Chest dips are one of the most effective exercises for building upper-body strength and improving pressing power. While they are often overlooked in favor of bench presses or push-ups, dips offer a unique challenge that can help lifters increase their bench press, overhead press, and overall upper-body development.
This guide breaks down how to perform chest dips properly, the muscles they work, and why they should be a key part of your program.
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The Muscles Chest Dips Work
Chest dips are a compound movement that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders while also improving stability and control. Unlike a bench press, which locks your body in place, dips require bodyweight control and balance, making them a high-skill pressing exercise. The angle of the dip determines which muscles get the most activation.
Leaning forward with a slight head tilt: This puts more emphasis on the chest, while still engaging the triceps and shoulders. If you want a superior chest exercise, this is the method to use.
Staying more upright: A more upright torso shifts the focus toward the triceps, reducing chest activation but increasing elbow extension demands.
Chest dips are not just a bodyweight exercise. They can be progressed by adding weight with a dip belt or regressed by using a bench or assistance bands. (Note that we also have a guide to a dozen bodyweight exercises that target triceps.)
If performed correctly, dips mimic the pressing patterns needed for both bench press and overhead press, making them a great supplementary exercise for powerlifters and strength athletes. Read the full guide to muscles used during dips.
How to Perform Chest Dips with Proper Form
Here's the step-by-step guide on how to do chest dips. The motion is pretty straightforward, and I'll answer all the most common questions I hear below.
I'm also releasing this with a video guide on the Powerlifting YouTube channel.
Step 1: Get into Position
Start at the top of the movement, gripping the dip bars with your arms fully extended. Keep your chest slightly forward, and engage your core and glutes to stay controlled throughout the movement.
Step 2: Lean Forward for Chest Activation
To prioritize the chest, tilt your head slightly downward and allow your body to lean forward as you descend. This small adjustment opens up the chest and reduces stress on the shoulders.
Step 3: Lower Until Your Arms Reach 90 Degrees
Descend slowly and with control, keeping your knees bent and elbows slightly tucked to avoid excessive stress on the shoulder joint. Aim to reach a 90-degree bend in your elbows, where your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
Step 4: Push Back Up with Control
Press through your palms and chest, driving your body back up to the starting position. Keep your chest engaged and avoid locking out your elbows too aggressively at the top.
Step 5: Maintain Consistency
For maximum results, ensure that every rep follows a consistent range of motion, focusing on a slow, controlled descent and a strong, explosive push-up.
Are Dips Good for Building Strength?
Yes, chest dips are a powerful strength-building exercise that can improve both horizontal and vertical pressing power. There are three key reasons why dips help increase strength:
They Require Full Body Control – Unlike a bench press, where the bench provides stability, dips force you to support and balance your own bodyweight, improving coordination and muscle engagement.
They Challenge the Muscles in a Unique Way – Most pressing exercises happen in a horizontal (bench press) or vertical (overhead press) plane, but dips introduce a downward pressing motion, creating a new stimulus for the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
They Activate the Same Muscles Needed for Other Pressing Movements – Strength athletes, including powerlifters and strongmen, benefit from dips because they develop the pressing muscles in a full range of motion, which carries over to bench press and overhead press performance.
How to Progress Dips: Variations
If you are new to dips or struggling with them, there are three progression strategies you can use: Eccentric-only dips, standard bodyweight dips, and pause dips (or weighted dips).
Eccentric Dips (Beginner Level)
Start at the top position and lower yourself as slowly as possible, aiming for a five-second descent before landing on your feet or using a bench for support. Eccentric training helps build strength in the weakest part of the lift.
Start at the top position, then lower yourself for five seconds until you have about a 90 degree angle at your elbow. Then step back up to the top position and repeat. Do this 5-6 times per set.
Standard Bodyweight Dips
Once you can perform eccentric dips with control, move on to full range of motion reps. Keep the lean-forward position to target the chest and ensure a consistent 90-degree elbow bend on every rep.
The starting position for bodyweight dips is at the top of the movement. Lean forward slightly and, like I show in my photos, look slightly down. Dip to about 90 degrees and then press back up. Repeat this for 8-12 reps per set.
Pause Dips and Weighted Dips (Advanced Level)
For experienced lifters, adding weight with a dip belt or dumbbell increases the challenge. You can also perform paused dips, where you hold the bottom position for 1-2 seconds before pressing up. This increases time under tension, making the movement more demanding.
If you have proper form, you'll have no trouble advancing to pause and weighted chest dips. For pause dips, just pause after a controlled decent at the bottom of the dip. Then, go back to your starting position.
For weighted dips, add a dip belt with weights or hold a dumbbell between your legs to add additional weight to your lift.
Final Thoughts on Chest Dips
The chest dip is one of the best upper-body workouts for developing pressing strength, muscle endurance, and overall power. And by leaning forward slightly, you maximize chest activation while still engaging the triceps and shoulders. If dips feel difficult, start with eccentric reps before progressing to full range of motion dips and eventually weighted dips.
What's The Right Elbow Angle For Chest Dips?
The right elbow angle for chest dips is around 45 to 60 degrees from the torso to maximize chest activation while keeping the shoulders in a safe position. Lowering to a 90-degree bend at the elbows ensures a full range of motion without excessive strain, while keeping the elbows slightly flared (but not too wide) helps engage the lower chest more effectively.
What Part of the Chest Do Dips Target?
Chest dips target the lower portion of the pectoralis major. And more generally, this exercise works chest, triceps, and shoulders. The specific chest muscles depend on whether the lifter looks forward (which targets more shoulders) or down (which targets more chest).
How Many Dips Do Navy SEALs Do?
Navy SEAL training programs often incorporate dips to build upper body strength and endurance. For instance, a typical regimen might include performing 3 sets of 20 dips during each workout session. As trainees advance, the volume can increase significantly; some routines escalate to 20 sets of 15 dips, conducted multiple times per week. Brandon Webb talks about this, too.
What Equipment Do I Need for Chest Dips?
To perform chest dips, you need a dip bar station or parallel bars, which are commonly found in most gyms or can be installed at home. For added resistance, you can use a dip belt with weights, while beginners can modify the movement with assistance bands or a bench for support.
Check out our guide on the value of a home gym vs a gym membership, too. Getting your own setup can often be the right choice for lifters who plan to stick with it.
For lifters following a bro split routine, dips are a perfect addition to chest day as a finisher after heavy pressing movements. For strength-focused athletes, they can be used as a supplementary movement to improve bench press and overhead press performance. No matter your goal, dips are a proven way to build muscle and strength, making them a must-have in any upper-body training program.
