Do dips work long head of tricep?
James Craig
Published Jan 12, 2026
Dips are often thought of as a chest exercise, but depending on how you do them, they're also an excellent long head tricep exercise.
Will dips give me big triceps?
"Dips are an excellent movement to build size, strength and power into the triceps," explains, body-transformation coach, Charlie Johnson. "[Having] some variation of dips within a training programme is a wise idea if you're looking to develop this muscle group and improve your pressing strength."
What tricep do dips work?
What do tricep dips do for the body? Tricep dips work the muscles in the upper arm, specifically the triceps, and are one of the best exercises for toning the arms. However, there's more to the tricep dip than just improved arm strength. Dips also require core engagement since you're lifting your hips off the ground.
Are dips the best tricep exercise?
“The dip is one of the best exercises for building triceps size and strength for a number of important reasons,” says Viktor Genov (pictured), a personal trainer at Fitness First Tottenham Court Road. “First, they allow for a great range of motion, which is critical to working a muscle fully.
How do you hit a long head tricep?
Take a dumbbell and place each hand on either side of the plate. Bring the weight to your upper chest and press it up above your head. Lower the weight behind your head, bending your elbow as far as you feel comfortable. Press the weight back up, ensuring your elbows don't flare out to the side.
31 related questions foundWill dips build big arms?
Dips can help you build bigger arms. Anytime triceps are integrated with rigorous resistance exercises, muscle mass is strengthened and amplified. Triceps dips represent such an exercise for those wanting to build bulky upper-arm muscles.
Is bench and dips enough for triceps?
As Coach Mike Robertson notes, "A basic rule of thumb should be this: If it uses more weight, it's probably a more effective exercise. For the triceps, that means dips and close-grip bench presses." Unlike some triceps movements, dips hit every head of the triceps: the long, medial, and lateral.
What is the best tricep exercise?
The 8 Most Effective Triceps Exercises
- Diamond Push-Ups.
- Kickbacks.
- Dips.
- Overhead Triceps Extensions.
- Rope Pushdowns.
- Bar Pushdowns.
- Lying Triceps Extensions.
- Close Grip Bench Presses.
How do you target all tricep heads?
Make sure to use an overhand grip, which is when your palms are facing the ground. Using an underhand grip turns the move into a pulldown, which will work all three heads of the tricep. The overhand grip targets the long head of the tricep specifically. Your feet should be close together but not touching.
What exercise works all three heads of the triceps?
Tricep Exercises for All Three Heads of Triceps
- Tricep Exercises for All Three Heads of Triceps. ...
- Using a narrow grip with bench press takes away from the pectoralis major muscles, but puts more resistance on triceps. ...
- Weighted dips is another big compound movement that puts the triceps under heavy stress. ...
- Tricep Pushdown.
Do dips hit the long head?
Dips are a multi-joint body weight exercise that simultaneously work your chest, anterior deltoids and triceps. Dips equally work the long head and lateral head of your triceps with the medial head kicking in at the top of the movement.
Are dips better than tricep extensions?
Tricep extensions train the long head optimally, whereas dips don't. Dips are a multi-joint exercise and can thus replace compound free-weight presses. Dips put more pressure on the shoulders than lying extensions and likely still a bit more than overhead extensions as well.
Is tricep dips enough for triceps?
Absolutely. In fact, Tricep Dips are among the top three workouts for optimal muscle activation in all the three heads of the Tricep muscle.
Are tricep dips good for triceps?
Tricep dips are one of the best exercises to increase your arm strength, and also build lean muscle in your upper arms. They will work all three tricep muscles, and simply must be part of any effective tricep workout or bodyweight workout.
Are dips better than push ups?
To quickly summarize, dips are best for lifters who are looking to maximize strength gains and build a nice lower chest. Push-ups are something for lifters who want to test their endurance and improve their overall fitness.
Which is better dips or skull crushers?
Skull crushers are the superior choice for developing maximum triceps mass because they train the head—the long head—that accounts for most of your triceps size, much more optimally than dips. Dips, on the other hand, require no equipment because you can do them on a chair or on your sofa.
Are dips better than tricep pushdown?
The More Effective (and Safer) Triceps Exercise
Unlike the dip, the triceps pushdown places significantly less stress on the shoulder joint, Becourtney says. Holding the shoulder stable, this exercise is isolated at the elbow joint, leaving the triceps muscle responsible for extending the arm.
Are dips and tricep press the same?
Dips engage stabilizing muscles, particularly the anterior deltoids and the pectorals, which means you are doing more with every movement. In either variation of the dip, you are working against a much heavier load than you face while doing the triceps machine press.
Do tricep extensions work the long head?
The overhead triceps extension is very close behind rope pushdowns on the list of most effective long head exercises. You'll need to leave your ego at the door again and start by using low weight on the cable machine or smaller dumbbells to perform these correctly.
Why my triceps are not growing?
Despite the use of big compound movements like the bench press and close grip bench press, the triceps just won't grow as much as they should. This is because the lateral and medial head of the triceps are most responsible for extending the elbow under load. This is exactly what these popular pressing exercises do.
Are triceps hard to build?
Triceps are tiny muscles that require deliberate movements, says Neiman. They're just plain harder to work.
Will 100 pushups a day do anything?
You will likely notice gains in upper body strength if you do pushups regularly. For the best results, continue to add variety to the types of pushups you do. You can also follow a “pushup challenge“ where you gradually increase the number of pushups each week. You can work up to doing 100 reps in two months.
What muscles do dips work?
Dips help strengthen the muscles in your: chest, shoulders, triceps, upper back, and lower back. When done correctly, weighted dips can add muscle mass to your upper body. This exercise can also help build your strength for other exercises like bench presses.
How do you target a medial tricep head?
HOW TO IMPLEMENT MEDIAL HEAD TRICEP WORKOUT INTO YOUR ROUTINE
- Close Grip Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-6 reps.
- Overhead Rope Cable Extensions: 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
- Straight Bar Cable Pushdowns: 3 sets of 15-10 reps.
- Diamond Push Ups: 3 sets to failure.