Chair Chest Dip

The chest is a large muscle group located at the front of the upper body. It plays a leading role in several important functions and exercise movements.

Therefore, training the chest is vital for proper development. One possible barrier to training the chest is the lack of equipment. Using household items as exercise equipment is one way to combat this.

The chair chest dip performs the dip movement between two chairs. This gives you a compound chest and tricep workout that doesn’t require equipment. We discuss everything you need to know below.

How To Do

  1. Place a set of chairs shoulder-width apart. They should be facing away from each other with their backs inwards. Ensure that you find a suitable grippy surface.
  2. Stand in front of the chairs with your feet hip-width apart and arms by your sides. Both chairs should be facing side-on.
  3. Place each hand in the middle of each chair using an overhand grip. This should be at the horizontal part at the top of each chair.
  4. Inhale and engage your core. With both arms extended, bend your knees and bring your hips back. Allow your arms to take your body weight.
  5. Exhale and flex your elbows to lower your body towards the floor. Maintain a neutral back position with your chest up.
  6. Pause briefly at the bottom position when your upper arms come parallel to the floor.
  7. Inhale and extend your elbows to come back to the starting position under control.

Tips From Expert

  • Ensure you use two stable chairs that won’t move around. This helps to prevent potential injury risk.
  • The chairs should be spaced apart to maintain a stable position as you dip. Make sure your arms come straight down as you bend your elbows.
  • Keep your chest up and your head facing forward throughout. This ensures you keep a neutral back and limits lower back stress.
  • Inhale and engage your core before lowering down. Exhale as you come back to the starting position.
  • Avoid quick or jerky movement patterns. Each repetition should be slow and controlled to maintain stability and balance.

Optimal Sets and Reps

These are the ideal sets and reps for each training style. Use them as a general guide when programming the chair chest dip.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 3–5 4–6
Hypertrophy 3–4 8–10
Endurance Training 3–4 12+
Power Training 3–5 1–3 (Explosive)
Optimal Sets & Reps of Chair Chest Dip

How to Put in Your Workout Split

The chair chest dip performs the compound dip movement between two chairs. This gives you a challenging inner chest workout that can be performed using household items. Therefore, it's great as a chest workout at home or in a gym without a dip station.

As a bodyweight movement, you don’t need to use the suggested loading recommendations. However, the ideal sets and reps can be used according to your training goal. Add a weighted vest if you want to increase the exercise difficulty.

These are three of the best ways to program it:

  • Home Chest Session — With only two chairs needed, the chair chest dip works well as part of a home chest workout. Use it alongside push-ups and resistance band exercises. This may depend on your available equipment.
  • Bodybuilding Workout — The chair chest dip works the chest, shoulders, and triceps as the main movers. Include it as part of an upper body or push working alongside other compound chest exercises.
  • Bodyweight Routine — The chair chest dip works well as part of a bodyweight routine in the gym or at home. Use it alongside other bodyweight exercises such as pull-ups and push-up variations.

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Primary Muscle Groups

Abdominal Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the bottom of your pectoral region, just above your abdominal muscles.

Abdominal Head Of Pectoralis Major

The abdominal heads (lower chest) are at the bottom of the pectoralis major muscle group. As you lower your body from the starting position, the abdominal heads extend the arms until they’re parallel to the floor. From the bottom position, they adduct your arms as you extend your elbows to come back to the starting position.

The abdominal heads are the most variable of the three pectoralis major heads. They may not be present at all in some people. During the bar dip, the pectoralis major shows a muscle activation rate of 64.6%. This was shown during maximum shoulder extension.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Clavicular Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the top of your chest, running from your armpit to collar bone. Smaller portion of your chest muscle.

Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major

Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area

Latissimus Dorsi

Large, triangular shaped muscles located just below your shoulder blades. They extend along your spine down to your pelvis.

Upper Trapezius

Triangular shaped muscles located between your neck and shoulder blades.

Middle Trapezius

Muscles located in the middle of your back between your upper and lower traps.

Triceps Lateral Heads

Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Medial Heads

Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

Anterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the front of your shoulder region

Clavicular Head of Pectoralis Major

The clavicular heads (upper chest) are the top parts of the pectoralis major muscle group. They’re above the sternal heads and abdominal heads, between the shoulders.

As you come up from the bottom position, your clavicular heads flex your arms. This happens at the same time as your abdominal heads adduct them.

Perform upper chest workouts for targeted clavicular head movements. This can be done as a stand-alone session or mixed with other exercises.

Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major

The sternal heads (middle chest) are between the clavicular heads and the abdominal heads. Their main function is to adduct the arms, bringing them closer to the midline of the body.

During the chair chest dip, the sternal heads adduct the arms as you push back to the starting position. They work alongside the abdominal heads to perform the same movement. This happens as you extend your elbows.

Triceps Lateral Heads

The triceps lateral heads are the outer part of the triceps brachii muscles. They’re located at the back of the upper arms opposite the biceps brachii. They originate from the humerus (upper arm) and insert into the ulna (forearm),

Their primary function is to extend the elbows. When this happens, the angle between the upper arms and lower arms increases. The lateral heads are the strongest of the three heads and are only active against resistance.

Your triceps lateral heads extend your elbows as you come up out of the bottom dip position. This allows you to extend your arms and come back to the starting position.

Triceps Medial Heads

The triceps medial heads are beneath your lateral heads. Unlike the lateral heads, they’re active at rest and against resistance.

During the chair chest dip, they work alongside the lateral heads to extend the elbows. This happens as you push back to the starting position.

Triceps Long Heads

The triceps long heads are above the medial heads besides the lateral heads. They’re the longest of the three tricep heads.

Unlike the other two heads, they originate from the scapula (shoulder blades). Therefore they extend the elbows and stabilize the shoulder positions during movement and exercise.

