Dips
Vertical pressing on parallel bars or rings — chest, triceps and shoulders in one move.
Execution
- Support on two parallel bars, arms extended, legs free.
- Actively depress the shoulder blades — do not hang in the joints.
- Lower the body under control, elbows tracking slightly back, until upper arm is parallel.
- Press back up powerfully, do not lock the elbows.
Tips
- Lean slightly forward to bias the chest; stay upright to bias the triceps.
- Beginners: start with bench dips, then negative dips (eccentric only), then full dips.
The hardest bodyweight press
Dips move nearly the full body weight, making them noticeably harder than the push-up. They hit the chest, triceps and front deltoids at the same time. Torso angle controls the split: upright works mainly the triceps, leaning forward shifts the load toward the chest.
Execution
Support on parallel bars, arms extended, legs slightly bent. Lower under control until upper and lower arm form roughly 90 degrees, then press back up. The elbows stay close to the body and point back, not out to the sides.
Keeping an eye on the shoulder
Dips are the exercise with the greatest injury potential for the shoulder, for a specific reason: in the deep position the joint moves into a heavily extended stance. Go too deep and you load the joint capsule instead of the muscle.
Practical rule: 90 degrees at the elbow is deep enough. If you feel it pulling at the front of the shoulder instead of feeling the muscles, you're going too deep or not yet ready for the exercise.
Prerequisite and programming
Before the first dips, push-ups with a good range of motion and enough pulling volume should already be part of the program. Start with bench dips or band assistance. Then three to four sets of 5 to 12 reps.