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Ring Dip

If you’re aiming to develop upper body strength and definition, the ring dip is great to add to your routine. Along with building powerful triceps and chest muscles, it enhances core stability and brings variety to your workout. Whatever your goals may be, ring dips offer numerous strength and conditioning advantages.

In this guide, we will delve into the array of benefits that ring dips can provide. Additionally, we will outline a step-by-step process on how to execute ring dips correctly. Finally, we’ll share expert tips to help you start safely and effectively.

How To Do

  1. Select a set of gymnastic rings and set them up in a suitable gym space. Adjust the height so your feet can hang freely when performing the dip.
  2. Use an elevated surface such as a chair or plyometric box. Grip the rings firmly with your palms facing inward and step off so your body is suspended in the air. Your arms should be fully extended, and your shoulders should be engaged for stability.
  3. Inhale and engage your core. Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows. Keep your elbows close to your body and lower until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
  4. Engage your glutes to maintain a stable body position. Keep your chest up and head facing forward throughout the movement. Briefly hold the lowered position. 
  5. Exhale as you press through your palms to extend your elbows, lifting your body back to the starting position.

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Tips From Expert

  • Avoid bending your wrists. Keep them neutral to prevent wrist strain or injuries.
  • Keep your elbows close to your body throughout the movement to protect your shoulders and avoid unnecessary strain.
  • Control the descent and ascent. Avoid dropping too quickly or pushing up with excessive force.
  • Engage your core and glutes throughout the exercise to maintain body stability.
  • Ensure your shoulders are depressed and retracted to keep your shoulder joints safe and stable.

Optimal Sets and Reps

Use the table below to adjust your sets and reps according to your fitness objectives.

Training TypeSetsReps
Strength Training3–54–6
Hypertrophy3–48–12
Endurance Training3–415+
Power Training3–51–3
Optimal Sets & Reps of Ring Dip

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Ring dips are a compound, multi-joint exercise that effectively targets the triceps, chest, and shoulders. This makes them a vital part of any upper-body strength training program. 

This exercise is significant for building muscle mass, enhancing shoulder stability, and improving overall upper-body functional strength.

There are multiple ways to incorporate the ring dip into your workout split.

  • Full-Body — For balanced muscle activation, integrate ring dips into your full-body sessions. Combine them with other compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, and inverted rows.
  • Upper-Body — For those with limited training days, an upper-body-focused routine can be beneficial. Include ring dips alongside other upper-body exercises such as bench presses, pull-ups, and rows. You can also combine your shoulder and tricep workouts.
  • Push/Pull Split — Divide your workouts into push and pull days. Incorporate ring dips on your push day, including them with exercises like bench presses and tricep extensions.
  • Chest And Tricep — Dedicate a day specifically for chest and tricep training. Combine ring dips with exercises such as incline bench presses and cable flys. Complete your workouts with chest and tricep stretches to help with recovery and improve range of motion.

*Expert tip: Begin with static holds or support positions if you’re new to ring dips to build foundational strength and stability.

Primary Muscle Groups

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.

Triceps Lateral Heads

The triceps lateral head is one of the three heads that make up the triceps brachii muscle. It originates from the humerus, or upper arm, and inserts in the ulna, or forearm bone.

During ring dips, the triceps lateral head plays a significant role in the extension of the elbow joint. This helps in powering the lifting phase of the exercise. This head is highly activated, with studies showing a substantial muscle activation rate. 

This makes ring dips an effective movement for targeting the triceps lateral head. This, as well as other lateral tricep exercises, contributes to increased arm size and strength while stabilizing the elbow joint.

Triceps Medial Heads

The triceps medial head sits underneath the lateral and long heads. It originates from the humerus and inserts into the ulna, playing a pivotal role in elbow extension.

During ring dips, the triceps medial head is actively engaged, particularly during the push phase of the exercise. Although it’s less visible than the lateral and long heads, its activation is essential for overall triceps development.

Triceps Long Heads

The triceps long head originates from the shoulder blade and is inserted into the ulna. It plays a critical role in elbow extension and shoulder adduction, where you bring your arm closer to your body. Alongside this, it plays a secondary role in shoulder stabilization.

During ring dips, the triceps long head is highly activated during both phases of the movement. It extends your elbows and stabilizes your shoulders as you perform the dip motion.

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

Abdominal Head of Pectoralis Major

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

Anterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the front of your shoulder region

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.

Wrist Flexors

Muscles that span the inside of your lower arm, between your elbow and wrist palm side up.

Wrist Extensors

Muscles that make up the back portion of your lower arm, between your elbow and wrist.

Clavicular Head 

The clavicular head is one of the heads of the pectoralis major muscle, located at the upper part of the chest. It originates from the clavicle, or collarbone, and attaches to the humerus.

In ring dips, this muscle acts as a secondary muscle.  it aids in shoulder flexion and adduction, providing essential stabilization for the shoulder joint.

Sternal Head

The sternal head is the middle part of the pectoralis major muscle, located at the central chest area. It extends from the sternum, or chest bone, and attaches to the humerus. 

In this exercise, the sternal head muscle supports arm adduction and horizontal flexion. It, therefore, plays a key role as you lower your body during the ring dip.

Abdominal Head

Positioned in the lower chest, the abdominal head of the pectoralis major originates from the upper abdominal area and connects to the humerus. 

