How to Do Dips Correctly Without Getting Shoulder Pain

The Real Reason Dips Hurt Your Shoulders (It's Not the Exercise)

To learn how to do dips correctly without getting shoulder pain, you must understand one non-negotiable rule: the pain comes from your shoulders rolling forward and dropping too low, not from the dip itself. The fix is to stop when your upper arm is parallel to the floor, creating a 90-degree angle at your elbow. You've probably felt it-that sharp, pinching sensation deep in the front of your shoulder as you lower yourself. You think, "Dips just aren't for me." That's wrong. You're just doing the ego-driven version you see online, where someone's chest nearly touches the bars. That extreme range of motion isn't building more muscle; it's grinding down your shoulder joint. The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint designed for mobility, but it sacrifices stability. When you let your shoulders roll forward and drop below parallel under your full body weight, the head of your humerus (the 'ball') slides forward and pinches the tendons and ligaments against the 'socket.' This is called anterior humeral glide, and it's the source of that pain. The solution isn't to avoid dips. It's to perform them within the 'shoulder-safe window'-a range of motion that maximizes tension on your chest and triceps while completely protecting the delicate shoulder capsule. Forget about depth. Focus on the angle. A 90-degree bend at the elbow is the sweet spot for muscle growth and joint safety.

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The "Shoulder Safe Window": A 3-Point Checklist

That sharp pain you feel is a warning signal. It’s your body telling you that your form has broken down and your shoulder joint is taking the load instead of your muscles. To stay in the 'shoulder-safe window' and make dips a powerful muscle-builder instead of a joint-wrecker, you need to master a 3-point checklist on every single rep. This isn't optional; it's the entire foundation of a pain-free dip. Most people focus only on pushing up, but the magic happens in the setup and the descent.

1. Lock Your Shoulders Down and Back

Before you even bend your elbows, perform this action: push your body up and pull your shoulders down, away from your ears. Imagine you're trying to put your shoulder blades into your back pockets. This is called scapular depression. It creates maximum space within the shoulder joint, giving the head of your humerus room to move freely without pinching anything. If you start the dip with your shoulders shrugged up by your ears, you have already lost. You've closed off that joint space, and pain is almost guaranteed.

2. Tuck Your Elbows (The 30-Degree Rule)

As you lower yourself, your elbows must stay tucked in, pointing mostly backward. They should not flare out to the sides. A good cue is to imagine your elbows are tracking along two invisible rails behind you. A flare of more than 45 degrees away from your body is the second critical mistake. When your elbows flare out, it forces your shoulder to rotate internally, which is the exact motion that causes the 'ball' of the joint to slide forward and pinch. Keep your elbows within a 30-45 degree angle of your torso. This keeps the tension on your triceps and chest.

3. Stop at 90 Degrees

This is the most important rule. Lower yourself only until your upper arm is parallel to the floor, or your elbow forms a 90-degree angle. Do not go deeper. The moment your shoulder drops below your elbow, the tension shifts from your muscles to your shoulder capsule, ligaments, and biceps tendon. You gain zero extra muscle-building benefit from going deeper, but you dramatically increase your risk of injury. A perfect, pain-free dip is a 90-degree dip. Anything more is just ego, and your shoulders will pay the price.

You now know the three checkpoints: shoulders down, elbows tucked, stop at 90 degrees. But knowing the rules and executing them on your 8th rep when you're tired are entirely different things. How can you be sure your form didn't break down on that last set? If you can't review it, you're just hoping you did it right.

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Every workout logged. Proof you're getting stronger without the pain.

Your 4-Level Progression from Zero to 10 Perfect Dips

Knowing the form is half the battle. Now you need a plan to build the strength to execute it perfectly. Don't jump straight to bodyweight dips if you're new or coming back from pain. That's like trying to squat 225 pounds on your first day. You need to earn the right to do a bodyweight dip by mastering control and building foundational strength. Follow this 4-level progression. Do not move to the next level until you can comfortably hit the goal for your current level for two consecutive workouts. This might take 4 weeks or it might take 12 weeks. The timeline doesn't matter; mastery does.

Level 1: The Negative Dip (Building Control)

Your goal here isn't to push up; it's to resist gravity on the way down. This builds the eccentric strength and stability needed for pain-free dips.

• How to do it: Get into the top position of the dip, with arms locked out and shoulders down. Now, as slowly as you can, lower your body. Aim for a 5-second descent. Follow the 3-point checklist: shoulders down, elbows tucked, stop at 90 degrees. Once at the bottom, place your feet on the floor or a bench, and step back up to the start. Do not try to push yourself up.
• Goal: 3 sets of 5 reps, with each rep being a 5-second controlled negative.

