How to Do Dips for Chest and Shoulders
Master parallel bar dips with a forward lean, controlled eccentric tempo, and optimized elbow path to maximize chest and anterior shoulder hypertrophy safely.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Parallel dip station or dip bars
- ✓ Dip belt with weight plates (optional)
- ✓ Heavy looped resistance band (for assistance if needed)
- ✓ Flat-soled training shoes
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Gym chalk (magnesium carbonate)
- ✓ Wrist wraps (optional)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Do not drop below a depth where front shoulder pain or anterior capsule pinching occurs.
- • Keep shoulders depressed and packed away from ears throughout both ascent and descent.
- • Avoid explosive bouncing out of the bottom position to protect the sternum and rotator cuff tendons.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Set Hand Grip and Depress Scapulae
Grip the parallel bars slightly wider than shoulder-width using a full overhand grip, wrapping thumbs around the bars. Jump or press up to the top lockout position while actively driving your shoulder blades down away from your ears to engage the lats and serratus.
- • Arms straight but elbows not hyperextended
- • Long visible neck with shoulders pushed down away from earlobes
- • Wrists stacked directly over the center of the bars
- • Letting shoulders shrug up into the neck
- • Broken/bent wrists tilted backward
Angle the Torso for Chest Bias
Bend your knees slightly and cross your ankles, then tilt your entire torso forward to roughly a 30 to 45-degree angle. Keep your chin tucked toward your upper chest to maintain a rigid, forward-pitched spine rather than staying fully upright.
- • Torso held at a steady 30-45 degree forward incline
- • Chin tucked slightly with gaze directed 3 feet in front of the base
- • Knees bent and core braced
- • Staying completely vertical which shifts the workload solely to the triceps
- • Excessively arching the lower back
Lower with Controlled 45-Degree Elbow Flare
Descend smoothly over 2 to 3 seconds by bending at the elbows and shoulders simultaneously while maintaining the forward torso lean. Allow your elbows to flare out at roughly a 45-degree angle from your ribs rather than tucking them tightly or letting them wing out perpendicular.
- • Controlled 2-3 second downward motion without dropping
- • Elbows tracking backward and outward at a 45-degree arrow shape
- • Torso maintaining its consistent forward angle
- • Flaring elbows out to 90 degrees perpendicular to the body
- • Dropping down rapidly without eccentric control
Hit Optimal Hypertrophy Depth
Stop the descent once the crease of your elbow reaches roughly 90 degrees, or when your shoulders are level with or slightly below your elbows depending on your active shoulder mobility. Pause for a split second at the bottom stretch without losing scapular tension.
- • Upper arm parallel to the floor or slightly below
- • Shoulder joint remains stable in the socket without dumping forward
- • Clean 0.5-second motionless pause at the deep position
- • Cutting depth far too short at 45 degrees
- • Dipping excessively deep until front shoulders roll inward
Press Back Up and Squeeze the Chest
Drive your palms aggressively through the bars to press yourself back to the starting height while maintaining the torso's forward incline throughout the push. At the top, fully extend the arms and actively pull your shoulders down into full scapular depression to finish with a hard contraction across the pecs.
- • Smooth ascent along the same forward-angled bar path
- • Full elbow lockout with depressed shoulders at peak height
- • Torso remains angled forward until lockout is complete
- • Swinging your legs to generate upward momentum
- • Straightening the torso upright during the push
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Jeff Nippard — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Parallel dip station? Sturdy corner of a L-shaped kitchen counter or two heavy parallel boxes
- No Dip belt? Standard dumbbell held securely between the ankles or knees
- No Gym chalk? Liquid grip chalk or clean dry towel to remove bar sweat