Assisted Dip: How to Perform, Benefits, and Progression

How to do an assisted dip?

An assisted dip allows individuals to build the requisite strength and master the proper form for a traditional dip by reducing the effective bodyweight load, making this challenging upper-body exercise accessible to a wider range of fitness levels.

What is an Assisted Dip?

The dip is a compound upper-body exercise renowned for its effectiveness in building strength and muscle mass in the triceps, chest, and shoulders. However, performing a full bodyweight dip requires significant relative strength. An assisted dip is a modified version designed to make the exercise more manageable. By either using a machine with a counterweight system or external resistance (like bands or a spotter), a portion of your body weight is negated, allowing you to perform the movement with proper technique and gradually progress towards unassisted dips.

Why Incorporate Assisted Dips?

Integrating assisted dips into your training regimen offers several compelling benefits:

• Strength Development: It directly targets the primary muscles involved in the dip, building foundational pushing strength necessary for progression.
• Form Mastery: By reducing the load, you can focus on perfecting the biomechanics of the movement, ensuring proper joint alignment and muscle activation without the risk of compensation.
• Injury Prevention: Gradual strength building through assisted variations helps prepare your joints, tendons, and ligaments for the demands of full bodyweight dips, reducing injury risk.
• Muscle Hypertrophy: The ability to achieve higher repetitions and controlled eccentrics (lowering phase) with proper form can stimulate significant muscle growth in the triceps, chest, and anterior deltoids.
• Accessible Progression: It provides a clear, measurable path from beginner to advanced, allowing you to systematically decrease assistance as your strength improves.

Muscles Engaged

The assisted dip is a powerful compound exercise that primarily targets the pushing muscles of the upper body.

• Primary Movers (Agonists):
  • Triceps Brachii: The three heads of the triceps are heavily recruited to extend the elbow joint during the ascent.
  • Pectoralis Major (Sternal Head): The lower chest muscles assist in adduction and extension of the shoulder joint, especially with a slight forward lean.
  • Anterior Deltoid: The front part of the shoulder muscle contributes to shoulder flexion and adduction.
• Synergists & Stabilizers:
  • Rhomboids & Trapezius: These muscles stabilize the scapula (shoulder blade) during the movement, preventing excessive shrugging.
  • Latissimus Dorsi: Engages to stabilize the torso and assist in shoulder extension.
  • Core Musculature: Abdominals and obliques work to maintain a stable, upright (or slightly leaned) torso throughout the exercise.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Assisted Dip Machine

The most common and user-friendly method for performing assisted dips is using a dedicated machine.

Setting Up the Machine

1. Adjust the Weight: Most assisted dip machines use a counterweight stack. Crucially, remember that the more weight you select on the stack, the more assistance you receive, meaning the exercise becomes easier. Choose a weight that allows you to perform 8-12 repetitions with good form.
2. Position the Platform/Knee Pads: Ensure the knee pads or foot platform are adjusted so that when you stand on them, your arms are fully extended at the top of the movement, and your body is in an upright position.
3. Grip the Handles: Grasp the parallel dip handles with a firm, neutral grip (palms facing each other) or a pronated grip (palms facing backward), depending on the machine and your comfort. Your hands should be directly beneath your shoulders or slightly wider.

Execution Phase

1. Initial Position: Step onto the knee pads or platform. Your arms should be fully extended, but do not lock your elbows. Your shoulders should be depressed (pushed down) and slightly retracted (pulled back) to ensure scapular stability. Maintain a tall, engaged posture with your core braced.
2. Controlled Descent: Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows and allowing your shoulders to descend.
   • Torso Angle: For greater triceps emphasis, keep your torso more upright. For more chest emphasis, allow a slight forward lean from the hips.
   • Depth: Continue lowering until your shoulders are slightly below your elbows, or to a depth where you can maintain good form without pain or excessive shoulder rounding. Avoid going too deep if it causes discomfort or compromises shoulder stability.
   • Elbow Position: Keep your elbows tracking relatively close to your body; avoid excessive flaring out to the sides, which can stress the shoulder joint.

