Assisted Dips
The assisted dip is a parallel-bar dip performed on a counterweighted platform that takes away part of your bodyweight, so the lower chest, triceps and front delts can be trained with a manageable load.
CHEST · PUSH
How it is executed
- Kneel or stand on the padded platform of the assisted dip machine and select a counterweight that offsets part of your bodyweight.
- Grip the parallel handles and support yourself at the top with arms locked out.
- Lower your body by bending the elbows until your shoulders reach about elbow height, then press back up to full lockout.
- The counterweight reduces how much bodyweight you press, making it a great progression toward unassisted dips.
- Muscles worked
- Chest
- Primary muscle
- Lower chest
- Equipment
- Assisted pull-up and dip machine
- Movement pattern
- Push
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- What it is for
- StrengthHypertrophy
Common mistakes
- Adding plates thinking it makes the dip harder. On this machine the weight you select is the assistance: the more plates, the easier the dip. Pick a counterweight that leaves you 8 to 12 controlled reps and remove plates over the weeks.
- Lowering only a few inches. Without depth the chest never stretches and the exercise becomes a short triceps push. Lower until the upper arm is parallel to the floor, with the shoulders back and down.
- Letting the shoulders rise toward the ears at lockout. That shrug loads the traps and unloads the chest. Push the handles toward the floor, keep the chest high and the shoulders away from the ears through the whole rep.
- Keeping the torso perfectly vertical. That sends the work to the triceps and gives the lower chest very little. Lean slightly forward from the hips, with the knees bent behind you, and let the elbows drift out a little.
Frequently asked questions
- Which muscles do assisted dips work?
- The main muscle is the pectoralis major, especially its lower fibers, which pull the arms in toward the body as you press up. The triceps extend the elbow and the front delts help out of the bottom. The more you lean the torso forward, the more chest; the more upright you stay, the more triceps. The lower traps and serratus keep the shoulders down and stable, and the abs stop the legs from swinging on the platform.
- When should you move from assisted dips to regular parallel bar dips?
- When you complete 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps with the machine's lowest assistance, going down to parallel without shrugging, you have the strength to try the unassisted dip. The main difference is stability: on the bars nothing supports the legs and the body tends to swing, so the first sets usually come out with fewer reps. A useful transition is alternating both versions within the same week.
- How many sets and reps of assisted dips should you do?
- A common starting point is 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, leaving 2 or 3 reps in reserve. Progression runs backward compared with other machines: when you reach 12 clean reps, you remove one plate of assistance instead of adding weight. It usually goes second on a chest or push day, after a press, or as the main triceps exercise if you keep the torso vertical.
- How do you choose the counterweight on the assisted dip machine?
- The weight you select is subtracted from your bodyweight: if you weigh 80 kilos and choose 30, you press about 50. To start, try an assistance close to half your bodyweight and adjust until the last reps feel hard without losing depth. Over time, the goal is for the stack to go down, not up. If the machine has a kneeling platform, rest the knees on it and do not push with the feet.
Sources and editorial approach
The explanation, variations and FAQs are Kaizer’s editorial synthesis. ACSM’s 2026 guidance provides general context on progression and resistance training in healthy adults; it does not independently validate the technique of each variation.
No individual professional review is recorded for this page.
Variations and substitutions
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