Impossible Dip

Body region

• Arms

Muscles

Main

• Triceps

Helps

• Deltoid
• Pectoralis Major
• Anconeus

Holds

• Serratus Anterior
• Trapezius
• Latissimus Dorsi
• Rectus Abdominis

Equipment

• Dip Bars

Technique

1. Jump or step up to a straight-arm support on parallel dip bars.
2. Slowly bend your elbows and lean back slightly, lowering until your forearms rest along the bars.
3. From the forearms, push down through your palms to lift the forearms off the bars and straighten your arms.
4. Return to full support at the top before the next rep.

Cues

• This loads the elbows heavily, so build triceps strength with regular dips first.
• Lower onto the forearms with control rather than dropping onto them.
• Keep the core tight and the legs together to stop swinging.

Common mistakes

• Crashing onto the forearms on the way down.
• Flaring the elbows out wide.
• Training through elbow pain.

Alternatives

• Dip
• Triceps Dip
• Bench Dip