Can’t Do a Dip Yet? Start Here (Chair → Elevated Chair → Regular Dips

Can't do a dip? No worries; you aren't alone! Dips use most of your body weight, so they can be very difficult at first. Therefore, there is no shame in starting from zero. By following a simple progression with your dip training, you'll gain enough strength and confidence to successfully perform your first full dip.

Our beginner's guide will help you build strength with three levels of dip exercises you can do at home. You'll have a clear understanding of how to advance safely and effectively through all levels. We all started from somewhere, so let's start at the beginning!

Psst... want a ready-made plan on your phone? Unlock the Dip Progression Program and save it to your phone for step-by-step guidance.

Why Dips Feel Impossible at First (It’s Not Just You)

Dips have a reputation for being tough, especially for beginners. Here’s why they feel so hard:

You’re Lifting a Lot of Weight

Your legs assist you when doing push-ups, allowing you to lift only 50-70% of your total body weight. Conversely, dips on parallel bars require you to push your entire bodyweight. Therefore, even if you do half of your bodyweight with push-ups, pushing all of your bodyweight for dips is far more strenuous than doing half of your bodyweight for push-ups and places greater emphasis on chest, shoulders and triceps.

Full Range of Motion & Stretch

Dips allow your muscles to use a lot of range. When you go down so that your elbows are below your shoulders, the motion allows for greater stretching of both your chest and shoulders. Therefore, you're training these upper-body muscles for strength while they are stretched. Because you have now stretched your upper body muscles, when they're in the "down position," they won't be able to produce as much force as they could if they were in a "bottom position."

Shoulder Stability Required

To dip safely, you need good shoulder stabilization. Beginners often lack shoulder stability and the ability to keep their scapulae down and back, which is required for dips. Without this, trying a full dip can feel wobbly or even painful. Don’t worry. Your stability improves with practice and the easier variations.

It’s a Compound Movement

A proper dip engages your triceps, chest, shoulders, and even your core all at once. If any of these areas are underdeveloped, the dip will expose them. Many beginners have enough arm strength but struggle with the chest or shoulder part of the movement. The progression will gradually strengthen all the required muscles.

Safety Tips for Correct Dip Progression

Be careful to notice any pain in your shoulders so you can avoid injuring them. When you're doing any type of dips, don't let your elbows bend deeper than 90 degrees. Keep your shoulders above your elbows. Don't try to force them lower. Always be in control of the movement.

The 3-Level Dip Progression Path

Below you'll find an easy way to progress through the 3 levels of dips for beginners to get to the first full parallel bar dip, using just a few different exercises and easy-to-understand goals per level, so you'll know when you're ready to go to the next level! It's all clearly laid out so that you can focus on getting stronger.

Level 1 – Chair Dips (The Easiest Starting Point)

The idea behind countertop dips is similar to that of doing wall/inclined push-ups prior to doing regular push-ups. You are using a high surface to assist with some of your weight in order to make the dip movement easier. Because of the reduction in load, countertop dips will work the same muscle groups as wall/inclined push-ups, but they will be easier to perform, providing a more gradual progression towards doing regular dips.

Setting Up

Pick out a solid countertop and put your hands on the side of the counter facing into the inside corner. Your hands will be shoulder-width or slightly wider apart with your fingers pointing outward along the side of the counter. With this position, walk your feet out a little and lean your upper body forward toward the inside corner. Your arms need to be straight but slightly bent, with some of your weight on your wrists. Maintain your feet firmly planted to give yourself better balance/depth.

How to Perform Countertop Dips

Bend your arms and lower yourself down in front of you. Keep your elbows slightly bent back towards you as you go down. You should feel an expansion in your chest at the bottom or get within 90° with your elbows at their lowest point before using your palms to push yourself back to the starting position. Don’t try to go below what feels comfortable in your shoulder as you lower yourself down.

Form Tips

• Keep your shoulders down and back by pressing them down to protect them and engage your triceps and chest.

• Maintain a slight forward lean with your chest while keeping your core tight and your body in a straight line.

• Use leg assistance by bending your knees as needed. To increase difficulty, place your feet farther forward to shift more weight to your arms.

• Begin with partial reps, dipping only as low as comfortable without pain, and gradually increase your depth over time.

• Perform each dip with a smooth, controlled tempo, lowering slowly and pressing up steadily to build strength and avoid momentum.

Common Mistakes

Ensure you have good posture while performing the movement. Your shoulders should be back and you should have a wide-open chest. Ensure that your elbows are not flared out. Keep them in line with your body.

Ensure that the surface you use is stable. After all, a wobbly table or a rounded edge can be riskier. If you feel any stinging in your shoulders, stop immediately, and then decrease how far your arms move back and/or change to a less steep angle.

