Dips: Technique, Mistakes and Progression

Dips are among the most effective bodyweight exercises for the upper body. They work the chest, triceps and front of the shoulders hard, with very little equipment. They also have a reputation for being tough on the shoulders, partly deserved, and almost always down to going too deep or too fast.

What dips train

The movement involves lowering and raising your body between two parallel bars, arms locked out at the top. Three muscles do most of the work:

• The triceps, which straighten the elbow on the way up.
• The chest, particularly the lower portion.
• The front of the shoulders, heavily involved at the bottom.

Torso angle shifts the work. A more upright torso puts more load on the triceps. Leaning forward gives the chest a larger share of the effort.

Proper execution

1. Starting position: arms straight, shoulders down and away from the ears, eyes forward. Legs can be crossed and slightly bent.
2. Lowering: controlled, over two to three seconds. The elbows travel backwards, not out to the sides.
3. Depth: go down until your upper arm is roughly parallel to the floor, or slightly below if your shoulder tolerates it without discomfort.
4. Lifting: push hard until your arms are straight, without slamming the elbows into lockout.

Keep the shoulders down throughout. If they ride up towards your ears at the bottom, the descent is too deep or the exercise too hard.

The most common mistakes

Going too deep. The mistake that causes the most trouble. Beyond a certain depth, the front of the shoulder is stretched hard under load. A few extra centimetres of range add little, and that is often exactly where pain starts.

Dropping into the bottom. A fast descent followed by a bounce shifts the strain from muscle to joint. The lowering is always controlled.

Flaring the elbows. Elbows pointing out increase shoulder strain and reduce triceps involvement. They should stay fairly close to the body and travel backwards.

Shoulders creeping up. Shoulders rising to the ears signal a loss of control. Think about pulling them down for the whole set.

Adding weight too soon. Loading dips before you can do 10 to 12 clean bodyweight reps raises the risk with no real benefit.

Progressing from zero to several reps

Many beginners cannot yet manage a full dip. The progression resembles that for pull-ups, as our article on pull-ups explains.

On the assisted machine the logic is the reverse of a normal load: progress means lowering the number displayed, since it is helping you.

Are dips bad for the shoulders?

Not in themselves. With reasonable depth, a controlled descent and measured progression, most lifters tolerate them very well. They do remain more demanding on the shoulder than the bench press, because the joint works in extension under your full bodyweight.

If you feel pain at the front of the shoulder during or after dips, reduce the depth, make the exercise easier, or temporarily swap it for dumbbell presses or cable triceps extensions. Pain that lasts several days, wakes you at night or comes with a loss of strength warrants seeing a health professional.

Dips between two benches, often suggested to beginners, put the shoulder in an even more demanding position when the feet are raised. They are useful as a first step, feet on the floor, but should not become the main exercise.

Where to put them in a programme

Dips fit well into a push session or a full body day, after a press or in its place. Three sets of 6 to 12 reps are enough in most cases. To combine them with the bench press, our article on bench press technique covers what the two share, notably shoulder position.

Frequently asked questions

Do dips work the chest or the triceps more?

Both. An upright torso shifts the work towards the triceps, leaning forward moves it towards the chest. Depth and bar width matter too.

How deep should you go?

Until the upper arm is roughly parallel to the floor. Going lower adds little extra benefit and noticeably increases shoulder strain.

What if I cannot do a single dip?

Start with bench dips, feet on the floor, then move to the assisted machine and slow negatives. Most beginners manage their first full dips within a few weeks.

When should you add weight?

Once you can do three clean sets of 10 to 12 bodyweight reps. Start with 2.5 to 5 kg, keeping the same standard on depth and controlled lowering.

Progress on dips does not always mean a rising load: on the assisted machine, the number has to go down. In Musku, assisted and weighted bodyweight exercises are types in their own right: history tracks the assistance used each session for an assisted dip, then the added load for a weighted one. You see your progress in the right direction, from the first assistance setting to the first plate hanging from your belt.