Dip Station (Parallel Bars)
Parallel bars for performing dips and other bodyweight exercises.
Dip stations or parallel bars allow dips, one of the best compound exercises for triceps and chest. They can be standalone, attached to racks, or combined with pull-up bars. Dips require shoulder mobility and may not be suitable for those with shoulder issues.
What dips train
Parallel bars supporting bodyweight for dips, which is one of the few genuinely heavy pressing patterns available with no external load. Torso angle sets the emphasis: upright with elbows tucked loads the triceps most, leaning forward with elbows slightly flared shifts it towards the lower chest. Because bodyweight is already a substantial load, dips reach a meaningful pressing stimulus faster than most bodyweight exercises.
How to progress
Band-assisted or machine-assisted dips first, then bodyweight, then added load via a dip belt or a dumbbell between the feet. Control the descent to roughly the point where the upper arm is parallel to the floor. Most stations also allow leg raises and inverted-row variations, which makes a single station unusually productive for the footprint.
Common mistakes
Going deeper than the shoulder tolerates in pursuit of range. The bottom of a dip is a demanding position for the shoulder joint, and forcing depth there is one of the more reliable ways to develop anterior shoulder pain. Bars set too wide also flare the shoulders into that position by default, so the width you choose matters. And bouncing out of the bottom, which loads the joint precisely where it is least able to cope.
Examples
- Tricep dips on parallel bars
- Chest dips with forward lean
- Often combined with pull-up bar
Related Terms
Compound exercises
Put this into practice with exercises from the library.
Bent Press
Strength · Kettlebells
Board Press
Powerlifting · Barbell
Bodyweight Mid Row
Strength · Other
Bodyweight Squat
Strength · Bodyweight
Bodyweight Walking Lunge
Strength · None
Bottoms-Up Clean From The Hang Position
Strength · Kettlebells
Bottoms Up
Strength · Bodyweight
Box Jump (Multiple Response)
Plyometrics · Other