Dips target the triceps and the lower part of the chest, specifically the medial and lateral head of the triceps and the lower portion of your chest. You can target the lower chest more if you lean forward while doing dips.
It's not as stable as other tricep exercises, but if you can generate enough power to do some free-weight dips, then stability won't be a problem.
Due to the stability demand, dips have higher fatigue than most tricep exercises.
Dip stations are very accessible in gyms and calisthenic parks. Getting creative and making a dip station with chairs or other objects is also easy. If you have progressed a lot by doing dips, you can use extra weight, but if you can't, you can find assisted dip machines, which can be helpful.
Facts:
- Compound
- Accessible
- Lengthened position
Alternatives
– Machine dips
– Close-grip bench
Machine dips are less accessible but provide more stability
The Close-grip bench is also less accessible and more fatiguing