Machine Assisted Triceps Dip
What Is the Machine Assisted Triceps Dip?
Machine Assisted Triceps Dip is a compound exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the chest and the front of the shoulders. It is a beginner-level movement performed on a counterweighted dip machine: you kneel on a pad that pushes up against you, so you press only part of your body weight through the parallel handles.
This exercise is a variation of the classic triceps dip, performed on a specialized dip machine. The key difference is that the machine provides adjustable assistance, making the movement more accessible for beginners or those building strength. In contrast to the Machine Assisted Chest Dip, this version keeps the torso close to upright and the elbows traveling straight back, close to the body, which shifts more of the work to the triceps. The chest version leans the torso forward and lets the elbows drift slightly wider, which hands more of the load to the chest.
The counterweight makes this a practical way to train the full dip pattern before you can press your whole body weight. It usually sits after the main pressing work of an upper-body or push session as a triceps builder in the 8 to 12 rep range. It is progressed by lowering the counterweight a step at a time until you can do unassisted dips, and later weighted dips.
It suits beginners, heavier lifters and anyone returning to dips who wants to control how much load reaches the bottom of the rep, where the front of the shoulder is most stretched. The assistance does not make the movement any shallower, though, so people whose shoulders are irritated by dipping are better served by triceps work that keeps the upper arm beside the body, such as the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope), until the shoulder settles.
Muscles Worked
- Triceps Brachii (Long Head)
- Primary
- Pectoralis Major
- High
- Deltoid
- Medium
Instructions
- Set the counterweight on the stack; a heavier setting gives more assistance and makes each rep easier.
- Step up onto the machine's steps, grip the parallel handles with your palms facing each other, and press up until your arms are straight.
- Place one knee and then the other on the assistance pad, letting your lower legs hang behind you with the knees bent.
- Set your body: torso close to upright, chest up, core braced and shoulders pressed down away from your ears.
- Inhale and bend your elbows to lower yourself slowly, keeping your elbows pointing straight back and close to your sides.
- Stop when your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, or higher if you feel a pinch at the front of your shoulder.
- Exhale and press through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps, then, with your arms straight, step off the pad one knee at a time onto the steps.
Common Mistakes
Leaning Forward
Letting the chest tip forward turns the rep into a chest dip, so keep the torso close to upright and let the elbows travel straight back.
Flaring Elbows
Letting the elbows drift out to the sides moves work from the triceps to the chest and the front of the shoulder, so keep them pointing back and close to your body.
Sinking Too Deep
Dropping well below the point where the upper arms are parallel to the floor loads the front of the shoulder at the end of its range, so stop at about parallel or higher if the shoulder pinches.
Partial Range of Motion
Stopping each rep only a few inches down leaves most of the triceps work undone, so lower until the upper arms are about parallel to the floor and press all the way to straight arms.
Shrugging the Shoulders
Letting the shoulders ride up toward the ears at the bottom puts the shoulder in a weaker position, so keep pressing the handles down to hold the shoulders low.
Rushing the Movement
Dropping fast and rebounding off the bottom lets momentum and the counterweight do the work and jars the elbows and shoulders, so lower for about two seconds and press up smoothly.
Injuries
Machine Assisted Triceps Dip is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The counterweight lowers the load, but at the bottom the shoulder still moves as far back as it does in a bodyweight dip, so the front of the shoulder and the elbows are where problems show up.
Most shoulder complaints come from sinking too deep, letting the shoulders shrug up and roll forward at the bottom, or dropping fast and bouncing out of the lowest point. Stop when your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, keep pushing the handles down so your shoulders stay low, and lower yourself under control. Soreness at the back of the elbow usually follows high volume or bouncing reps, so add sets and training days gradually.
To regress, add counterweight or stop a little higher. Bench dips are not an easier stand-in: a study of experienced male lifters found that bench dips took the shoulder further into extension than bar dips, slightly past the deepest position the lifters reached in a separate test of their own maximum range. If dips of any kind hurt the front of the shoulder, train the triceps with the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope) for a while. To progress, reduce the counterweight until you can do bodyweight triceps dips.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain at the front of the shoulder, elbow pain that builds from rep to rep, or numbness or tingling in the arm, and get it checked if it does not settle.
- Primary Focus
- Triceps
- Equipment
- Machine and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is this exercise suitable for beginners?
Yes. The assistance feature makes it ideal for beginners, allowing gradual progression by decreasing assistance as strength improves.
- Q: How does this differ from a Machine Assisted Chest Dip?
The Machine Assisted Triceps Dip keeps the torso close to upright with the elbows traveling straight back to target the triceps, while the chest dip leans the torso forward and lets the elbows drift slightly wider to shift the focus to the chest. Both stop at about the same depth, with the upper arms roughly parallel to the floor.
- Q: How much counterweight should I use?
Choose the setting that lets you complete 8 to 12 controlled reps to full depth with one or two reps left in reserve. More weight on the stack means more help, so progress by lowering the stack one step whenever you beat your target reps.
- Q: When am I ready for unassisted dips?
Once you can do clean sets of 8 to 12 reps with only a small amount of counterweight, try a few bodyweight triceps dips. A common bridge is to do as many unassisted reps as you can, then finish the set on the machine.
- Q: Does the assistance make it less effective for the triceps?
Not if the sets are hard. The triceps do the same job as in a bodyweight dip, just against less resistance, and sets taken close to failure with a lighter load still build muscle.