Dip
ChestBodyweightIntermediate
Bodyweight bench press, but harder. Builds chest, triceps and shoulders all in one.
Muscle worked
Chest, Triceps
Equipment
Bodyweight, Pull-up Bar
Difficulty
Intermediate
Time per set
20-40s
How to perform
Step by step, every rep
01
Support yourself
Grip parallel bars, press up to full lockout. Shoulders packed down, chest tall, core tight.
02
Lean forward
Lean your torso 15 to 30 degrees forward. More lean equals more chest. Straight up and down is more triceps.
03
Lower under control
Bend the elbows and lower until your shoulders are just below the elbows. Elbows stay tucked close to the body.
04
Feel the stretch
Pause a moment at the bottom. Chest open, shoulders don't shrug to the ears.
05
Press up
Drive back up through the palms. Squeeze the triceps and chest hard at the top. Lock out. Repeat.
Common mistakes
Avoid these
✕
Going too deep too soon
Puts your shoulder joint in a very stressed position. Fix: Go only as deep as your shoulder feels solid. Build range over weeks, not in one session.
✕
Shoulders shrugging up
Shoulder impingement waiting to happen. Fix: Pack shoulders down and keep them there. Long neck, chest tall.
✕
Flaring elbows wide
Stresses the shoulder and takes tension off the triceps. Fix: Elbows stay close to the ribs, pointed back.
✕
Swinging or kipping
Cheats the muscle and the joint takes the load. Fix: Strict reps. If you can't do a clean dip, build up with assisted or bench dips first.
Progressions
Scale it up or down
Make it easier
- Bench dip with feet on the floor
- Band assisted dip on parallel bars
- Push up from knees to build triceps
Make it harder
- Weighted dip with a belt and plate
- Ring dip for added stability work
- Tempo dip: 3 seconds down, 1 up
How to program it
Sets, reps, rest
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build Strength | 4-5 | 5-8 | 2 min | Weighted once 10+ strict is easy. |
| Build Muscle | 3-4 | 8-12 | 90s | Bodyweight or added weight. |
| Build Endurance | 3 | Max reps | 60s | Bodyweight, clean reps. |
Want this exercise programmed into a full plan?
Learning the form is step one. Fitting it into a plan built around your body, your equipment, your schedule and your food is what actually changes things. Fuel your sessions with enough protein using the Indian Food Database.
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