Bench Dips are a good tricep
exercise that I use on occasion. This is a variation of
the exercise that I actually like more than the "bench"
version.
Now, on a side note, this
exercise does put some pressure on the shoulders, especially
if you go down too deep at the bottom. I always keep my
upper arms a little above parallel to minimize shoulder
strain. Some trainers are against doing this exercise at
all, but for me, I have bad shoulders and don't have any
problems with it as long you're smart about it and don't
abuse the exercise (going too deep or bouncing out of the
bottom).
This version of the exercise
is done in the Power Rack, using the safety rails as the
apparatus.
Set one of the safety rails
at about mid-thigh height and the other rail a few inches
higher.
You're going to set your hands
on the lower rail, but here's the trick...instead of putting
your feet on TOP of the other rail, you're going to push
them onto the forward FACE of the rail so that as you're
doing the exercise, in order to keep from falling you have
to use your triceps to basically wedge your body into the
exercise.
You can also do this technique
using a bench, if you don't have a rack - just put your
bench a few feet from a wall and plant your feet flat on
the wall instead of top of something else. You'll have to
be VERY sure your bench won't slide, though, because when
you push back with your legs, you'll get some serious backwards
force. That's why I like this one better in the rack.
So as you're pushing UP, you're
also pushing forward against the other rail to keep yourself
from falling.
Note where my upper arms are
at the bottom ofo the rep - you're not going for maximum
stretch at the bottom. And when you set you hands on the
rail, keep them about shoulder-width apart - don't bring
them in any narrower as that puts more strain on the shoulders.
It's double-trouble on the
triceps and I find it makes a HUGE difference in the effectiveness
of the bench dip exercise.
In this demo video, I do this
exercise rest-pause style, doing as many reps as I can on
the first set, rest 20 seconds, then as many more reps as
I can, rest 20 seconds, then finish with one last set of
as many reps as I can.
By the time you're done, your
triceps will be PUMPED.
