Dip Machine

Also called assisted dip and dip assist.

Works

Triceps, plus chest and shoulders

Equipment

Machine

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Sit securely in a dip machine, select the weight and firmly grasp the handles.

1. Now keep your elbows in at your sides in order to place emphasis on the triceps. The elbows should be bent at a 90 degree angle.
2. As you contract the triceps, extend your arms downwards as you exhale. Tip: At the bottom of the movement, focus on keeping a little bend in your arms to keep tension on the triceps muscle.
3. Now slowly let your arms come back up to the starting position as you inhale.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Cues

• Lean a little for chest, upright for triceps.
• Upper arm to parallel.
• Press without locking hard.

Common mistakes

• Too deep.
• Shrugging.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.