Happy Friday!
Move of the Week: Triceps Bench Dip
Step 1
Position hands shoulder width apart on a secured step or bench. Make sure fingertips are facing front, with elbows facing back, and walk legs out to the front.
Note: The further out you walk your legs, the more difficult it makes the move. I’m demonstrating an intermediate version here, but if you look in the background you can see my friend Liz rocking the straight leg advanced one! Try both, see what works for you.
Also, don’t mind this awful picture of me with my mouth wide open, I’m just yelling at my class!
Step 2
Before you begin, straighten arms, but make sure to keep a slight bend in the elbows to keep the tension in your tricep muscles and not in your elbow joints. Then bend the elbows and slowly lower your body down to the floor. Keep your elbows facing back and at your sides (you don’t want arms too far apart).
Note: A very common mistake here is for people to turn their elbows out to the side. Also, make sure not to hunch your shoulders! Both of these are incorrect form, ineffective, and could result in injury!
Step 3
Once you get to the bottom of the movement, slowly press off with your hands and press yourself back up to the starting position.
Try 3 sets of 8, and build your way up to 3 sets of 10, 12, or 15. You can make these harder by placing one foot on top of the other, making sure to do even amounts of dips on each side. You can also break up the sets by holding the position at the top of the move, or with the arms bent at the bottom of the move – squeezing your triceps there will make you feel the burn! Finally, you all know how much I love to add a “pulse” to a move – if you want to add them here, do it at the bottom of the move with a very slight bounce.
The great thing about this move is you can literally do it anywhere because you don’t NEED equipment. Although I use the bench in class, you can do these technically on the floor, and you can use anything sturdy in your own home. I always had my bootcamp classes doing these on the picnic benches in the park!
Go give these a try!
What’s your favorite move to work your triceps? Do you prefer using free weights, a machine, or your body weight like with the bench dips?
Have a nice weekend everyone!