Band Assisted Dips

Overview

Difficulty

Easy

Required equipment

• Dip bars
• Fitness bands

Main muscles

• Chest: Large pectoral muscle
  (Musculus pectoralis major)
• Chest: Small pectoral muscle
  (Musculus pectoralis minor)
• Shoulder: Anterior deltoid muscle
  (Musculus deltoideus, Pars clavicularis)
• Triceps: Three-headed arm muscle
  (Musculus triceps brachii)

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Workout plan

Here you can find example plans for band assisted dips training:

r/Bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine

Band Assisted Dips: Basics and alternatives

Involved main muscle groups:
Band Assisted Dips

Band-assisted dips let you practice the movement with a fitness band supporting some of your body weight. You’ll hold the parallel bars and rest both knees on the band stretched between them. Your chest, triceps and front shoulders work as you lower and press your body up, with the band helping you on the way back to the top.

The band’s help changes as it stretches, so you won’t get the same support throughout the movement.^[1] With Assisted Machine Dips, an adjustable counterweight and knee pad provide the assistance instead.

Correct execution

The band helps you rise, but it also moves beneath you. Before you try a full rep, practice getting onto the band, holding the supported position and stepping off again.

Use secure dip bars and a band made for assisted training. Attach it across both bars as the instructions describe so it can’t slide off, and check it before you kneel on it. A step or stable platform means you don’t have to jump onto the stretched band.

Grip the bars evenly and wrap your thumbs around them. Place both knees in the middle of the band and take a moment to balance with your arms straight. Keep your head in line with your upper body, looking ahead and slightly down.

Lower smoothly with a slight forward lean, letting your elbows move back beside your body. Go only as deep as you can while keeping your shoulders controlled. Press back up steadily while your knees stay in place on the band. The band should help you rise, not bounce you out of the bottom.

Choose enough assistance to control the top of the press as well as the bottom. Try a small dip first to check this.

Video tutorial

Step-by-step instructions

Attach the assistance band across the dip bars and check that it stays in place under light pressure.

Step up and grip the bars with your thumbs wrapped around them. Place both knees in the middle of the band.

Support your body with straight arms and find your balance without swinging your legs.

Bend your elbows and lower steadily through a comfortable range, keeping both knees supported.

Press through both hands to raise your body and straighten your arms under control. After the final press, keep holding the bars and step carefully out of the band onto the step or platform. Let it relax without snapping back, and release the bars only once your feet support your weight.

Common mistakes

Trying to find the band with your knees during your first rep makes the movement harder to control. Settle both knees on the band before you lower.

Using the band like a trampoline or swinging your feet to finish the press is another common mistake. If you can’t change direction smoothly, use more assistance or a shorter range. Replace a worn band and secure any loose attachment before starting another set.

1. Thera-band® elastic band tension: reference values for physical activity. Uchida MC, Nishida MM, Sampaio RAC, Moritani T, Arai H. Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2016;28(4):1266–1271. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.1266. Study.