Are ring dips harder than bar dips?

Yes. The rings move independently, so you have to steady them as well as press your body weight, and most people manage fewer ring dips than bar dips at first. Build solid, controlled bar dips before moving to rings.

How deep should I go on ring dips?

Lower until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor or your shoulders are just below your elbows, as long as you can stay in control with the shoulders down. Go only as deep as you can press out of cleanly, and let depth increase as your strength and comfort in the bottom position improve.

Should I turn the rings out at the top?

It is a progression rather than a requirement. Turning the rings out so the elbow pits face forward is the standard gymnastics support position and makes the shoulders and biceps work harder, so start with a neutral grip and add the turnout once regular ring dips feel stable.

What should I do if I cannot do a ring dip yet?

Practice holding a steady top support on the rings with straight arms, add slow lowering reps and band-assisted ring dips, and keep training bar dips such as the Triceps Dip or the Band Dip until they feel strong.

Are ring dips bad for your shoulders?

Not for healthy shoulders that are built up to them gradually. The main risks are dropping fast into the deepest part of the dip and losing control of the rings, so lower slowly, stop at a depth you can control, and skip them while you have pain at the front of the shoulder.

How do I add weight to ring dips?

Once you can do several clean sets of bodyweight ring dips with full lockout and control, add load with a dip belt or a weighted vest in small steps. Keep the same depth and tempo as your bodyweight reps.

Ring Dip

What Is the Ring Dip?

Ring Dip is a compound exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the chest, the front of the shoulders and the muscles that hold the shoulder blades steady. It is an advanced-level movement in which you lower and press your whole body weight between two free-hanging gymnastic rings.

What sets it apart from a bar dip is that the rings move. Each ring can drift out, forward or back on its own, so the chest, lats and arms have to hold the rings in place while the triceps and front shoulders do the pressing. A lab study of experienced male exercisers found that ring dips produced triceps activity similar to bar dips, with higher peak activity in the chest, lats and biceps.

Ring dips are a staple of gymnastics strength training and appear in competitive fitness events. They also build the pressing strength and deep support position needed for the transition of a Muscle-Up. They usually sit early in an upper-body session as a main pushing exercise, and once bodyweight sets come easily they can be loaded with a dip belt or weighted vest.

Body position shifts the work. A more upright torso with the elbows kept close keeps the emphasis on the triceps, while a deeper forward lean brings in more chest and front shoulder. Turning the rings out at the top, so the elbow pits face forward, is a common gymnastics progression that makes the support position harder for the shoulders and biceps.

This exercise suits people who can already perform strict bar dips with good control and hold a steady support on the rings with straight arms. If you are not there yet, build up with the Triceps Dip on parallel bars, a Band Dip or the Machine Assisted Triceps Dip, plus top support holds and slow lowering reps on the rings.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Pectoralis Major: Primary
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Primary
Deltoid: High
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): High
Latissimus Dorsi: Medium
Serratus Anterior: Medium
Biceps Brachii: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
Upper Trapezius: Low

Instructions

Set the rings about shoulder-width apart and high enough that your feet clear the floor at the bottom of the dip.
Grip the rings with your palms facing in and press up into a support, arms locked straight and the rings beside your hips.
Push the rings down, keep your shoulders away from your ears and hold your legs straight and together under you.
Keep the rings close to your sides and brace your core so the rings and your body stop swaying.
Bend your elbows and lower slowly, letting your torso lean forward as your elbows travel straight back.
Descend until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor or your shoulders are just below your elbows, keeping the rings tight to your body.
Press through the rings to straighten your arms, bringing your torso back upright as you rise.
Finish each rep at full lockout with the rings beside your hips before starting the next one.

Common Mistakes

Bent arms at the top
Starting and finishing each rep with soft elbows instead of a full lockout leaves the support position unstable and cuts every rep short.
Shrugged shoulders
Letting the shoulders rise toward the ears, especially at the bottom, shifts the load onto the front of the shoulder instead of the pressing muscles.
Rings drifting away from the body
Letting the rings slide out wide or the elbows flare puts the shoulders in a position they cannot control and often ends the rep in a wobble.
Dropping into the bottom
Falling quickly into the deepest part of the dip loads the front of the shoulder and chest at their most stretched point.
Cutting the depth short
Stopping well above the bottom position turns the exercise into a partial rep and skips the range that builds strength for deeper dips and muscle-ups.
Kicking the legs to get up
Swinging or kicking the legs uses momentum to finish the press and hides a lack of strength at the bottom.

Injuries

Ring Dip is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The front of the shoulder takes the most stress, especially at the bottom of the dip where the upper arm is pulled back behind the body under full body weight. The chest muscle, the biceps tendon at the front of the shoulder and the elbows are the other common strain points, and because the rings are unstable, losing control and dropping off them is a real risk of its own.

Build the base before the full movement. Hold a steady top support with locked arms and the shoulders pushed down before you dip, and be able to do strict bar dips with control. Lower slowly, keep the rings close to your body and only go as deep as you can control and press out of without the shoulders rolling forward or rising toward the ears. Warm up the shoulders and elbows first, and set the rings at a height where your feet can reach the floor quickly if you lose control.

To make it easier, use a resistance band looped between the rings, do slow lowering reps only, work partial range, or go back to the Triceps Dip or Band Dip. To progress, turn the rings out at the top of each rep, slow the tempo, add weight with a dip belt or vest, or work toward the Muscle-Up.

Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain at the front of the shoulder, pain in the chest near the armpit, or elbow pain, or if the rings start shaking beyond your control. Pain at the front of the shoulder that lingers after training is a reason to skip ring dips and have it checked before returning.

Overview

Primary Focus: Triceps
Equipment: Rings and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Advanced

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are ring dips harder than bar dips?: Yes. The rings move independently, so you have to steady them as well as press your body weight, and most people manage fewer ring dips than bar dips at first. Build solid, controlled bar dips before moving to rings.
Q: How deep should I go on ring dips?: Lower until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor or your shoulders are just below your elbows, as long as you can stay in control with the shoulders down. Go only as deep as you can press out of cleanly, and let depth increase as your strength and comfort in the bottom position improve.
Q: Should I turn the rings out at the top?: It is a progression rather than a requirement. Turning the rings out so the elbow pits face forward is the standard gymnastics support position and makes the shoulders and biceps work harder, so start with a neutral grip and add the turnout once regular ring dips feel stable.
Q: What should I do if I cannot do a ring dip yet?: Practice holding a steady top support on the rings with straight arms, add slow lowering reps and band-assisted ring dips, and keep training bar dips such as the Triceps Dip or the Band Dip until they feel strong.
Q: Are ring dips bad for your shoulders?: Not for healthy shoulders that are built up to them gradually. The main risks are dropping fast into the deepest part of the dip and losing control of the rings, so lower slowly, stop at a depth you can control, and skip them while you have pain at the front of the shoulder.
Q: How do I add weight to ring dips?: Once you can do several clean sets of bodyweight ring dips with full lockout and control, add load with a dip belt or a weighted vest in small steps. Keep the same depth and tempo as your bodyweight reps.