Bench Dip

How to perform the Bench Dip

1. Sit on the edge of a bench, place the hands beside your hips gripping the edge, and slide the hips forward off the bench.
2. Extend the legs out and support your weight on the hands with the arms straight, hips hovering just in front of the bench.
3. Be cautious: as you descend, the shoulders travel into deep extension behind the torso, which stresses the anterior shoulder capsule.
4. Lower the hips straight down by bending the elbows, keeping them pointing straight back rather than flaring out.
5. Stop when the upper arms reach about parallel to the floor; going deeper sharply increases the shoulder-capsule risk.
6. Press back up by extending the elbows until the arms are straight, keeping the hips close to the bench.

Suggested working range: 8–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Descending too deep so the shoulders drop far behind the torso and stress the anterior capsule.
• •Flaring the elbows out to the sides instead of keeping them pointing straight back.
• •Drifting the hips too far forward from the bench, which increases the shoulder strain.
• •Bouncing out of the bottom rather than pressing up under control.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.