As you perform the chair chest dip, they extend the elbows alongside the lateral and medial heads. They also stabilize the shoulder position, helping the abdominal heads to function as the primary movers.

Anterior Deltoid

The anterior deltoids (front deltoids) are the front part of the shoulder complex. Their primary functions are to perform shoulder flexion and stabilize your shoulder positions.

During the chair chest dip, they perform shoulder flexion when pushing up from the bottom position. This brings the arms in front of your body as they adduct. The anterior deltoids act as secondary movers, working alongside the pectoralis major and tricep muscles.

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi is a large, superficial back muscle below the trapezius muscles. It originates from the lower spine and is inserted into the upper arms.

During movement, the latissimus dorsi muscles work with other muscles to adduct and extend the arms. From the bottom chair chest dip position, they adduct the arms to bring them closer to the body’s midline. As you lower to the bottom position, they help the abdominal heads to extend the arms.

Upper Trapezius

The upper trapezius’s primary function is to elevate the scapula. This is the action of shrugging the shoulders.

As your arms extend behind your body during the chair chest dip, the upper trapezius muscles elevate the scapula. This ensures the correct arm position.

Middle Trapezius

The middle trapezius is below the upper trapezius. Its primary function is to protract the scapula. In other words, it brings them into the body.

During the chair chest dip, it protracts the scapula as you lower it to the bottom position. This happens as your upper traps elevate the scapula.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Chair

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Chair

Use for stability during exercises. Ensure it's sturdy and level.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Push-Up

T Push-Up

Push-Up to Shoulder Tap

Clap Push-Up

Plyo Push-Up

Grasshopper Push-Up

Spider Push-Up

Knee Push-Up

Incline Push-Up

Pseudo Planche Push-Up

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Barbell Bench Press

Dumbbell Bench Press

Chest Dip

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

Cable Chest Fly

Dumbbell Chest Fly

Chest Press Machine

Barbell Decline Bench Press

Band Assisted Dip

Banded Push-Up

Who Should Do?

Home Workout Users

Home workout users tend to perform the majority of their training at home. This may be due to personal preference, time commitments, or lack of equipment.

The chair chest dip uses two chairs. They require little equipment and time to set up and perform. Because of this, they are perfect as part of a home workout routine. 

Bodybuilders

Bodybuilders aim to improve muscular appearance. This is done by performing resistance exercises to achieve muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth). This requires a suitable training volume or amount of work performed.

The compound nature of the chest chair dip makes it a great exercise to promote increased training volume. Bodybuilders can add it to their upper body routine to improve appearance and function.

Functional Fitness Athletes

The aim of functional training is to perform movements commonly carried out in daily living. These include the push, pull, lunge, squat, carry, and rotation.

The chest chair dip is a push exercise that works the primary muscle groups commonly involved. These include the chest, triceps, and shoulders. It also requires the core to stabilize the body position and the trapezius to stabilize the arms.

With this, it’s a great bodyweight exercise to improve components of functional fitness.  

Who Should Not Do?

Those With Elbow Issues

Elbow issues are common problems that present during exercise and resistance training. A study examining the prevalence in overhead populations reported them to account for 9.2% of all injuries. Symptoms include pain and reduced range of motion. 

Chair chest dips require elbow flexion and extension. These movements are performed while supporting your body weight. Therefore, it may be unsuitable for these populations.  

Anyone With Shoulder Problems

The shoulder is a complex joint that often suffers from problems and injuries. Like the elbow, this results in pain and reduced range of motion. Examples included rotator cuff disease and shoulder impingement syndrome. 

The chair chest dip requires the shoulders to flex and extend under pressure from your body weight. This increased stress may be too much for those with existing shoulder problems. They may also not have enough shoulder stability to perform the correct movement patterns. 

Benefits Of The Chair Chest Dip

Develop Upper-Body Mass

The body can be divided into two main sections — the upper body and the lower body. Both work together during movement and exercise. 

The main upper-body muscle groups include the chest, shoulders, back, and triceps. The chair chest dip works each of these as primary or secondary movers. 

This provides a large training volume for upper-body muscle growth. Therefore, it can improve upper-body mass when added to a training routine. 

Improves Functional Fitness

Good functional fitness means you can perform many activities of daily living with no problem. Components of this include mobility, balance, and coordination.

The chair chest dip requires each of these components for the correct movement pattern. Alongside this, the movement closely resembles many functional activities. Examples include getting up from a chair, pushing open a door, and pushing off the floor. 

Because of this, is a compound functional movement that can improve many of these important determinants and exercise patterns.  

Requires Little Equipment

When it comes to resistance training, several barriers are suggested to contribute to low or no performance. These include lack of time, added cost, and no equipment. 

The chair chest dip uses household items, reducing the equipment requirement. Furthermore, it costs nothing to perform and is easy to set up. 

With this, it takes out a lot of the potential barriers to exercise performance. It’s a versatile exercise that makes a worthwhile programming addition. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are chair dips good for the chest?

Chair dips are an effective exercise that isolates the abdominal heads, or the lower chest. They are challenging movement patterns that require muscular strength and coordination.

What muscles does the chair chest dip work?

The primary movers are the abdominal heads of the pectoralis major. The sternal heads, clavicular heads, triceps brachii, anterior deltoids, latissimus dorsi, and trapezius muscles perform secondary roles.

What are the disadvantages of chair chest dips?

The only real disadvantage to chair chest dips is that they can be hard to perform for total beginners. A certain level of muscular coordination and strength is needed for correct performance. 

How many chair chest dips a day?

The right number depends on your programming and exercise goals. Use the programming table and information as a general guide for your ideal sets and reps.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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