Chest
Parallel Bar Dips
A foundational bodyweight movement designed to build significant pressing power and upper body mass.
How to perform.
Follow the sequence — setup is half the lift.
Grasp the parallel bars with a neutral grip and jump up until your arms are fully extended and your body is suspended.
Retract your shoulder blades and maintain a slight forward lean of the torso to emphasize the chest fibers.
Lower your body slowly by bending the elbows until your shoulders are slightly below the level of your elbows.
Pause for a fraction of a second at the bottom of the movement while maintaining tension in the pectoral muscles.
Press through your palms to return to the starting position by extending your arms fully without locking the elbows abruptly.
Keep your legs slightly bent at the knees or crossed at the ankles to maintain stability throughout the set.
Common mistakes.
Fix these first — they cost reps, kilos, and joints.
- Flaring the elbows excessively outward which puts undue stress on the shoulder capsule.
- Shortening the range of motion by failing to descend until the upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Using momentum or swinging the legs to assist with the upward phase of the lift.
- Allowing the shoulders to shrug upward toward the ears during the descent.
Muscles worked.
The primary movers do the work; the stabilizers keep the path honest.