Dips: how to do it
Main muscles: Lower chest, Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head. Helpers: Triceps long head. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Bodyweight
Reps
6–10
Rest
150 s
Muscle group
Chest
How to do it
- Lean the torso forward — that is how the chest works; an upright torso shifts the load to the triceps.
- Lower until the elbow is at about 90°, do not let the shoulders drop below the hands.
- Press up to almost straight arms, without snapping the elbow.
Common mistakes
Jerking and swinging the legs, sinking too deep into the shoulders.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Lower chest, Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
- Secondary
- Triceps long head
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Alternatives: similar exercises
Bench dips
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Close-grip push-ups
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Bench press
Barbell · Middle chest, Lower chest
Skull crusher
Barbell · Triceps long head, Triceps medial head
Cable pushdown
Cable · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Overhead dumbbell extension
Dumbbells · Triceps long head, Triceps medial head
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
Free forever for the first 500