Dips are fantastic for building strong, sleeve-stretching arms and have often been referred to as squats for the upper body. They hammer the triceps and challenge your anterior delts and your chest. But let’s be honest—not everyone can or should do dips and that’s why we’ve created a list of dip alternatives that still target all the muscles a normal dip exercise hit.
If you’ve ever felt a sharp twinge in your shoulders while performing dips, struggled to maintain good form, or don’t have access to dip bars. Dips can be unforgiving on the shoulders and elbow joints; at times, they can do more harm than good.
The good news?
You don’t have to sacrifice triceps gains because dips aren’t in your wheelhouse. Here, we’ll break down what makes dips so effective, what to look for in a great alternative, and five dip alternatives that will keep your triceps growing—without the unnecessary pain.
Table of Contents
The Pros and Cons of Dips
Parallel bar dips are a classic upper-body strength move that simultaneously challenges the triceps, chest, and shoulders. You can build serious pressing power with just your body weight while improving flex time.
However, doing them pain-free is key.
While dips are great for building muscle and strength, they also put a lot of stress on the shoulders, particularly at the bottom of the movement. If your form isn’t dialed in or you have pre-existing joint issues, dips can quickly go from muscle-builder to pain maker. That’s why performing dips correctly or finding an alternative that still torches your triceps without pain is crucial.
How To Do Parallel Bars Dips
[embedded content]
- Grip the parallel bars with a neutral grip and lift yourself, keeping your arms straight, shoulders down, and chest up.
- Lean slightly forward and lower your body until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
- Brace your core, keep your elbows tucked, and avoid letting your shoulders elevate.
- Drive through your palms, extend your elbows until lockout and reset, and repeat.
Criteria for a Good Alternative To Dips
A solid alternative should challenge the triceps while minimizing the stress on your shoulders and elbows. Here’s what to keep in mind when choosing a dip alternatives:
Targets the Triceps: Dips are an elbow-extension exercise, meaning any alternative must prioritize the triceps. For bonus points, hitting the chest and anterior delts is fantastic, too.
Mimic the Motion: Dips involve pressing your body weight vertically, so a good alternative should follow a similar movement pattern—a vertical or horizontal press—to build strength that carries over to other pressing exercises.
It is Joint-Friendly: The biggest drawback of dips is shoulder pain. A good alternative should reduce unnecessary strain while allowing you to load the triceps for gains.
With that in mind, let’s explore five dip alternatives to keep your triceps strong.
5 Dip Alternatives To Target Triceps, Chest, and Shoulders
When dips aren’t an option, these five exercises will still challenge your triceps while keeping your shoulders happy. Each one provides a strong stimulus for muscle growth by mimicking the dip movement pattern or isolating the triceps in a joint-friendly manner.
Unilateral Cable Dips
[embedded content]
The unilateral cable dip is a fantastic substitute to perform the dip motion without stressing your shoulders. This variation mimics the pressing motion of a dip while keeping it shoulder-friendly. The cable machine provides constant tension, forcing your triceps to work through the entire range of motion while improving strength imbalances between sides.
Form Tip: Don’t rush the eccentric (lowering) phase. Control the eccentric with a 3-second contraction before pressing back down.
Sets & Reps: 3 sets of 12-16 reps per arm.
Leaning Forward Dips
[embedded content]
Modifying the movement can be a game-changer if regular dips bother your shoulders. Leaning your torso forward will shift the emphasis to the chest while still engaging the triceps, often reducing shoulder discomfort.
Form Tip: Aim for an upper arm angle just below parallel to get a full stretch of the chest.
Sets & Reps: 2-4 sets of 8-16 reps.
Cable Overhead Triceps Extension
[embedded content]
Dips stretch the long head—the largest muscle of the three. The cable overhead triceps extension does the same but with constant tension and without the shoulder strain that often comes with dips. The only drawback of this variation is that there is no chest or shoulder action, which usually means less weight, but you can perform more reps.
Form Tip: Avoid letting your elbows flare out or drift forward excessively. Keeping them in place ensures your triceps are doing the work.
Sets & Reps: 3–4 sets of 15-20 reps.
Diamond Push-Up
[embedded content]
Diamond push-ups are one of the best bodyweight alternatives to dips because they focus squarely on the triceps due to the close grip and limited ROM. Plus, they reinforce core and lockout strength that carries over to more complex pressing exercises.
Form Tip: Squeeze your glutes and brace your core like a plank to maintain a straight-line position from head to heels.
Sets & Reps: 2-4 sets of 8-15 reps (adjust based on strength level).
Dumbbell Squeeze Press
[embedded content]
This move doesn’t just work the triceps—it also strengthens the pecs and anterior delts while improving pressing form. By squeezing the dumbbells together throughout the exercise, you increase triceps involvement and simulate the close-grip motion of dips. The reduced ROM and extra tension make this triceps variation more shoulder-friendly.
Form Tip: Press the dumbbells against each other throughout the set to keep constant tension on the triceps.
Sets & Reps: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.
Key Takeaways
- Dips are effective, but they’re not for everyone. Many lifters need an alternative that delivers results, whether due to shoulder discomfort, lack of equipment, or strength limitations.
- The five alternative exercises provide a strong triceps stimulus while being more joint-friendly.
- Small tweaks, like slowing the eccentric, keeping your elbows tucked in, and maintaining core bracing, will help you achieve horseshoe triceps.