Ready to Progress When

Work up to 3 sets of 8–12 countertop dips with good form. Rest 1 minute between sets. You might do fewer reps to start, which is totally okay. Gradually add a rep or two each session.

You will be ready for the next level when you can perform around 3 sets of 10–12 countertop dips with minimal help from your legs and with your shoulders feeling stable. At this point, you’ve built a base of strength and can move on to the lower surface of a chair.

VIDEO EMBED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D20ysoH7rrU

If you want this progression in your pocket, unlock the Dip Progression Programme and save it to your phone for easy access to form cues and tips.

Level 2 – Elevated Chair Dips

Chair dips are the next progression. Here, you’ll use a chair, a bench, or a sturdy coffee table as your dip surface. The exercise positions your body lower than in a countertop dip, so you’ll be lifting more of your body weight than in Level 1. Chair dips primarily target the triceps and chest. They’re a convenient way to build strength for parallel bar dips, but we’ll do them carefully to protect the shoulders.

Setting Up

Place a solid chair or bench against the wall and have your feet flat on the ground while sitting on the front edge of the chair/bench with both hands next to each hip, holding onto the front edge of the chair/bench about shoulder-width apart, with the palms facing down, fingers pointing off the front of the chair/bench. 

If you are new to this exercise, you may need to keep a slight bend in your knees to keep your legs close together.

How to Perform Chair Dips

Starting with your arms straight, bend your elbows and lower your body straight down. Your hips will drop toward the floor just in front of the chair. Go down until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the ground. Do not dip so low that you feel a sharp strain in the front of your shoulders. Now press through your palms to push back up, straighten your arms, and raise your body until your arms are extended. That’s one rep. Keep your movements controlled throughout.

Form Tips

• To effectively use the triceps while safely holding your shoulder, keep your back in line with the chair.

• To avoid pulling on your shoulders, keep your chest open while pulling your shoulders down and close to each other.

• With your elbows positioned to point directly back behind you, you will use the triceps while minimizing any stress on your shoulders.

• Your foot position determines your leg straightness and, therefore, the difficulty of getting up from the chair. Your foot position also allows you to control the intensity of the exercise.

• To maximize the effectiveness of the exercise, during each repetition, you should lower down evenly and slowly; do not bounce or lock out your elbows.

Common Mistakes

The biggest mistake is letting the hips drift too far forward away from the chair. This makes it a more awkward, shoulder-stressing position. Remember to drop straight down, keeping your back close to the seat. Another mistake is going too low. If your shoulders dip way below your elbows, you risk impingement. Stop when your shoulders are at about the level of your elbows or just below. 

Ready to Progress When

Aim for 3 sets of 8–12 reps of chair dips. Initially, you might do sets of 5–6 – that’s fine. Build up reps gradually. Once you can do around 8 reps, consider extending your legs to increase the challenge, and work up to 12 reps per set with your legs straight.

Once you can comfortably perform 3×12 chair dips with straight legs and zero shoulder pain, you'll be ready for the third and final level. Your shoulders should feel stable, and your elbows track well. In short, when regular chair dips feel “easy” for 3 sets of 12 or more, you’re ready to test the waters with real parallel bar dips.

VIDEO EMBED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPZkKMSv8RA

(By the way, to follow this progression on the go, you can unlock the Dip Progression Programme and save it to your phone – never miss a step in your training!)

Level 3 – Regular Dips

Regular dips are the classic parallel bar dip exercise, and the end goal of the progression guide. These dips have you support your entire body on two parallel bars and perform the dip motion unassisted. It’s a tough move that demands upper-body strength and stability. Let’s set you up for success on your first dip.

Setting Up

The ideal scenario uses parallel bars or a dip station at a gym or at home. If you don’t know how to do dips at home, try two very sturdy chairs. Or use the corner of two countertops. However you do it, ensure the supports are secure and can handle your weight. 

Grip the bars, shoulder-width apart. Jump or step to the top. Keep your arms straight, while also holding yourself off the ground, with your feet hanging off the ground, plus keep your head straight, looking forward.

How to Perform a Regular Dip

Inhale from the top support position, and lower your body by bending your elbows. When you bend your elbows back, you may also bend them out slightly. Lean forward about 10-15 degrees as you lower your body. Lower yourself in a controlled way until your shoulder reaches the same level as your elbow or until you have a good stretch between your shoulder and the front of your chest.

Do not go too low to reduce the strain on your shoulders. Within a couple of seconds pause at the bottom, then exhale while pushing through with your arms back to the starting position, straightening your arms out fully to the top and finishing with your shoulders down and your chest up. That's 1 dip.

