What is the dips?
The dip is a vertical bodyweight press done on parallel bars. You support yourself at lockout, lower until the shoulders sit just below the elbows, then press back to full extension. Two main flavours exist: the chest dip, where you lean your torso forward and let elbows flare slightly to hammer the lower pec, and the triceps dip, where you stay vertical with elbows tucked to focus on the triceps. It's a true bodyweight test, anyone can spot a strong presser by their clean dip reps.
How to do the dips
- 1
Mount with straight arms
Jump up on the bars, lock the elbows, shoulders pulled down away from the ears. Cross your ankles, brace the core.
- 2
Pick your variation
For chest, lean the torso forward ~30° and let elbows flare slightly. For triceps, stay tall with elbows tucked close to the ribs.
- 3
Lower under control
Take 2-3 s down until your shoulders are just below your elbows. Going deeper risks the shoulder capsule, stay just at parallel.
- 4
Drive back to full lockout
Press hard, finish with arms straight and shoulders down. Half-locked dips don't count. Full extension or it's not a rep.
Pro tip
If your shoulders hurt after a set, you went too deep. Stop just at parallel, the bottom 10 cm of range is where most shoulders blow up.
Common mistakes
Going too deep.
Dropping shoulders far below elbows wrecks the rotator cuff. Stop just past parallel, no further.
Shrugged shoulders.
Letting shoulders ride up to your ears compresses the joint. Keep them packed down at every part of the rep.
Mixing the two styles.
Half-leaning, half-vertical trains nothing well. Pick chest dip or triceps dip per set and commit to it.
Not locking out.
Cutting the rep short above lockout cheats the triceps and the brain. Straighten the arms every rep.
Variations and progressions
Easier
Band-assisted or bench dips
Loop a band under the knees on parallel bars, or use a bench dip with feet on the floor to scale the load down.
Harder
Weighted dips
Hang a plate or kettlebell from a dip belt. Bodyweight + 30 kg for 5 reps is a strong intermediate benchmark.
No bars?
Close-grip bench press
Close-grip bench hits the same triceps and lower-chest pattern with a barbell and a flat bench.
How to program it
Three protocols by goal. Pick one per cycle and aim for progression on load or distance.
| Goal | Sets × distance | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength benchmark | 5 × 5 weighted | BW + 20-40 kg | 2-3 min |
| Hypertrophy | 4 × 8-12 | BW or +10 kg | 90 s |
| Volume / pump | 3 × AMRAP | Bodyweight | 60-90 s |
Dips FAQ
Chest dip vs triceps dip, which should I do?
Both, on different days. Chest dip (forward lean) is a chest-day finisher after bench or incline. Triceps dip (vertical torso) lives on push days after overhead pressing. Don't mix the styles inside one set, pick one and own it.
How deep should I go?
Until your shoulders are just below your elbows, no further. Going deeper feels hardcore but loads the anterior shoulder capsule in a position it doesn't like. Most shoulder injuries from dips come from chasing depth, not from heavy weight.
What's a strong dip number for a Hyrox athlete?
Aim for 15 clean bodyweight reps, then start adding load. Bodyweight + 20 kg for 5 reps puts you in the upper bracket of hybrid athletes. Past that, dips are diminishing returns: invest the extra effort in bench press and overhead work.
