If you walk into any old-school garage gym, you’ll likely see a pair of rusty parallel bars. There’s a reason for that. Dips are essentially the upper-body version of the squat. They’re brutal. They’re effective. Honestly, if you want to build a thick chest and triceps that actually stretch your shirt sleeves, you have to learn how to do a dip correctly. But here’s the problem: most people do them in a way that makes physical therapists cringe.
I’ve seen it a thousand times. Someone jumps on the bars, drops down way too fast, and their shoulders roll forward like they're trying to hide their chest. That’s a one-way ticket to impingement syndrome. You’ve gotta respect the mechanics of the glenohumeral joint.
The Physics of the Movement
The dip is a closed-kinetic chain exercise. Unlike the bench press, where your back is pinned against a pad, your body moves through space while your hands stay fixed. This requires a massive amount of stabilization from the rotator cuff and the serratus anterior. If those muscles aren't firing, the humerus (your upper arm bone) slides around in the socket like a loose marble.
Most guys think they’re working their chest, but they’re actually just grinding their tendons. It's a fine line.
Getting Your Setup Right (Because Most People Fail Here)
Before you even lift your feet off the ground, look at the bars. Are they too wide? If the bars are wider than your shoulders, you’re putting an insane amount of leverage on the labrum. You want them just slightly wider than your hips.
Grab the bars with a neutral grip. Don’t just let the bar sit in your fingers. Squeeze it. Grip strength creates "irradiation," a neurological trick where tensing your forearm muscles actually helps stabilize your shoulder. It’s basically magic for your joints.
The Lean vs. The Upright
You have two choices here. If you stay completely vertical, your triceps do about 80% of the work. If you lean forward at about a 30-degree angle, your pectoralis major takes over. Most people find a slight lean more natural. It keeps the center of mass directly over the hands, which feels way more stable.
What to Do With Your Legs
Should you cross your ankles? Honestly, it doesn't matter as much as people think, but tucking your knees up can help engage your core. If you let your legs dangle or swing, you lose tension. Keep them tight. Think of your body as one solid unit from your ears to your toes.
How to Do a Dip with Professional Form
Start at the top. Lock your elbows, but don't hyperextend them. This is your starting position. Take a deep breath into your belly—not your chest—and brace your abs like someone is about to punch you.
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Lower yourself slowly.
This isn't a race. You want a controlled descent of about two to three seconds. Stop when your shoulders are just slightly below your elbows. Going "butt to floor" might look impressive on Instagram, but unless you have the shoulder mobility of a professional gymnast, you’re just begging for an injury. Research from organizations like the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) suggests that excessive range of motion under heavy load is where most soft-tissue tears happen.
The "Shoulder Pack" Secret
This is the part everyone gets wrong. As you descend, your shoulder blades (scapulae) should stay down and back. If they shrug up toward your ears, you’re losing stability. Imagine you're trying to put your shoulder blades into your back pockets. Keep them there the whole time.
Driving Back Up
When you reach the bottom, don't bounce. Use your chest and triceps to push the bars away from you. Imagine you're trying to push the bars through the floor. As you reach the top, fully exhale and reset.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Gains
- The Chicken Wing: Your elbows should stay tucked at about a 45-degree angle. If they flare out horizontally, you’re putting massive stress on the AC joint.
- Partial Reps: If you only move three inches, you’re only getting three inches of muscle growth.
- The Head Forward Lean: Keep your neck neutral. Don't look at the floor; look about three feet in front of you. Cranking your neck down can cause cervical strain and messes with your spinal alignment.
Why Your Shoulders Might Hurt
If you follow the form and it still hurts, it’s usually one of two things: tight pec minors or weak lower traps. If your chest is tight, it pulls your shoulders forward (protraction), making a safe dip nearly impossible. Spend five minutes on a foam roller or a lacrosse ball before you hit the bars. It makes a world of difference.
Variations for Every Level
Not everyone can jump on the bars and crank out ten reps. That’s fine.
- Assisted Machine Dips: These are great because they allow you to focus on the mind-muscle connection without worrying about falling.
- Bench Dips: Be careful here. Bench dips put the shoulder in a position of extreme internal rotation. They're okay for beginners, but transition to the bars as soon as you can.
- Weighted Dips: Once you can do 15 clean bodyweight reps, strap on a dip belt. Adding 10-20 pounds will spark more growth than doing 50 bodyweight reps ever will.
The Role of the Serratus Anterior
Often called the "boxer's muscle," the serratus anterior sits on your ribs and keeps your shoulder blade pinned against your torso. In a dip, this muscle is working overtime. If you feel a weird soreness under your armpits the day after a dip session, that’s why. Strengthening this muscle with "scapular push-ups" will actually make your dips stronger and safer.
Programming the Move
Don't do dips every day. They are high-intensity and tax the nervous system. Treat them like a primary lift or a heavy secondary move.
Push Day Example:
- Bench Press: 3 sets of 5
- Dips: 3 sets of 8-12
- Overhead Press: 3 sets of 10
- Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 15
This ensures you’re hitting the muscles from multiple angles without overtraining the delicate bits of the shoulder.
A Word on "Ego Lifting"
Look, we all want to look strong. But adding three plates to a dip belt when you’re only doing half-reps is useless. It’s better to do five perfect, deep reps than twenty shaky ones. Your joints will thank you when you’re 50.
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Actionable Next Steps for Mastery
- Film Yourself: Set up your phone and record a set from the side. Check if your shoulders are rolling forward at the bottom.
- Check Your Depth: Ensure your elbows are reaching at least a 90-degree angle.
- Fix Your Grip: Ensure the bar is resting on the heel of your palm, not near your knuckles, to prevent wrist strain.
- Focus on the Eccentric: Spend a full 3 seconds lowering yourself on every rep for the next two weeks to build foundational control.
- Stretch the Chest: Perform doorway pec stretches between sets to maintain the mobility required for a full range of motion.
Building a powerful upper body takes time, but mastering the dip is one of the fastest ways to get there. Focus on the tension, keep the scapula packed, and stop before your form breaks down.