Assisted Dips
Kneeling on the pad of an assisted dip machine, you lower and press yourself between parallel handles while a counterweight takes part of your body weight.
- Primary muscles
- Lower chest, Triceps
- Secondary
- Middle chest, Upper chest, Front delts
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Assistance × reps
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Why do it
The assisted machine is the most straightforward way to learn dips if you can't yet do a few clean reps on your own. You pick the exact amount of help, so you can practice the full range with your shoulders down and cut the assistance in small steps. Unlike a band, the support stays the same from top to bottom, which makes progress easy to track. Lean slightly forward to bring in more chest, and remember that less counterweight means a harder set.
How to do it
Set the counterweight: the more weight you select, the more the machine helps you. Grab the dip handles with your palms facing each other.
Place your knees on the pad and press up until your arms are straight, with your shoulders down and your chest up.
Bend your elbows to lower yourself until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, leaning your torso slightly forward.
Press back up until your arms are straight. Log the counterweight as your assistance and use less of it as you get stronger, until you can do dips without help.
Common mistakes
Adding counterweight to make it harder
On this machine the counterweight helps you, so more plates make the set easier. Lower the counterweight when you want to progress.
Shoulders shrugging up at the bottom
Letting your shoulders ride up toward your ears as you sink loses the chest-up position. Keep them pressed down and stop where they feel stretched, not strained.
Letting the machine throw you up
Dropping fast and riding the counterweight back up hides weak spots. Lower under control and press up with your arms.
Stopping the descent too high
Shallow reps feel easier but skip the part that builds strength for full dips. Lower until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
