel bars and lift yourself up. Lower your body by bending your elbows to 90 degrees, then press back up.
- 1Straighten your elbows against resistance to feel the back of your arms working
- 2Press overhead while keeping your ribs down; you should feel your shoulders and triceps working
- 3Move deliberately and with control rather than relying on speed or momentum
Common mistakes
- Don't feel pain or strain in unrelated areas; adjust your load or range if you do
- Don't shrug your shoulders or overarch your lower back; keep the movement controlled
- Don't use momentum or rush through the reps, quality trumps quantity
Muscles worked
The tricep dip mainly works the lower chest, triceps, and mid chest, with the upper chest and front delts assisting.
- Lower ChestPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Tricep Dip strength standards
See how your tricep dip ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM20 lb
Silvere1RM52.5 lb
Golde1RM125 lb
Platinume1RM200 lb
Diamonde1RM240 lb
Champione1RM275 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the tricep dip for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed April 2026.