Chest exercise
Chest DipHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Chest, Lower chest
- Also works
- Triceps, Front delts
- Equipment
- Dip station
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Chest Dip?
- Grip the bars and press up to straight arms, shoulders down.
- Lean your chest forward slightly with legs together behind you.
- Lower until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
- Press back up to straight arms without locking out hard.
Cues
- Chest forward, shoulders down
- Upper arms to parallel
- Elbows back, not out
Common mistakes
- Dropping far below parallel; stop when upper arms are level.
- Shrugging into your ears; push your shoulders down.
- Swinging the legs; keep them still and together.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Bars 4–5 cm thick, horizontal. Neutral grip (palms facing in), knuckles pointing at the floor, wrists straight, thumbs wrapped. Legs together, either straight or knees bent about 60–90° with ankles behind; the legs hang slightly behind the body so the trunk can lean forward (NFPT: legs float back for the forward angle).
The movement
The body lowers by bending the elbows and swinging the upper arms back, while the trunk tips further forward (from about 18° to 35°). The shoulders travel down and slightly forward of the hands; the pelvis drops about 35–40 cm (McKenzie 2022: 39 cm). On the way up the trunk returns to the start lean. Legs stay together and still relative to the hips; no swinging.
End position
Elbow flexion about 110–115° (McKenzie 2022: 115°). Trunk lean about 35° (McKenzie 2022: 37°). Elbows point back and flare out only slightly: shoulder abduction about 30° (McKenzie 2022: 31°). Shoulders still depressed, not shrugged up to the ears.
Tempo
Lower 2 s, no bounce, press 1.5 s, 0.3 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar height | 1.40 m (shoulder height) | 1.30–1.45 m | |
| Elbow angle at top (included) | 172° | 165–178° | |
| Trunk lean at top | 18° | 10–25° | |
| Trunk lean at bottom | 35° | 30–45° | |
| Shoulder extension at bottom | 67° | 60–75° | |
| Shoulder abduction at bottom | 30° | 25–35° | |
| Elbow flexion at bottom | 112° | 100–120° | |
| Pelvis drop top to bottom | 38 cm | 32–45 cm | |
| Tempo down / up | 2 s / 1.5 s | 1.5–2.5 s / 1–2 s |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Chest Dip is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
