Straight-Bar Dip
Why it matters
The Straight-Bar Dip builds strength and size in your chest, front deltoids and triceps. As a compound movement, it trains several muscles together and carries over to real-world strength and power.
How to do it
- Support your weight on the handles or bars with your arms straight and your shoulders pulled down.
- Set a slight forward lean and brace before you lower.
- Lower under control by bending your elbows until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
- Keep your elbows tracking back rather than flaring wide.
- Press back up until your arms are straight.
Coaching cues
- Lower until your upper arms reach about parallel to the floor.
- Keep your elbows tracking back over your wrists, not flaring out.
- Lean your torso forward slightly to bias the chest, or stay upright to bias the triceps.
- Think about squeezing your chest to drive the movement, not just pushing with your arms.
- Own the full range of every rep before you add reps or make it harder.
Watch out for
-
Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears at the bottom.
Shrugged shoulders put your shoulder in a weaker, more exposed position at the bottom.
Instead Keep your shoulders pulled down and away from your ears throughout.
-
Only dipping a few inches instead of reaching depth.
A shallow dip trains a small slice of the range and much less of your chest and triceps.
Instead Lower until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
-
Letting the elbows flare wide as you press.
Wide elbows put your shoulders in a weaker position to press from.
Instead Keep your elbows tracking back over your wrists.
The detail
- Tempo
- Lower for about two counts, then press up with intent.
- Breathing
- Breathe in as you lower, exhale as you press up.
- Range of motion
- Lower until your upper arms are about parallel, then press to straight arms. Take the chest through its full working range each rep.
- If you are new to it
- Use band or machine assistance, or keep the range shallow, until you can control full-depth reps.
- Once it is easy
- Add a pause at the bottom or progress the difficulty once you own full-depth reps.