What to Do Instead of Dips for Shoulder Pain

The Real Reason Dips Hurt Your Shoulders (And What to Do Instead)

If you're searching for what to do instead of dips for shoulder pain, the direct answer is to stop doing them immediately and replace them with the close-grip bench press, decline push-ups, and the JM press. That sharp, pinching feeling you get at the bottom of a dip isn't a sign you need to be tougher; it's your shoulder joint screaming that it's being forced into a mechanically dangerous position that over 70% of the population's anatomy can't handle. You've probably tried shortening the range of motion or adjusting your form, only to find the pain comes right back. It’s frustrating because you’ve been told dips are a king of upper-body exercises, yet they feel like they're tearing your shoulder apart. The truth is, for most people with normal shoulder anatomy, they are. The problem isn't your strength or your form-it's the exercise itself. The extreme shoulder extension and internal rotation at the bottom of a dip can compress the rotator cuff tendons and biceps tendon, leading to impingement and inflammation. Continuing to push through this is a guaranteed path to a chronic injury that will sideline your entire upper body training.

Why Your Shoulder Anatomy Makes Dips a High-Risk Exercise

Think of your shoulder's range of motion like a budget. You have a certain amount of 'active' range you can control with your muscles, and a bit more 'passive' range where your joint can be pushed. Dips force your arm far behind your torso, pushing you deep into a passive range of motion your muscles can't stabilize. This is where the damage happens. It’s like someone else forcing you into a split you can’t do on your own. Your ligaments and joint capsule take the strain instead of your muscles, which is the exact opposite of what you want in the gym. Elite gymnasts can perform dips because they have spent over a decade developing the specific mobility and stability for it. For the average person who sits at a desk, which promotes tight chest muscles and rounded shoulders, forcing your body into that extreme position is asking for trouble. The alternatives we recommend work because they keep the movement within your 'active' range of motion. The close-grip bench press, for example, stops when the bar hits your chest, preventing your elbows from traveling dangerously far behind your back. This keeps the tension on your triceps and chest, not on the delicate structures inside your shoulder capsule. You get all the muscle-building stimulus of a dip without the risk of a 6-month layoff due to a rotator cuff tear. It's not about avoiding hard work; it's about working smarter to stay in the game long-term.

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The 3-Move Protocol to Replace Dips Today

Stop feeling like your workout is incomplete without dips. This three-exercise protocol directly replaces the function of dips, providing massive stimulus to your chest and triceps without compromising your shoulder health. Integrate these into your next upper-body or push day. The goal is to train the muscles, not the movement. These three lifts do that more safely and, for many, more effectively.

Alternative 1: The Close-Grip Bench Press (The Power Builder)

This is your primary replacement. It hammers the triceps and inner chest just like a dip but in a much more stable, shoulder-friendly position. It allows for heavy progressive overload, which is key for long-term growth.

• How to do it: Lie on a flat bench. Grip the barbell with your hands just inside shoulder-width, about 12-15 inches apart. A good rule of thumb is to place your index fingers on the start of the knurling. Unrack the weight, bring it down to your lower chest while keeping your elbows tucked at a 45-degree angle to your body. Do not let your elbows flare out. Press back up powerfully.
• Programming: Perform 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps. This should be a main pressing movement. If you can normally bench press 185 pounds for reps, start with around 135 pounds for your close-grip sets and build from there.

Alternative 2: The Decline Push-Up (The Lower Chest Sculptor)

This variation mimics the downward angle of a chest-focused dip, placing significant emphasis on the lower pectoral fibers. Because it's a closed-chain exercise (your hands are fixed), it's generally easier on the shoulder joint.

• How to do it: Place your feet on a bench or box that is 12 to 18 inches high. Position your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels. Lower your chest toward the floor, keeping your elbows from flaring out excessively. Press back up to the starting position.
• Programming: Perform 3 sets to failure (or 1-2 reps shy of it). Once you can comfortably perform 20-25 reps, increase the difficulty by placing a weight plate (start with 10 or 25 pounds) on your upper back.

Alternative 3: The JM Press (The Triceps Specialist)

Created by powerlifter JM Blakley, this is a hybrid between a close-grip bench press and a skull crusher. It provides an incredible stretch and contraction for the triceps with minimal stress on the shoulders or elbows, making it a perfect accessory movement.

• How to do it: Lie on a flat bench, using either a barbell or an EZ-bar with a close grip. Lower the bar in a straight line toward your upper chest or neck. As the bar descends, allow your elbows to bend and travel forward, similar to a skull crusher. The bar should end up a few inches above your chest. From there, press the weight back up by extending your triceps.
• Programming: This is a hypertrophy-focused lift, not a strength one. Use a lighter weight you can control. Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps. A good starting weight is about 50% of what you use for your close-grip bench press.

What to Expect When You Ditch Dips (A Realistic Timeline)

Switching from a painful exercise to a productive one will have immediate and long-term benefits. Here’s the timeline you can expect.

• Week 1-2: Immediate Relief and New Soreness. The sharp pain in your shoulder during pressing will vanish on day one. Your numbers on the new lifts, especially the JM Press, will feel awkward and light as your body learns the new motor patterns. This is normal. Expect to feel soreness in your triceps and chest in places you haven't felt before. This is a good sign-it means you're hitting the muscle fibers effectively.
• Month 1: Building Momentum. By the end of the first month, the movements will feel natural. You should be consistently adding weight or reps to your close-grip bench press and decline push-ups. Your close-grip press should be up by at least 5-10 pounds from where you started. The nagging, dull ache you might have felt in your shoulder even after workouts will be completely gone. You'll feel more confident pressing heavy again.
• Month 2-3: Noticeable Growth and Strength Gains. This is where the change pays off. You will see visible growth in your triceps and a fuller look to your chest. Because you've been training pain-free and progressively overloading for weeks, your strength will likely have surpassed where it was when you were fighting through painful dips. You won't even miss dips. You'll realize that the exercise was a roadblock, and removing it allowed you to finally accelerate your progress.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Problem with Bench Dips

Bench dips, where you place your hands on a bench behind you, are even worse for shoulder health than parallel bar dips. This position forces your shoulder into an extreme degree of internal rotation and extension, placing the joint capsule and biceps tendon under immense strain. There is almost no way to perform this exercise without putting your shoulder in a compromised position. Avoid them entirely.

Reintroducing Dips in the Future

For the vast majority of people who experience pain from dips, the answer is no. It's a high-risk, low-reward exercise when safer and equally effective alternatives exist. If you are determined to try again, it should only be after months of pain-free training. Even then, you must use a severely restricted range of motion, stopping when your upper arms are parallel to the floor and never going deeper.

Difference Between Chest and Triceps Dips

To target the chest, you lean your torso forward during the movement. To target the triceps, you keep your torso as upright as possible. However, both variations require the same deep shoulder extension at the bottom of the rep, which is the primary cause of pain. The underlying mechanical issue remains the same regardless of torso angle.

Using Dip Machines Instead of Bodyweight

Assisted dip machines or plate-loaded dip machines can feel slightly more stable because they operate on a fixed path. However, they often lock you into the same stressful movement pattern that causes pain in the first place. If the machine's path doesn't perfectly match your body's natural mechanics, it can still lead to impingement. The free-weight alternatives listed above are superior because they allow your joints to move in their natural, pain-free path.