Upgrade Your Dips to Build Bigger, Stronger Triceps – How to Do the Russian Dip

Dips are already one of the greatest movements of all time when it comes to building a bigger, stronger upper body. We don’t even have to caveat ‘using just your bodyweight’, because dips hold their own against even the most heavyweight of barbell and dumbbell movements.

But, if you want to make them even more effective for your triceps, while adding more skill, range and control, the Russian dip is the move you’re looking for.

By dropping from the top of a straight-bar dip onto your forearms, then pressing back up to locked arms, you turn a standard bodyweight staple into a much more demanding pressing drill. More movement equals more tension, which means more total work for the triceps, shoulders and chest.

It’s only a simple tweak to usual proceedings, but it certainly isn’t easy. And the results are more than worth your efforts.

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The Russian dip is a bodyweight pressing variation usually performed on parallel bars or a straight dip station, where you lower into the bottom position of a dip before rocking back onto your forearms, then driving back up to full arm extension.

Instead of just lowering and pressing like a standard dip, you move through an extra transition phase, increasing the range and forcing the triceps to work much harder.

It’s essentially a hybrid between a dip and a bodyweight tricep extension – or the big brother of the Tiger push-up – and it’s a potent one.

More Tricep Tension

That forearm-to-bar transition places a huge demand on elbow extension, making this a serious tricep builder.

Better Range, Bigger Challenge

By adding an extra portion to each rep, you increase time under tension and make ‘light’ bodyweight work go a lot further.

Stronger Pressing Mechanics

Russian dips challenge your shoulders and elbows to stay stable through multiple angles, helping build more robust pressing strength.

No Need to Add Load

Before you start hanging plates off a dip belt, this is a smart way to make bodyweight dips harder with nothing but more movement. Ideal for home gym warriors or calisthenics masters looking to pack some size on those guns.

Triceps – do most of the work pressing you from the forearms back to locked arms
Chest – help through the pressing phase
Front deltoids – support the shoulder through the transition and press
Upper back – helps keep the shoulders stable
Core – keeps your body tight and controlled

• Start at the top of a dip position on parallel bars or boxes, supporting yourself with locked arms.
• Keeping your body tight and shoulders down, lower yourself into the bottom of a dip position. From here, rock backwards until your forearms are sitting atop the bars.
• Next, reverse the movement: press hard through your hands, rocking forward and bringing your forearms off the support before driving yourself back up to full extension.
• This is 1 full rep.

Dip > Rock back > Drive forward > Press up > Repeat

Although it’s broken into segments, this move should feel smooth, not jerky. Don’t just collapse onto the forearms and try to rock your way back up with momentum. Stay tight through the torso, control the drop, then think about driving yourself up by extending the elbows hard.

The transition back into the bottom of the dip should feel like a tricep extension, keep that in your mind as you press out of the bottom position. The same on the way back down – the transition is the whole point. If you rush through it crash down or bounce your way out of the bottom, you’re missing the stimulus.

Done properly, these will light up your triceps, fast.