- EquipmentBodyweight
- PatternPush
- Reps4 to 15 reps
- Joint loadShoulder and Wrist
Grip the parallel bars and jump or step up to straight arms, shoulders over your hands. Lean your torso slightly forward.
First cueKeep your shoulders down, away from your ears.
How to do the Dip
Set up. Grip the parallel bars and jump or step up to straight arms, shoulders over your hands. Lean your torso slightly forward.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body under control.
- Go down until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, or as far as your shoulders are comfortable.
- Press back up to straight arms.
Form cues
- Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears.
- Lean forward a little to bring in more chest.
- Move slowly at the bottom.
Common mistakes
- Dropping too deep and letting the shoulders roll forward.
- Swinging the legs to get up.
Take care. Stop the set if the front of the shoulder hurts at the bottom, and use a shorter range or an assisted machine.
Muscles worked
Main target: Chest. The chest muscles fan out across the front of the ribcage, from the breastbone and collarbone to the upper arm. They bring the arm forward and across the body, which is the work of every press, push-up and fly.
On the way: Triceps and Front delts.
Its other side: Upper back, Lats and Rear delts, in the horizontal push and pull pattern.
What to pair it with
Movements that round out a workout with the Dip, from the same catalog the StatBlockFit app logs.
- Inverted Row Superset partner: it trains the other side of the horizontal push and pull pattern, so the two can alternate.
- Upright Row Same push session: it trains the side delts.
- Barbell Shrug Often left out: it trains the traps, a job the moves above leave undone.
A complete workout around it
4 movements, the Dip first, at the catalog's rep ranges. Load it into the workout builder to change the sets, reps and weights, then bookmark it or download it.
- Dip 3 × 4 to 15 reps
- Inverted Row 3 × 6 to 20 reps
- Upright Row 3 × 8 to 15 reps
- Barbell Shrug 3 × 8 to 20 reps
Alternatives and swaps
The same main muscle with other equipment: a swap never changes the muscle a workout trains.
Home or dumbbell swap
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell
Gym or cable swap
Assisted Dip
Machine
Less load on the shoulder
Push-Up
From the app's workaround table: works in a smaller shoulder range.
A swap describes the movement, not your body: if a joint hurts, ask a professional before you train it.
Variations and preparation
Its variations: Bench Dip and Assisted Dip.
Do before it: Shoulder Dislocate (shoulder range), Bench Dip (same movement, lighter) and Assisted Dip (same movement, lighter).
Track it in StatBlockFit
In the StatBlockFit app the Dip is logged set by set: the app suggests your next weight after each session, times your rests, keeps your records and shows the 72-hour recovery of every muscle on its training map. The training guide explains how.
Questions
How do you do the Dip?
Set up: Grip the parallel bars and jump or step up to straight arms, shoulders over your hands. Lean your torso slightly forward. Steps: 1. Bend your elbows and lower your body under control. 2. Go down until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, or as far as your shoulders are comfortable. 3. Press back up to straight arms. Form cues: Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears. Lean forward a little to bring in more chest. Move slowly at the bottom. Common mistakes: Dropping too deep and letting the shoulders roll forward. Swinging the legs to get up. Take care: Stop the set if the front of the shoulder hurts at the bottom, and use a shorter range or an assisted machine.
What muscles does the Dip work?
It trains the chest as its main target and works the triceps and front delts on the way.
What can I do instead of the Dip?
At home: Dumbbell Bench Press. In a gym: Assisted Dip. With less load on the shoulder: Push-Up. Each trains the same main muscle.
What should I pair the Dip with?
Good partners in the same workout are Inverted Row, Upright Row and Barbell Shrug.