How to Increase Your Dips Step by Step

If you want to increase your dips, a clear progression works better than repeating the same reps and hoping they go up. Start at the level you can control, keep the technique clean, and then build from there.

The goal is to move from level 0 all the way to weighted dips. The support changes at each stage, but the form rules stay the same, so that's the best place to begin.

Use the Same Technique in Every Dip Variation

Before moving into progressions, lock in the form that carries over to every variation. Whether you're doing bench dips, band-assisted dips, regular dips, or weighted dips, the movement should look almost the same.

The main muscles used in the dip are the triceps, shoulders, and chest. Because of that, small changes in body position matter. A slight forward lean helps you stay in a neutral position, while straight legs and vertical forearms keep the movement efficient.

The range of motion matters too. Lower until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle, then press back up with control. You don't need to force a deeper range if the position falls apart.

Keep your forearms as vertical as possible, keep your legs straight, and lower until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle.

Three cues matter most:

• Keep your forearms vertical, or as close to vertical as possible.
• Keep your legs straight instead of bending or swinging them.
• Lower until your elbows reach 90 degrees, then press back up under control.

This neutral position makes the dip as easy as possible to learn. There are other variations that shift more work toward the triceps or shoulders, but for building your base, this is the position to use.

Here is the full progression in one view:

Variation	Main setup	Goal before moving on
Bench dip	Hands on a knee-height box or bench	10 to 15 reps
Band-assisted dip	Thin band doubled over the bars, feet in the band	8 to 10 reps
Negative dip	Lower only, five seconds down	5 reps of 5-second negatives
Regular dip	Full bodyweight dip	10 to 15 reps
Weighted dip	Dip belt with added weight	4 to 8 reps, then increase weight

Move through these levels in order, and only move on when the current one feels solid.

Start at Level 0 With Bench Dips

The first variation is the bench dip. This is the easiest dip variation, and it is a good place to start if you are at level 0 and need to build strength first.

Use a box or bench around knee height. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the edge. Then walk your feet forward until your hips come off the box.

Do not go too far forward. If your hips drift too far away from the box, the position is off. Stay a little closer so your hips are just off the edge instead of reaching out in front of it.

From there, make your reps by lowering until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle. Keep your legs straight while you do it. That setup is a clean way to use the triceps, the shoulders, and also a bit of the chest.

Pay close attention to your forearms here. They should stay as straight as possible, or in other words, as vertical as possible. If the forearms angle too much, the rep changes and gets less efficient.

A good target at this stage is 10 to 15 repetitions. Once you can do that with good form, you are ready to move on to band-assisted dips.

Use Band-Assisted Dips to Bridge the Gap

The next progression is the dip with assistance from a resistance band. This is the step between bench dips and unassisted dips.

Use a thin band, not a very thick one. Because the band is doubled over the bars, a thick band will help too much. A thin band, such as a yellow band, gives enough support without taking over the movement.

Set the band over the bars and double it. Then place your feet in the band and get into the dip position. Once you are there, perform the dip with the same technique you used before.

Lean a little bit forward while lowering. Keep the legs nice and straight. At the same time, keep the forearms vertical, just like in the bench dip.

This is the neutral position, and it makes the dip easier. There are other ways to do dips that bring in the triceps a bit more or the shoulders a bit more, but that is not the goal here. The goal is to build the dip in the easiest neutral position first.

Aim for 8 to 10 repetitions with the thinnest band you can control. When you can do that cleanly, you can move on to the next progression.

Build Strength With Negative Dips

Before going into full regular dips, use negative dips. A negative is the eccentric part of the exercise, which means you focus only on the lowering phase.

Start in the top dip position. From there, lower yourself down for five full seconds. Keep the movement controlled from the first second to the last second.

The technique stays the same here as well. Keep your forearms vertical, keep your legs straight, and lean a little bit forward as you lower. Stop when your elbows reach a 90-degree angle.

Count every rep. One, two, three, four, five. Once you reach the bottom, stand on your feet, take a short rest of about 2 to 3 seconds, and then begin the next repetition.

Because this is only the lowering phase, the target is different from the earlier progressions. Do 5 repetitions of 5-second negatives. When that starts to feel easy, you are ready for regular dips.

This stage is important because it teaches you to control your bodyweight without the help of a band. It also builds strength exactly where you need it, in the part of the range that often gives people trouble.

Move to Regular Bodyweight Dips

After negatives, move to the regular dip. Now you do the full movement on your own, lowering down and pressing back up without assistance.

Start in the top position and lower into the dip the same way as before. Lean a little forward, keep the legs straight, and keep the forearms vertical. Lower until the elbows reach 90 degrees, then press back up.

Without the band, your core has to do more work. That means you need to stay tighter through the whole body so the rep stays stable. If the body shifts too much, the dip becomes harder than it needs to be.

The goal at this stage is 10 to 15 repetitions. Stay here until you can hit that range with control. Once you have that base, you are ready for the last progression.

Add Weight Instead of Chasing More and More Reps

The last progression is the weighted dip. This is where you take the exercise to the next level.

If you want to increase your dip numbers to 25 or 30 reps, it is usually better to progress through weighted dips and work with fewer repetitions than to keep repeating high-rep regular dips over and over. Building more strength first tends to carry over better.

For this variation, use a dip belt and add weight. Then get into the top dip position like usual and perform the rep with the same form rules.

Here it becomes even more important to keep the legs completely straight and the core engaged. If you do not, the weight will swing a lot. Once the weight starts swinging, the movement becomes unstable and harder to control.

Stay locked in, lean slightly forward, and move through the same 90-degree elbow range. The setup does not change just because the movement is heavier.

With weighted dips, do not aim for 10 to 15 repetitions. The better goal here is 4 to 8 reps. When you can do 8 clean reps, increase the weight and start again in the lower end of the range. That next jump might be 15 kg or 20 kg, depending on what you are using.

This is the progression that keeps your dips moving forward once bodyweight reps stop being enough.

Build Your Dip Strength One Step at a Time

A clear progression makes dips easier to improve because each stage builds into the next one. Bench dips build the base, band-assisted dips bridge the gap, negatives build control, regular dips build full bodyweight strength, and weighted dips keep the progress going.

The most important thing to keep consistent is form. Keep your forearms vertical, keep your legs straight, and lower to a 90-degree elbow angle in every variation.

If a stage still feels shaky, stay there until the target feels clean. Strong dips come from owning each level, not rushing past it.