Chest Dip: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The chest dip works your chest as the prime mover when you lean your torso forward on the bars, which shifts the emphasis away from your triceps. Your shoulders stretch at the bottom of each rep, and your triceps finish the lockout as you press back up to the top.
- Primary muscle:
- Chest
- Secondary muscles:
- Shoulders, Triceps
Muscles worked
Your chest does the majority of the pressing work when you lean forward on the dip bars, since that forward lean angles the movement more like a decline press than a straight up and down dip. Your shoulders stretch as you lower into the bottom position, absorbing load alongside your chest.
Your triceps straighten your elbows to finish each rep, locking you back out to the top once your chest has driven the initial part of the press.
Log Chest Dip in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- For this exercise you will need access to parallel bars. To get yourself into the starting position, hold your body at arms length (arms locked) above the bars.
- While breathing in, lower yourself slowly with your torso leaning forward around 30 degrees or so and your elbows flared out slightly until you feel a slight stretch in the chest.
- Once you feel the stretch, use your chest to bring your body back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Remember to squeeze the chest at the top of the movement for a second.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Form tips
- Lean your torso forward about 30 degrees to keep the focus on your chest.
- Lower until you feel a stretch across your chest, not pain in your shoulders.
- Flare your elbows out slightly rather than keeping them tucked tight.
- Squeeze your chest for a second at the top of every rep.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Other |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Mechanic | Compound |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do dips work chest or triceps?
Both, but your torso angle decides which one does more. Leaning forward, like a chest dip, shifts emphasis onto your chest, while staying upright shifts more work onto your triceps. Your shoulders assist either way.
Are chest dips safe for beginners?
They demand solid shoulder mobility and enough upper body strength to control your full body weight, which is why this exercise sits at an intermediate level. Build up with the decline push-up first if dips feel too advanced.
More chest exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