Form Tips

• Before starting, set and maintain your shoulder blades down and back to create a stable foundation and reduce the risk of injury.

• Keep your elbows at about a 30–45 degree angle from your torso to balance tricep and chest engagement safely.

• Find a natural, moderate forward lean of about 15–30 degrees to stay balanced and effectively work the chest and triceps.

• Keep your core tight and your body stable by engaging your glutes and, if needed, crossing your legs to prevent swinging.

• Only lower yourself to a depth you can comfortably control, aiming for a 90-degree bend in your elbows as a standard.

What if You Can’t Push Back Up Yet?

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do dips yet. Instead, build strength using these techniques. Start with Negative Dips, where you slowly lower yourself down with control, then assist yourself back to the top. Aim for a 3-5 second descent. 

You can also use Band-Assisted Dips to support part of your weight, focusing on good form and moving to thinner bands over time. Other options include practicing Partial Dips and increasing depth gradually, or lightly using your toes for assistance. Finally, Top Position Holds at the lockout build supporting strength in your shoulders and arms.

Ready to Progress When

The initial goal here is to complete 1 full dip with good form. Once you can do one, aim to do a few in a row. Work up to 3 sets of 5+ dips over time. At that point, you’ve really conquered the beginner stage. 

VIDEO EMBED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwKydk_hLok

Start at your level, save the programme to your phone, and follow it step by step.

A Simple Weekly Schedule for Dips Progression Beginners 

What exercise to pick, and how often to work out? As a newbie, you don't need to train every single day. In fact, you can get really good at working out from 2 to 3 sessions per week, rather than working out daily, like you probably would do if you were trying to get in shape. 

However you choose to go about the specific planning, following a few rules can help you get the results you seek in a safe manner. First of all, you should work on increasing the number of repetitions you can do, then add additional sets, and once you are happy, you can progress to the next level. Below is a weekly schedule example you can try today.

Troubleshooting

Even with a solid plan, you might run into a few common issues along the way. Here are the “big four” dip problems and how to solve them.

• Dips Shoulder Pain: If your bench dips hurt shoulders or other muscle groups, your form might be wrong. Keep shoulders down/back and limit depth. Avoid excessive forward roll. Never push sharp pain, and consider band-assisted bar dips if discomfort persists.

• Elbows Flaring Out: Keep elbows tucked at ~45° angle. Adjust to a narrower grip and consciously think “elbows toward ribs” as you dip.

• Hips Drifting / Body Swinging: Keep your back close to the chair and engage your core/glutes. Pause at the extremes of movement to control momentum and stop swinging.

• Lack of Progress: Ensure training consistency and adequate intensity. Add accessory exercises, regress to build strength, and prioritize recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dips

Below are answers to some common beginner questions about dip training. These short Q&As are handy if you’re looking for quick info or troubleshooting advice.

How long will it take to do my first dip?

It often takes a few weeks to a couple of months for a complete beginner. Practicing consistently 2–3 times per week is key. Some progress faster with prior training, while others need more time. Focus on the process.

Are chair dips (bench dips) effective for beginners?

Yes, chair dips for beginners are very effective for building triceps, chest, and shoulder strength. Tricep dips at home or the gym help you learn the motion with partial body weight. Use proper form and don't over-stretch to strengthen safely for regular dips.

Can I practice dips at home without parallel bars?

Absolutely. Use sturdy kitchen counters, chairs, or benches. Start with countertop dips, progress to chair dips, and for regular dips, use two stable chairs or countertop corners as makeshift bars. Always prioritize safety.

What if dips hurt my shoulders?

Don't push through shoulder pain. First, keep your shoulders down and limit depth. If pain persists, modify your grip, strengthen with easier progressions, or take a break. Sharp pain warrants professional consultation.

How often should I train with dips per week?

For beginners, 2–3 times per week is ideal. This allows for progress while ensuring adequate recovery. Never train dips on consecutive days. Consistency with this frequency yields the best initial results.

What muscles do dips work?

Dips primarily work the triceps, chest (pectorals), and front shoulders (anterior deltoids). They also engage core and back stabilizers, making them an efficient compound exercise for upper-body strength.

Should I use an assisted dip machine or a resistance band?

Yes, these are excellent tools. They reduce the load, allowing you to practice the full motion safely. Use them to build strength, and gradually reduce assistance as you progress toward unassisted dips.

Conclusion

Learning to do dips is a journey built on consistency and patience. Start at the easiest level that allows for perfect form. From there, progress slowly, celebrating the small improvements along the way. Trust that your regular, steady practice will lead to strength.

Stay calm, stay consistent, and enjoy the process. Remember that every expert was once a beginner who couldn’t do a single dip. Happy dipping! 

Download your level-based dip plan, so you always know what to do next