Chest Dip

Also known as: chest dips, parallel bar chest dip

Secondary muscles
Triceps, Delts
Body part
Chest
Position
Supported
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Leaning the torso forward and letting the shoulders travel below the elbows shifts a parallel-bar dip from a triceps press into a chest movement. It demands full control of your bodyweight through a long range, so most lifters earn it after months of assisted or bench variations.

How to do the Chest Dip

  1. Position yourself on parallel bars with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
  2. Lower your body by bending your elbows until your shoulders are below your elbows.
  3. Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Lock the elbows out with the shoulders pulled down and back, never shrugged up.

Muscles worked

Primary

Pectorals · Chest

The lower chest gets loaded when you lean forward and let the elbows flare a bit, especially in the bottom stretch.

Secondary

  • Triceps — The triceps extend the elbow to lock out the top, and they take over completely when you stay upright with the elbows tucked.
  • Delts — The front delts assist every rep and are the first thing to complain if you go too deep.

Common mistakes

  • Diving too deep — going far below the point where the upper arm is parallel to the floor stresses the front of the shoulder; stop when you feel a stretch across the chest and press back up.
  • Shoulders rolling forward — keep the shoulder blades pulled back and down, and stop the descent before they rotate forward.
  • Not choosing a target — leaning forward with elbows out hits the chest, while staying upright with elbows tucked hits the triceps; pick one and hold that position for the whole set.
  • Hands too far behind — this pushes the shoulders into a bad position; keep the hands close under the shoulders or use parallel bars instead.

Where it fits in a workout

Dips go early in a push session as a main pressing movement, or after bench press for extra chest and triceps volume. They superset naturally with pull-ups or chin-ups on the same station.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without bodyweight

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.