| 7,000+ Reviews
Free EU Shipping above 100€*
400,000+ Customers Worldwide
Worldwide Tracked Shipping
Dip Bar Exercises: 7 Moves to Build Your Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Core
Your push-ups have stopped feeling hard, but you don't want to move your training to the gym? Dip bar exercises are your next step. With two bars at hip height, you can train dips, push-ups, triceps and even the planche at home or outdoors. Below you'll find 7 moves, how to do each one, and a simple plan to progress from beginner push-ups to your first planche progressions.
Why train on dip bars?
Dip bars lift you off the floor. That height gives your legs room to hang during dips, so you get a full range of motion that the floor or low parallettes can't give you. One pair of parallel bars covers basics, statics and weighted calisthenics.
The GORNATION Premium Dip Bars were developed with pro athletes for exactly this kind of training. Each bar stands 90 cm high, is made of powder-coated steel with a 40 mm grip diameter and supports up to 400 kg. Two connecting parts lock the bars together and let you choose between several widths. You can remove them in seconds to use the bars separately. Rubber feet keep everything in place on wood, stone, grass or asphalt, and 25 m of Grip Tape 2.0 come in the box. Assembly takes less than 5 minutes.
7 dip bar exercises for your upper body and core
The exercises cover every level, from your first push-ups on the bars to the planche. Master the basics before moving on: clean reps protect your elbows and shoulders far better than rushing to the hard variations.
1. Dips
The dip is the reference push exercise on parallel bars. You lower and press your entire bodyweight, which makes it one of the most complete upper body movements you can train at home.
How to do it: stand between the bars, grip them with your palms facing each other and press down until your arms are straight and your feet leave the floor. Push your shoulders away from your ears. Lean slightly forward and bend your elbows until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, elbows pointing back rather than out. Press back up to full lockout without shrugging. If you can't do 5 clean reps yet, start with the assisted dip: stretch one of the Premium Resistance Bands between the two bars and rest your knees on it.
Benefits and muscles worked: dips train your chest, front delts and triceps together. Leaning forward puts more work on the chest, staying upright shifts it to the triceps. Your wrists take a lot of load here, so our article why you should use wrist wraps is worth a read before your first heavy sessions.
2. Weighted Dips
Once you can do 12 to 15 clean dips, adding more reps is no longer the fastest way to get stronger. Weighted dips let you stay in a lower rep range and progress by adding load. They're also one of the main lifts in streetlifting.
How to do it: attach a weight plate to your dip belt or put on a weight vest, climb into the top position and use exactly the same technique as bodyweight dips. Start with a few kilos and increase in small steps. The Premium Dip Belt keeps the weight between your legs so it doesn't swing. For most athletes, we recommend a rope over a chain: lighter, more comfortable, no pinching. The full comparison is in our guide dip belt rope or dip belt chain.
Benefits and muscles worked: the same muscles as regular dips (chest, shoulders, triceps), trained with heavier loads. This is where you build maximum pushing strength.
3. Beginner Push-Ups
New to calisthenics? Push-ups with your hands on the dip bars are the easiest way to start. Your upper body stays higher than your feet, so you lift less of your bodyweight than on the floor.
How to do it: place your hands on the bars, walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels, and brace your core. Lower your chest between the bars with your elbows at about 45 degrees from your body, then press back up. Keep your hips in line: no sagging, no piking. The bars also let you go deeper than on the floor, which gives your chest a bigger stretch.
Benefits and muscles worked: chest, shoulders and triceps, with your core working to keep your body straight. It's the perfect preparation for your first full dips.
Want to find out whether the Dip Bars or the Static Bar is best for you? Watch our video comparison of the two:
4. Tuck Planche Push-Ups
Tuck planche push-ups are an advanced move. You hold a tuck planche, knees tucked and feet off the floor, and do push-ups in that position. Before trying them, you need a solid tuck planche hold of several seconds.
How to do it: grip the bars, lean your shoulders forward past your hands and lift your feet, knees pulled to your chest. Keep your back rounded and your hips at shoulder height. Bend your elbows slowly while keeping your body in the tuck, then press back to straight arms. Stay in control on every rep, even if it means doing only 2 or 3. You can train them on dip bars or on lower parallettes, as in the photo below.
Benefits and muscles worked: chest, front delts and triceps under heavy load, with a lot of core and wrist work. It builds the pushing strength you'll need for the planche.
5. Straight Bar Dips
The straight bar dip is done on a single bar in front of your body, not between two parallel bars. It's a key step toward the muscle-up, because it trains the push you need at the top of it.
