How to do dips: technique, assistance and added weight

What this exercise trains

Dips combine elbow extension with pressing from a position where your upper arms move behind your torso. Chest, triceps and front shoulders work together, making them a substantial calisthenics press or an accessory to bench training.

Body weight alone can be challenging. Stable supports and controllable depth matter more than sinking as low as possible. Added weight increases strength demand, while rings add a stability challenge; choose the progression that matches your goal.

Chest Dip

Fixed bars and a slight forward lean allow substantial chest involvement alongside the triceps. Choose this as a main upper-body press, using only a depth from which you can rise without collapsing forward.

1. Support yourself on parallel bars with shoulders held away from your ears and a slight forward lean.
2. Bend your elbows to lower within a comfortable shoulder range, then press back up without swinging or bouncing at the bottom.

Technique points to remember

Start from a stable support and lower without swinging. If shoulders roll forward or you cannot reverse smoothly, shorten the descent or add assistance.

Start easier, progress deliberately

Assisted dips or a press machine simplify learning. Add weight after consistent unassisted repetitions; ring dips are a separate stability progression.

Where this exercise fits in your workout

Dips can be your main chest and triceps exercise or follow bench presses. You will likely manage fewer repetitions when they come second. Compare sessions with the same exercise order to judge progress.

Warm up with easier sets before these working sets.

Tricep Dip

This version places your hands behind you on a bench while your feet share the load. It makes elbow extension more accessible, but requires substantial shoulder extension; choose close-grip push-ups or pushdowns if that position feels uncomfortable.

1. Place your hands on the edge of a stable bench beside your hips, with feet on the floor.
2. Slide your hips just forward, bend elbows backward within a comfortable shoulder range, then press up while staying close to the bench.

Weighted Dip

Added weight makes an established dip progressively heavier. Choose it for weighted-calisthenics strength once several controlled bodyweight repetitions are reliable, and secure the load so it does not swing and change your movement.

1. Master stable bodyweight dips before securely attaching extra weight.
2. Support yourself on parallel bars, lower by bending your elbows within a comfortable shoulder range, then press up while keeping the added weight from swinging.

Ring Dip

Rings can drift and rotate, so you must actively control the support position. Choose ring dips to develop ring-specific strength after mastering the top support; fixed bars remain useful when adding load is the priority.

1. First establish a steady straight-arm support on low rings, with feet available for assistance.
2. Bend your elbows to lower while keeping the rings close to your ribs, then press up without letting the rings spread or your shoulders collapse.