10 Best Triceps Dips Floor Alternatives for Limited Equipment
If you can't do Triceps Dips Floor, use exercises that preserve elbow-extension load: close-grip push-ups, bench or chair dips, diamond push-ups, bodyweight triceps extensions, or dumbbell skull crushers. For close-grip push-ups, keep elbows tucked to the sides and drive through the palms to maximize triceps long- and lateral-head activation.
Original Exercise: Triceps Dips Floor
How to Perform Triceps Dips Floor
- Sit on the edge of a chair or bench with your hands next to your hips, fingers pointing forward.
- Slide your butt off the front of the chair with your legs extended in front of you.
- Straighten your arms, keeping a little bend in your elbows to keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints.
- Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body toward the floor until your elbows are at about a 90-degree angle.
- Once you reach the bottom of the movement, press down into the chair to straighten your elbows, returning to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Triceps Dips Floor Alternatives
1. Body Tricep Press
85.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Position a bar in a rack at chest height.
- Standing, take a shoulder width grip on the bar and step a yard or two back, feet together and arms extended so that you are leaning on the bar. This will be your starting position.
- Begin by flexing the elbow, lowering yourself towards the bar.
- Pause, and then reverse the motion by extending the elbows.
- Progress from bodyweight by adding chains over your shoulders.
2. Bench Dip On Floor
83.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge, fingers pointing forward.
- Slide your butt off the bench, supporting your weight with your hands.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Bench Dip (knees Bent)
82.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge next to your hips.
- Slide your butt off the bench and straighten your legs in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the ground, keeping your back close to the bench.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Dumbbell Seated Bent Over Triceps Extension
79.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your head up.
- Extend your arms straight back, keeping your elbows close to your head.
- Pause for a moment, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Body-up
75.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by placing your hands on a raised surface, such as a bench or parallel bars, with your palms facing down and fingers pointing forward.
- Extend your legs out in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground and your body straight.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides, until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
- Pause for a moment, then push through your palms to straighten your arms and lift your body back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Close-Grip Push-Up Off Of A Dumbbell
74.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on the floor and place your hands on an upright dumbbell. Supporting your weight on your toes and hands, keep your torso rigid and your elbows in with your arms straight. This will be your starting position.
- Lower your body, allowing the elbows to flex while you inhale. Keep your body straight, not allowing your hips to rise or sag.
- Press yourself back up to the starting position by extending the elbows. Breathe out as you perform this step.
- After a pause at the contracted position, repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
7. Diamond Push-up
73.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands close together, forming a diamond shape with your thumbs and index fingers.
- Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe, engaging your core and glutes.
- Lower your chest towards the diamond shape formed by your hands, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Barbell Jm Bench Press
72.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
- Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Dumbbell Lying Extension (across Face)
72.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight up above your chest, palms facing each other.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head until your forearms are parallel to the ground.
- Pause for a moment, then contract your triceps to bring the dumbbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Dumbbell Lying Elbow Press
72.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other and arms extended straight up over your chest.
- Lower the dumbbells towards your shoulders by bending your elbows, keeping your upper arms stationary.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then press the dumbbells back up to the starting position by extending your elbows.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Triceps Dips Floor Alternative
You might substitute Triceps Dips Floor because of wrist or shoulder pain, limited mobility, or insufficient strength to control the bottom position. Floor dips place the shoulder in flexion and can increase anterior shoulder stress; choose a swap that keeps the elbow as the prime mover. For example, bench dips reduce shoulder flexion but require scapular stability—cue: retract the shoulder blades slightly and keep the ribcage down to load the triceps, not the shoulders. Alternatives also let you vary leverage, load, and range of motion to progressively overload the triceps without aggravating joints.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Decide based on joint tolerance, equipment, and the triceps head you want to emphasize. If wrists or shoulders hurt, pick neutral-grip movements like close-grip push-ups or bodyweight triceps extensions; cue: keep a straight wrist and avoid excessive shoulder elevation. If you need progressive overload, use dumbbell skull crushers or cable pushdowns to increase load while controlling elbow angle. Test each option for 5–10 reps and note whether you feel concentrated elbow-extension force (triceps) rather than shoulder or forearm compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Triceps Dips Floor work?
Triceps Dips Floor primarily targets the triceps brachii—long, lateral, and medial heads—through elbow extension. The exercise also recruits the anterior deltoid and pectoralis major when the shoulder is flexed; cue: keep the torso upright and elbows close to reduce shoulder contribution.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Triceps Dips Floor?
Close-grip push-ups are the best bodyweight alternative because they preserve elbow-extension loading while reducing shoulder flexion. Perform them with hands under the sternum and elbows tucked to emphasize triceps activation rather than chest.
Can I build muscle without doing Triceps Dips Floor?
Yes. You can build triceps mass with a range of alternatives—bench dips, diamond push-ups, bodyweight triceps extensions, and loaded variations like skull crushers. Focus on progressive overload, strict elbow extension, and full but controlled range of motion; cue: pause briefly at the top of each rep to increase time under tension.
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