How to do it: jump to the top of the bar with your arms straight and the bar at hip level, overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Lean forward, bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the bar. Push back up to straight arms. Keep your legs slightly in front of you to stay balanced. For this move, the GORNATION Static Bar is the right tool and a great complement to your dip bars.
Benefits and muscles worked: triceps, chest and front delts, trained in a different angle than parallel bar dips.
6. Tricep Extensions
The tricep extension isolates your triceps with your bodyweight. On dip bars, you use a single bar in an inclined position.
How to do it: stand outside the bars, facing one of them. Place your hands shoulder-width apart with an overhand grip, straighten your arms and step back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Brace your core. Bend your elbows slowly and lower your forehead toward the bar, elbows tucked close to your body. Press through your palms back to straight arms and squeeze your triceps at the top. To make it harder, walk your feet further back.
Benefits and muscles worked: the triceps do most of the work, helped by the front delts, while your core keeps your body straight. Strong triceps carry over directly to dips, push-ups and handstand training.
7. Planche and Regressions
The planche is a long-term goal for many athletes: your whole body held horizontal above the bars, arms straight. It takes a lot of time to build, so you train it through regressions.
How to do it: start with the tuck planche, knees tucked and hips at shoulder height. Once you can hold it, open your hips into the advanced tuck planche, back flat. Then move to the straddle planche, legs extended and spread, before trying the full planche with legs together. The bent arm planche helps you build strength in the leaning position. Warm up your wrists every session: straight-arm work puts heavy stress on them.
Benefits and muscles worked: front delts, chest, biceps and core, plus a lot of wrist and straight-arm strength.
How to build your dip bar workout
Train on your dip bars 2 to 3 times a week, with at least one rest day between sessions. Warm up your wrists, shoulders and elbows for 5 to 10 minutes before you start. Pick your level in the table and move up once you reach the goal in the last column.
| Level | Exercises | Sets and reps | Move up when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Beginner push-ups, tricep extensions, assisted dips | 3 x 8-12, 3 x 8-12, 3 x 5-8 | You can do 3 sets of 8 unassisted dips |
| Intermediate | Dips, straight bar dips, tricep extensions, tuck planche hold | 4 x 6-12, 3 x 5-8, 3 x 10-15, 4 x 5-10 s | You can do 12 to 15 clean dips in a row |
| Advanced | Weighted dips, tuck planche push-ups, planche regressions | 5 x 3-6, 4 x 2-5, 5 x 5-10 s | Keep adding load or harder regressions |
Common mistakes on dip bars
- Shrugging your shoulders: keep them pushed down, away from your ears, in every exercise.
- Flaring your elbows: point them back to protect your shoulders.
- Going too deep too soon: stop at upper arms parallel to the floor until your shoulders are ready for more.
- Bouncing at the bottom: control the lowering phase and pause briefly before pressing up.
- Skipping the wrist warm-up: planche work needs prepared wrists. If pain persists, see a health professional.
FAQ: dip bar exercises
What exercises can you do on dip bars?
Dip bars cover dips and weighted dips, push-ups, tricep extensions, knee raises, the L-sit and planche progressions. You can also lie underneath them to do rows like the australian pull-up. With the connecting parts mounted, they're stable enough for handstand work too.
Are dip bars better than parallettes?
They do different jobs. At 90 cm, dip bars give you more range of motion for dips and leg raises, because your legs hang freely. Low parallettes are great for push-ups, handstands and early planche work on the floor. Many athletes use both depending on the skill they're training.
How much weight can the GORNATION Premium Dip Bars hold?
Each Premium Dip Bar supports up to 400 kg, which leaves plenty of margin for weighted dips, even with heavy plates on your dip belt. The rubber feet and connecting parts keep the bars stable on most surfaces, indoors and outdoors.
How often should you do dips?
Two to three sessions a week is a good rhythm for most people, with a rest day in between so your elbows and shoulders can recover. If you train weighted dips, keep the heavy sets for one or two sessions and use the others for technique and skills.
Can you use dip bars outdoors?
Yes. The Premium Dip Bars are suitable for outdoor training on grass, sand, asphalt or stone. Dry them after contact with moisture, store them in a dry place and clean the rubber feet regularly so they keep their grip.
Start your dip bar training today
Seven dip bar exercises are enough to train your chest, shoulders, triceps and core, from beginner push-ups to the planche. Start at your level, progress slowly, and add load once bodyweight gets easy. Ready to set up your station? Find your dip bars and start your first session this week.
