Exercise · Chest
Bar dip: how to do it the right way
Bar dips are a classic strength move for your upper body. They work your triceps and chest the most, with your shoulders helping out. It’s a demanding bodyweight exercise, great when regular push-ups start to feel too easy.
Doable at all 76 gyms GoSet follows
The essentials
- Lower until your elbows are around 90°.
- Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Triceps · Chest
- Secondary
- Shoulders
How to do it
- Get on the dip station of the power tower, grab the handles, and press up to support yourself with straight arms, shoulders away from your ears.
- Cross your feet behind you or keep your legs slightly bent back, with your body either slightly leaning forward or more upright, whatever feels better.
- Inhale and lower yourself under control until your elbows are around 90°.
- Keep your shoulders away from your ears the whole time and don’t let your upper back collapse.
- Press hard into the bars to come back up as you exhale, until your arms are almost straight without snapping them.
- Pause briefly at the top to stabilize, then repeat for your set.
Common mistakes
Dropping too low and jamming the shoulders
Instead : Only go down until your elbows are around 90°. If you feel your shoulders getting pinched or sliding up toward your ears, stop there and come back up.
Shoulders up by the ears
Instead : Think about “pushing the floor away” with your hands and keeping your neck long. If your shoulders shrug up at the top, stop just before that and stay tight through your upper back.
Swinging the legs to cheat the rep
Instead : Cross your feet or keep your knees slightly bent and still. Focus on a slow lower and a controlled press back up, with no kicking forward for momentum.
Falling down instead of controlling the descent
Instead : Slow your way down to about 2–3 seconds. If you can’t control it, switch to assisted dips to build strength before coming back to unassisted dips.
Coach tips
- Aim for a 2–3 second lower and a faster but still controlled press up, with no bouncing at the bottom.
- Inhale on the way down and exhale as you push up; that usually makes you feel more stable.
- If you want to feel your chest a bit more, lean your torso slightly forward; more upright often shifts the feeling toward your triceps.
- If these are too hard for clean reps, use assisted dips or bench press variations to build strength in a similar pattern.
Variations
- Assisted dips on the machine to learn the movement with less load.
- More upright dips to put more focus on the triceps.
- Slight forward-lean dips to feel your chest a bit more.
Sets and reps
Bar dips are often done for 3–5 sets of about 4–12 reps, depending on your strength and whether you add extra weight. Many people use them after bench press or as a main bodyweight move for the upper body.
Equipment
Alternatives for the same muscles
Log your Bar dip sets with GoSet
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Common questions
I’m not strong enough for dips yet, what should I do?
You can start with assisted dips if your gym has the machine, or use bench press variations (close-grip or regular) and barbell skull crushers to strengthen the same areas.
Do I need to go deeper than 90° at the elbows?
No. Use around 90° as your guide. Going much lower can put extra stress on your shoulders. Stay in a range where you feel solid and in control.
I only feel my shoulders, not my triceps or chest
Keep your shoulders away from your ears and your upper back active. Play with your torso angle: more upright for triceps, a slight lean for chest, always staying in a comfortable position.
What can I do instead of dips if the station is busy?
You can swap to assisted dips, a bench press variation (close-grip, incline, decline, or flat), or barbell skull crushers to keep a similar focus on your triceps and chest.