Ascent and Repetition

1. Push Up: From the bottom position, powerfully push through the handles, extending your elbows and driving your body back up to the starting position.
2. Full Extension (No Lockout): Fully extend your arms at the top, but avoid locking your elbows to maintain tension on the muscles and prevent joint hyperextension.
3. Breathing: Inhale as you lower your body, and exhale as you push back up.
4. Repeat: Perform the desired number of repetitions, maintaining control and proper form throughout.

Alternative Assisted Dip Methods

While the machine is convenient, other effective methods can provide assistance for dips.

Resistance Band Assisted Dips

1. Setup: Loop a strong resistance band around both dip handles. Pull the bottom of the loop down and step one or both knees into the band.
2. Assistance Level: Thicker bands provide more assistance. As you get stronger, you can use thinner bands or eventually remove the band entirely.
3. Execution: Perform the dip movement as described above. The band will provide the most assistance at the bottom of the movement, where you are weakest, and less at the top.

Spotter Assisted Dips

1. Setup: Have a reliable spotter stand behind you.
2. Assistance: As you lower into the dip, the spotter can place their hands under your feet, shins, or hips and provide just enough upward force to help you complete the repetition with good form.
3. Communication: Clear communication with your spotter is crucial to ensure they provide appropriate and consistent assistance.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Excessive Depth: Going too deep can overstretch the shoulder joint capsule and rotator cuff, leading to injury.
• Shrugging Shoulders: Allowing your shoulders to rise towards your ears (scapular elevation) indicates poor scapular stability and places undue stress on the neck and upper traps. Keep shoulders depressed and retracted.
• Flaring Elbows: Letting your elbows point directly out to the sides can put excessive strain on the shoulder joints. Keep them tracking slightly backward or at a comfortable angle.
• Using Momentum: Bouncing out of the bottom position or swinging your legs reduces muscle engagement and increases injury risk. Focus on slow, controlled movements.
• Incomplete Range of Motion: Not going deep enough or not extending fully at the top limits the effectiveness of the exercise.
• Ignoring Core Engagement: A weak core can lead to instability and compensatory movements. Keep your abdominal muscles braced throughout.

Progression and Regression

• Progression (Making it Harder):
  • Decrease Assistance: Gradually reduce the counterweight on the machine, use a thinner resistance band, or request less spotter assistance.
  • Increase Reps/Sets: Perform more repetitions or additional sets with good form.
  • Tempo Training: Slow down the eccentric (lowering) phase (e.g., 3-5 seconds) to increase time under tension.
  • Add Pauses: Pause briefly at the bottom of the movement to eliminate momentum.
  • Transition to Unassisted Dips: Once you can perform 10-12 repetitions with minimal assistance, begin attempting unassisted dips.
• Regression (Making it Easier):
  • Increase Assistance: Select more counterweight on the machine or use a thicker resistance band.
  • Reduce Range of Motion: If full depth is too challenging or painful, start with a partial range of motion and gradually increase it.
  • Focus on Negatives: Perform only the lowering (eccentric) phase of the dip, then use your feet to get back to the top. This builds strength rapidly.

Who Can Benefit?

Assisted dips are an excellent exercise for a wide range of individuals:

• Beginners: Those new to strength training who want to build foundational upper body pushing strength.
• Intermediate Lifters: Individuals who want to increase their dip volume, improve specific muscle activation, or work on form.
• Individuals Recovering from Injury: Under the guidance of a physical therapist, assisted dips can be a safe way to reintroduce loaded movements and rebuild strength.
• Anyone Targeting Triceps and Chest: Even advanced lifters can use assisted dips for high-volume work or to pre-exhaust specific muscle groups.

Conclusion

The assisted dip is a versatile and highly effective exercise that serves as a crucial bridge to mastering the unassisted dip. By understanding its biomechanics, focusing on proper form, and systematically managing your level of assistance, you can build significant upper body strength, improve muscle definition, and progress safely towards more advanced calisthenics. Incorporate this exercise into your routine with purpose and consistency, and you'll undoubtedly see results.