Chair Dips

Chair dips are one of the most accessible exercises to strengthen your triceps, shoulders, and chest. Performed at home with nothing but a stable chair, they make an excellent introduction to bodyweight training. Whether you are a beginner or are working toward weighted dips, this movement is a key step for building a solid foundation.

How to Do Chair Dips in 3 Steps

Executing chair dips correctly maximises the benefits while reducing injury risk. Here are the 3 essential steps for proper technique:

1. Starting Position

• Sit on the edge of a stable chair.
• Place your hands flat on the edge, fingers pointing forward.
• Slide your hips off the chair, keeping your legs bent or straight depending on your level.

2. Controlled Descent

• Bend your elbows to lower your body slowly.
• Keep your elbows close to your body – do not let them flare out.
• Lower until your arms form a 90-degree angle, without putting excessive strain on the shoulders.

3. Push Back Up

• Press hard through your arms to return to the starting position.
• Keep your core braced throughout the entire movement.
• Exhale on the way up.

Muscles Worked

Chair dips are an effective compound exercise, particularly useful for training the upper body at home. Here are the muscle groups engaged:

• Triceps brachii: the primary target muscle, located at the back of the arm.
• Pectorals: especially the lower portion of the pectoralis major.
• Anterior deltoids: shoulder muscles that stabilise and assist the movement.
• Abs and lower back: activated to maintain posture and stability.

Chair Dips: the First Step Toward Weighted Dips

Before moving on to bodyweight dips on parallel bars or weighted dips in streetlifting, chair dips are an essential stepping stone. They offer an excellent starting point for building strength, technique, and stability.

Progression tip: start with bent legs to reduce the load. Once comfortable, move to straight legs. When you have mastered the exercise, progress to parallel bar dips, then weighted dips if performance is your goal.

Chair Dip Variations

To diversify your sessions and challenge your muscles in different ways, here are some interesting variations of chair dips:

Variation	Description	Primary Target
Bent-leg dips	Easier – legs bent to reduce the load	Beginners
Straight-leg dips	Harder – legs extended on the floor	Triceps and core
Two-chair dips	Feet resting on a chair in front	Greater load
Explosive dips	Push up fast and powerfully	Triceps power
Isometric dips	Hold at the bottom of the movement	Muscular endurance

These variations allow continuous progression while keeping your training sessions motivating and stimulating.

Coach’s Conclusion

Chair dips are far more than a simple home exercise. They form a solid foundation for any strength trainee and are an essential milestone on the path to more advanced movements such as weighted dips in streetlifting. Easy to include in any programme, they deliver real results for your arms, shoulders, and chest. Focus on mastering your technique, progress at your own pace, and above all stay consistent – results will follow.

Start Here

• Streetlifting Program
• Weighted Muscle Up Program
• Weighted Pull-Up Program
• Weighted Dip Program
• Squat Program