Weighted Bench Dip: How To Do, Muscles Worked & Benefits

Weighted bench dips are a more challenging variation of bench dips, that is done by adding weight to the legs.

When performed with strict form, the weighted bench dip is an effective exercise to build your triceps. It also targets the shoulders, chest, and serratus anterior.

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about how to perform the weighted dips correctly.

You will also learn its benefits, how to avoid common mistakes, and what is the best variation of weighted tricep bench dips.

What Is Weighted Bench Dips

The weighted bench dip is harder than a regular bench dip. The dip is a good, effective bodyweight triceps exercise that you can do at home as well.

Weighted tricep dip is a great exercise for building the bigger triceps muscles, the lower chest area, and the front heads of the shoulders.

The use of a barbell plate will add resistance and make this exercise more difficult. The resistance comes from a combination of bodyweight and added weight—usually a weight plate.

Other ways to do this exercise:

• Use a dumbbell instead of a weight plate.
• Knee Bent Weighted Bench Dip: For this variation, keep your feet on the floor and weight on your thigh.

Know More: 7 Most Effective Tricep Dips To Build Mass & Strength

Muscles Worked During Weighted Bench Dip

The weighted bench dip is a compound exercise that works for multiple muscle groups in the upper body, including:

• Triceps brachii: primary muscle group worked during bench dips. 
• Chest: It is responsible for adducting (bringing in) the arm towards the midline of the body.
• Anterior deltoids: the front part of the shoulders. 

Other muscle groups that are also involved in the weighted bench dip include:

• Rhomboids: muscles in the upper back that help to retract (pull back) the shoulder blades.
• Trapezius: muscle in the upper back and neck that helps to raise, lower, and rotate the shoulder blades.
• Serratus anterior: muscle on the side of the chest that helps to protract (push forward) the shoulder blade.

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How To Do Weighted Bench Dip

1. Place your hands on the edge of a bench and extend your legs in front of you, resting your feet on another bench
2. Have a training partner place a weight plate on your thighs.
3. Keep your body close to the bench and bend your elbows and lower your butt.
4. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor. 
5. Slowly push back up while squeezing your triceps.
6. Do not lock the elbows out at the top of the exercise.
7. Do 8–12 reps and then have your partner take a plate off, so you can keep going.

Weighted Tricep Dip Benefits 

1. Dips strengthen the muscles in your chest, shoulders, triceps, upper back, and lower back.
2. When done correctly, bench dips can add muscle mass to your upper body. This exercise can also help build your strength for other exercises like bench presses.
3. Dips are an excellent exercise to increase flexibility in the shoulders and wrists, as well as gain muscle mass in the upper body.
4. Bench dips require a great deal of core muscle activation. This helps you to be balanced, stable, and coordinated.
5. Also, it’s a great workout that uses a lot of muscles that will make your upper body stronger
6. Bench dips are the best exercises that you can do at home and Gym. These exercises can be done with items like stairs, chairs, or other sturdy raised surfaces.
7. It works all the 3 heads of triceps muscles, including the lateral head, long head, and medial head.
8. Strong triceps help with shoulder stability and improve your range of motion.

Tips and Forms for Doing Bench Dips With Weight

The Plate bench dip needs to be done perfectly to activate the necessary muscle groups. This exercise will get you the most out of it if you avoid the common mistakes.

• If you do partial reps instead of full reps, you will lose some benefits of the exercise. Make sure you lower down until your upper arm is parallel to the ground and your elbow is 90 degrees.
• Ensure that your elbows stay tucked into your body throughout the dip. When you let your elbows flare out, you move the tension from your triceps to your shoulders, which can cause injury.
• Make sure you are always using the right form by keeping your chest high and open and your head straight, making sure not to round your shoulders or hunch forward with each movement.
• You must start in an upright position. Leaning forward will focus on your chest and shoulder muscles and not your triceps.
• You put too much pressure on your shoulder if you go too low in the dip. 
• You shouldn’t lock your elbow at the top of the movement. Keeping them slightly soft maintains tension on the triceps.
• Move slowly and with control for maximum results. Some moves’ benefits are missed if you rely on momentum to complete each rep.
• You should only do weight bench dips after you’ve mastered your bodyweight bench dips and can do them in a controlled manner. Never compromise form to lift more weight. It’s safer and more sensible to build up gradually.

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Best Alternate Of Weighted Bench Dip

1. Tricep Floor Dip

The Tricep Floor Dip is a simple yet effective tricep dips variation that you can do at home on the floor.

Floor Tricep dips are still a good tricep workout but will require more reps to train the triceps.

This is likely the best bodyweight tricep exercise for a beginner at home if you have no bench, no chairs, and nothing else to work with.

2. Knee Diamond Push-Up

The diamond push-up on the knees is a brilliant beginner exercise for the development of the triceps brachii. 

Once the diamond push-up on knees becomes easy, graduate to performing the exercise on your hands and forefeet.

If you’re looking for a simple and good bodyweight movement to train and work your triceps, then diamond push-ups on knees are the best option for a Beginner.

You can do more alternative weighted bench dips at home.

• Best Tricep Workout At Home Without Equipment For Bigger Arms
• Tricep Dips At Home For Beginner For Bigger Arms

How Many Sets And Reps?

Begin with 3 sets of 10 repetitions and increase your sets and reps over several weeks as you build muscle and strength in your triceps.

Takeaways

The weighted tricep bench dip is a very effective and challenging movement that mainly targets your triceps, but also works your shoulder, chest, and core muscles.

Regardless of your fitness goals, dips are a great addition to the bodyweight workout plan.

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.