Tricep Dip Machine
The seated dip machine is a triceps exercise in which you sit with your thighs held under a pad and push two handles down from about shoulder height until your arms are straight. It works the triceps, with the chest and front of the shoulders assisting, and the load is set on the machine rather than by your bodyweight.
Also called: Machine Dip, Machine Seated Dip, Plate-Loaded Seated Dip, Selectorized Seated Dip · Equipment: machine · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Adjust the seat so the handles sit about level with your shoulders when you sit down. Raise the thigh pad, sit, then bring it down onto your thighs.
- Grip the handles with your palms facing in, and sit tall with your chest against the pad if the machine has one.
- Brace your trunk and pull your shoulders down away from your ears.
- Push the handles down until your arms are fully straight, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
- Squeeze your triceps briefly at the bottom.
- Let the handles rise under control until your elbows are bent to about 90° or the handles are back at shoulder level.
- Repeat, then after the last rep let the handles return to the start before letting go.
- Shoulders down, chest up
- Elbows close to your sides
- Push the handles all the way down
- Squeeze at the bottom
- Let the handles rise with control
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps brachii: lateral head | Prime mover | D |
| Triceps brachii: medial head | Prime mover | D |
| Triceps brachii: long head | Secondary | D |
| Pectoralis major: abdominal (lower) | Secondary | D |
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Secondary | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Seat set too low
Fix: Raise the seat so the handles start about level with your shoulders.
Shrugging the shoulders
Fix: Pull your shoulders down away from your ears before each rep.
Elbows flaring out
Fix: Keep your elbows close to your sides as you push down.
Partial lockout
Fix: Push until your arms are fully straight on every rep.
Letting the stack crash
Fix: Let the handles rise slowly until your elbows reach about 90°.
What the research says
StrengthMuscle growthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Machines and free weights — A meta-analysis found machine and free-weight training produce similar muscle growth, while strength gains are specific to the equipment used in training.
- Load and effort — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, and true failure adds only a small extra benefit.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns.
- Pairing — A common approach is to pair it with an overhead triceps exercise, since the arms stay at the sides here. There is no research on this machine specifically.
Swap it mid-workout
- Assisted Dip Machine
- Barbell Floor Press
- Barbell JM Press
- Barbell Reverse Grip Bench Press
- Close Grip Bench Press
- Dip
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the tricep dip machine in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.