← EXERCISE LIBRARYCalisthenics
Parallel Bar Dip
Vertical push on fixed bars, the heaviest bodyweight chest and triceps builder most people can access. Three sets of eight to full depth before you move to rings.
- 01Mount the bars and press to a locked-out support with the shoulders pulled down.
- 02Cross or brace the legs and tilt the torso slightly forward.
- 03Bend the elbows and lower until the upper arm is at least parallel to the floor.
- 04Keep the elbows tracking back rather than winging out.
- 05Press back to a full lockout, holding the shoulders down at the top.
- 01Shoulders away from the ears at the top and the bottom.
- 02Lean the chest over your hands, do not sit upright.
- 03Elbows back past the ribs, not out sideways.
- 01Shrugging at the bottom, which dumps load onto the shoulder capsule and is the usual cause of dip-related front shoulder pain.
- 02Half reps that stop above parallel, which skip the range where the pecs actually get stronger.
- 03Kipping with the legs to get out of the hole, which trains momentum rather than the press.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.