Level 2: The Band-Assisted Dip (Building Strength)

Once negatives feel controlled, it's time to work on the full range of motion with assistance. The band gives you the most help at the bottom (the hardest part) and the least at the top.

• How to do it: Loop a heavy resistance band over both parallel bars. Place your knees or feet in the band. Perform a full dip, focusing on perfect form. The band will help you push out of the bottom.
• Goal: 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Once you can hit 12 reps, switch to a lighter band. Repeat the process until you're using the thinnest band.

Level 3: The Bodyweight Dip (Mastering the Form)

This is the standard. You've built the control and the strength. Now it's about execution. Every rep should look the same, from the first to the last. Quality over quantity.

• How to do it: Perform a standard dip with only your body weight. Be brutally honest with your form. If your shoulders start to roll forward or you can't control the descent, end the set.
• Goal: 3 sets of 10-12 perfect bodyweight reps. Only once you achieve this should you even consider adding weight.

Level 4: The Weighted Dip (Adding Load)

This is for advanced trainees who have mastered bodyweight dips. Adding load is how you'll continue to drive muscle growth in your chest and triceps.

• How to do it: Use a dip belt with a weight plate attached. Do not try to squeeze a dumbbell between your ankles-it's unstable and distracting. Start light, with just 5 or 10 pounds. The added weight will challenge your form, so be extra vigilant.
• Goal: 3 sets of 6-10 reps. Increase the weight by only 2.5-5 pounds when you can hit the top of the rep range for all sets.

What Your First 4 Weeks of Dips Will Feel Like

Starting a new movement, especially one you've been wary of, comes with a break-in period. Your body needs to adapt. Here’s what you can realistically expect so you don't get discouraged.

• Week 1: It Will Feel Awkward and Weak. Your first few sessions doing negatives will feel humbling. You might shake, and you'll feel the movement primarily in your triceps. You might only be able to control the descent for 2-3 seconds. This is normal. The goal isn't strength; it's building the mind-muscle connection and motor pattern. You should feel zero pinching pain. If you do, you're going too deep.
• Weeks 2-3: Control Starts to Click. You'll notice the 5-second negative feels smoother. You're no longer just dropping. You can actively resist gravity. This is a huge win. You might be ready to try band-assisted dips. The first few reps with a band will feel surprisingly easy at the bottom. Your chest will start to feel more involved, not just your triceps.
• Week 4 and Beyond: Building Real Strength. By now, you should be making consistent progress. Whether you're reducing the band tension or adding reps to your bodyweight sets, you'll feel stronger. The movement will feel natural. Most importantly, you'll feel the work in your chest and triceps, with no pain in your shoulders. This is the sign that you're doing it correctly. Good progress is adding 1-2 reps to your sets each week or moving to a slightly lighter band every 2-3 weeks.

The #1 Red Flag: Any sharp, stabbing, or pinching pain in the front of your shoulder is a signal to stop immediately. Do not push through it. It means your form has broken down. Re-evaluate the 3-point checklist. Muscle soreness the next day is fine; joint pain during the set is not.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Difference Between Chest Dips and Tricep Dips

To target your chest more, lean your torso forward about 30-45 degrees during the movement. This puts the chest fibers in a better position to push. To target your triceps more, keep your torso as upright and vertical as possible. This places more of the load on your elbows to extend.

Why Bench Dips Are Often a Bad Idea

Bench dips, where your hands are on a bench behind you, force your shoulders into an extreme degree of internal rotation. This position dramatically closes the space in your shoulder joint, making it almost impossible to perform without pinching something. Parallel bar dips allow for a much more natural and safe shoulder position.

The Best Warm-Up Before Doing Dips

Your goal is to activate your rotator cuff and back muscles to help stabilize the shoulder. Spend 5 minutes doing 2-3 rounds of band pull-aparts (15-20 reps) and shoulder dislocations with a light resistance band (10-15 reps). Finish with 1-2 light sets of push-ups to get the chest and triceps firing.

Safe Alternatives if Dips Always Cause Pain

If you have a pre-existing shoulder injury and dips continue to cause pain even with perfect form, don't force it. You can get similar benefits from close-grip bench press, decline push-ups (with feet elevated), or a combination of dumbbell skull crushers and dumbbell bench press. These exercises build the same muscles with less strain on the shoulder capsule.

How Often You Should Train Dips

Because dips are a demanding compound exercise, you don't need to do them every day. For most people, training dips with intensity 1-2 times per week is optimal for muscle growth and recovery. Place them at the beginning of your workout when you're fresh to ensure your form is perfect.