Dip

Move · Resistance Training · Movement, Typed Supps

At the bottom the upper arms end up behind the body — a position almost no other pressing exercise reaches.

Stage by stage

Set-up (Torso lean sets emphasis): Leaning forward biases the chest; staying upright hands the work to the triceps. Nothing else needs to change.
During the set (Moment arms peak at depth): The sticking point and the peak load on the front of the shoulder occur at the same place — the bottom.
Immediately after (Deep-range chest stretch): The bottom position stretches the sternal chest fibres further than a bench press reaches, which is both the stimulus and the risk.
Weeks later (Load added externally): Progression comes from weight on a belt rather than leverage changes, so dips can be programmed like a barbell press.

Muscles trained

Primary: chest
Secondary: abs, rotator cuff, shoulders, triceps

Intensity

8 METs (Calisthenics (e.g., push ups, sit ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks), vigorous effort).

Time to effect

Weeks: Shoulder mobility and triceps tolerance for the bottom position typically need a few weeks to catch up, especially if you are new to loading the shoulder joint through this range.
Months: Chest and triceps size and pressing strength increase together, and most lifters can progress from bodyweight dips to meaningfully added weight over a several-month block.

Related supplements

Common myth

"Dips wreck your shoulders." In reality: The risk lands in how deep and how loaded, not the exercise itself. Dropping so far that the shoulder rounds well past parallel puts the front of the joint under real strain, while stopping around a 90 degree elbow bend and leaning the torso appropriately lets most healthy lifters load dips safely for years.