Chest Dip
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
Lean forward for chest, stay upright for triceps — your torso picks the muscle.
Coaching profile
High-stimulus, higher-variance option. This page is the practical coaching layer: use it for setup, cues, programming, pain-free adjustments, and substitutions. The complete biomechanics tier list lives on the muscle page.
How the rankings are built →Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeHow to do it
Setup
- Grip the bars, lean the torso forward, shoulders down and back.
Execution
- Lower under control to a chest stretch (not past comfortable shoulder ROM), press up; lean forward for chest, stay upright for triceps.
Common Errors
- Going too deep for the shoulder to tolerate
- Staying too upright when chasing chest
- Shrugging the shoulders up at the bottom
- Bouncing out of the bottom
Cues That Work
- Lean forward for the chest; keep the shoulders down; stop at a comfortable depth
No-Fly Zone
under 4 reps (add weight and use double progression instead of grinding low-rep singles)
Programming
Sequence priority
Early
Loaded compound, skill + strength limited at bodyweight — earlier on push day, never as a fatigued finisher.
Progression
Model — Double
Fallback model — Triple
Bodyweight: add reps toward ~12, then add weight on a belt and reset to 6-8.
Best program fit
Push, Upper
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Torso lean (forward = chest); grip width; hand rotation.
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Reduce depth if the shoulder pinches; slow eccentric; pause at the stretch.
Step 3
Implement swap
Assisted dip machine, machine chest press, or weighted push-up if dips hurt.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
Assisted dip machine, machine chest press, or weighted push-up if dips hurt.
Compare all chest optionsThe Evidence
Builds lower-chest and triceps mass with a big stretch. NOT for everyone — shoulder-dependent, and it skips the upper chest.
SFR — 1.2
Put the exercise inside a system.
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