Chest / Intermediate / Compound (multi-joint)

Chest Dip

A forward-leaning dip on parallel bars that builds the lower chest and triceps.

At a glance

Primary

Chest, Triceps

Secondary

Front delts, Serratus anterior

Equipment

Dip bars

Movement pattern

Overhead push, Elbow extension

Level

Intermediate

Type

Chest, Compound (multi-joint)

Loads the shoulder. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Grip the parallel bars and support yourself with arms straight, knees bent and ankles crossed.
2. Lean your torso forward and lower yourself by bending the elbows until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
3. Press back up to straight arms, keeping the forward lean.
4. Repeat for the desired reps.

Tips

• Keep the elbows slightly flared to emphasize the chest.
• Do not drop deeper than your shoulders tolerate.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Dropping too deep.

  Why it hurts: The upper arm goes far behind the body and stretches the front of the shoulder capsule, a common cause of shoulder pain.

  ✓ Instead: Stop when the upper arms are parallel to the floor, or earlier if the front of the shoulder hurts.

• ✗ Shoulders shrug up to the ears.

  Why it hurts: The shoulder blades lose control and the joint sinks into an unstable position.

  ✓ Instead: Keep the shoulders pushed down away from the ears through every rep.

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