Crab Dips

Muscles worked by the Crab Dips

Primary

TricepsTriceps Brachii

Secondary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidGlutesGluteus MaximusChestPectoralis Major

Also called: tricep, triceps, triceps brachii, horseshoe, tris.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Crab Dips

1. Sit with the knees bent, the feet flat and the hands on the floor behind you, fingers pointing towards the heels.
2. Press into the hands and feet and lift the hips until the trunk is roughly level with the knees.
3. Bend the elbows straight back to lower the hips towards the floor without sitting down.
4. Push back up until the arms are straight, keeping the hips lifted.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions and lower the hips to finish.

Form tips

• Keep the elbows pointing back, not flaring out to the sides.
• Hold the hips high the whole set; letting them drop turns it into a rest.
• Walk the feet further away for a longer lever and more triceps work.

At a glance

Crab Dips in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• High Plank
• Plank
• Reverse Plank
• Reverse Plank Dips
• Reverse Tabletop Hip Pulses
• Reverse Tabletop Hold
• Side Plank
• Side Plank Leg Lift Hold

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "crab-dips",
  "name_en": "Crab Dips",
  "name_de": "Crab Dips",
  "name_es": "Fondos de Cangrejo",
  "description_en": "A floor triceps exercise from the reverse tabletop position: with the hands behind the hips and the trunk lifted, the elbows bend and straighten to move the body up and down.",
  "description_de": "Eine Trizepsübung am Boden aus dem umgekehrten Tischsitz: mit den Händen hinter der Hüfte und angehobenem Rumpf beugen und strecken sich die Ellbogen und bewegen den Körper auf und ab.",
  "description_es": "Un ejercicio de tríceps en el suelo desde la mesa invertida: con las manos detrás de las caderas y el tronco elevado, los codos se flexionan y estiran para subir y bajar el cuerpo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "upper_arms",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "pectoralis_major"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "calisthenics"
  ],
  "variation_group": "plank",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit with the knees bent, the feet flat and the hands on the floor behind you, fingers pointing towards the heels.",
    "Press into the hands and feet and lift the hips until the trunk is roughly level with the knees.",
    "Bend the elbows straight back to lower the hips towards the floor without sitting down.",
    "Push back up until the arms are straight, keeping the hips lifted.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of repetitions and lower the hips to finish."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Setz dich mit gebeugten Knien und flachen Füßen hin, die Hände hinter dir am Boden, die Finger zeigen zu den Fersen.",
    "Druck über Hände und Füße und heb die Hüfte, bis der Rumpf etwa auf Kniehöhe ist.",
    "Beug die Ellbogen gerade nach hinten und senk die Hüfte Richtung Boden, ohne dich hinzusetzen.",
    "Druck dich zurück nach oben, bis die Arme gestreckt sind, die Hüfte bleibt oben.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl und setz die Hüfte am Ende ab."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate con las rodillas flexionadas, los pies apoyados y las manos en el suelo detrás de ti, con los dedos hacia los talones.",
    "Empuja con manos y pies y eleva las caderas hasta que el tronco quede a la altura de las rodillas.",
    "Flexiona los codos hacia atrás para bajar las caderas hacia el suelo sin sentarte.",
    "Empuja de nuevo hasta estirar los brazos, manteniendo las caderas elevadas.",
    "Repite las veces indicadas y baja las caderas para terminar."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the elbows pointing back, not flaring out to the sides.",
    "Hold the hips high the whole set; letting them drop turns it into a rest.",
    "Walk the feet further away for a longer lever and more triceps work."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Ellbogen nach hinten gerichtet, statt sie seitlich ausweichen zu lassen.",
    "Lass die Hüfte den ganzen Satz oben - sinkt sie ab, wird daraus eine Pause.",
    "Setz die Füße weiter weg für einen längeren Hebel und mehr Trizepsarbeit."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén los codos apuntando hacia atrás, sin abrirlos hacia los lados.",
    "Sostén las caderas altas toda la serie; dejarlas caer convierte el ejercicio en un descanso.",
    "Aleja más los pies para alargar la palanca y exigir más al tríceps."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/crab-dips-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/crab-dips-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "crab-dips");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.