It assists in arm adduction and internal rotation. It works alongside the clavicular and sternal heads to control the descent and stabilize your shoulders.

Anterior Deltoid 

The anterior deltoid is located at the front of the shoulder. It is one of the three heads of the shoulder muscle. It originates from the collarbone and attaches to the humerus.

During ring dips, the anterior deltoid acts as a secondary muscle, aiding in shoulder flexion and stabilization. Its activation is influenced by the forward lean of the torso. A greater forward lean increases anterior deltoid activation as it requires more effort to stabilize and lift the body.

Upper Trapezius

The upper trapezius is located at the top of the back and extends down to the mid-back. It originates from the base of the skull and upper spine and attaches to the collarbone and shoulder blades.

During ring dips, this muscle provides stabilization for the shoulder girdle and helps with scapular elevation. The position of the body can significantly influence its activation.

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi is a large, flat muscle on the back. It forms a large proportion of your upper and middle back. It’s primarily responsible for bringing your arms closer to the midline of your body. 

When performing this exercise, this muscle assists in the lowering phase by stabilizing the shoulder and controlling the movement. 

Wrist Flexors

The wrist flexors are a group of muscles located on the front side of the forearm. They’re responsible for flexing the wrist and fingers.

In this exercise, this muscle group works to maintain a firm grip, especially during the pushing phase. The activation rate of the wrist flexors is notable due to the constant need to counteract forces that might destabilize the wrist. 

Wrist Extensors 

The wrist extensors are a group of muscles located on the back of the forearm. They’re responsible for extending the wrist and fingers. They play a crucial role in wrist stabilization. They work to counterbalance the forces that flex the wrist, ensuring a stable and controlled grip on the rings.

Equipment

Ring

These are advanced exercise attachments designed to develop your calisthenics. Ensure you keep a controlled range of motion.

Alternatives

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

Ez Bar Lying Triceps Extension

Triceps Dips

Barbell Lying Triceps Extension

Dumbbell Skull Crusher

Diamond Push-Up

Overhead Triceps Stretch

Chair Tricep Dip

Close-Grip Push-Up

Cable Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown

Crab Walk

Who Should Do?

Advanced Calisthenics Practitioners

The ring dip exercise is an advanced movement. This is due to the high amounts of strength, stability, and muscle coordination needed to perform it. Therefore, people who focus on bodyweight calisthenics exercises could consider adding this to their routines. Ring dips promote balanced muscle development and significantly challenge the body’s stability and control. 

This not only enhances core engagement but also overall body coordination. Mastering ring dips can also improve the ability to perform other advanced bodyweight exercises, such as muscle-ups and planches. 

Gymnasts

Gymnasts should incorporate ring dips into their training regimen to enhance upper-body strength, stability, and control. These elements are crucial for performing advanced gymnastics skills. Ring dips mimic the stabilization required in various gymnastic elements, helping to improve muscle coordination.

Additionally, this exercise strengthens the shoulder, chest, and triceps, which is necessary for many gymnastic elements. The dynamic nature of ring dips aids in developing core strength and proprioception. These elements can positively increase sports performance, including gymnastics routines.

Who Should Not Do?

Strength Training Beginners

Beginners may find this exercise challenging because it requires significant upper-body strength, stability, and control. Attempting ring dips without adequate strength can lead to improper form, increasing the risk of injury, particularly to the shoulders. 

Beginners should focus on building foundational strength through simpler exercises such as push-ups, bench dips, and bodyweight rows. These exercises help develop the necessary muscle groups and coordination gradually. This prepares them for more advanced movements like ring dips later in their training.

People With Shoulder Injuries Or Instabilities

Performing ring dips requires a large range of motion, placing substantial stress on the shoulder joints. This makes the exercise unsuitable for individuals with shoulder injuries or impingements. The deep lowering phase and unstable nature of the exercise can make existing shoulder conditions worse.

Shoulder impingements can negatively affect the range of motion and can worsen with high-stress activities. Such individuals should focus on rehabilitation exercises and stretches to safely improve shoulder health without exacerbating their condition. 

Benefits Of The Ring Dip

Enhances Range Of Motion

Range of motion is an important factor in resistance training. It requires the full engagement of muscles and joints to achieve optimal results. The ring dip illustrates this by using a large range of motion, involving deep elbow flexion and full shoulder extension. 

This movement activates large muscle groups and stabilizes muscles around the shoulder joints. With regular performance, the ring dip can significantly enhance flexibility and joint mobility, leading to improved overall functional performance.

Increases Upper Body Mass

Muscle growth is primarily determined by intensity and the inclusion of compound exercises in a training program. Intense workouts target muscle fibers effectively, leading to hypertrophy and enhanced strength. The ring dip is a good example of a compound exercise that promotes increased upper-body mass. 

This movement activates major muscle groups such as the chest, shoulders, and triceps, driving substantial muscle growth. Regularly performing ring dips as part of resistance training can therefore lead to hypertrophy and strength gains.

Improves Muscular Coordination

To develop muscular coordination, your muscles and joints need to work together when performing different movements. This requires your primary movers to work alongside your stabilizer muscles. With good coordination, your muscles and joints move using the correct movement path.

The ring dip uses a compound movement pattern that involves multiple muscle groups. It also requires the stabilizer muscles to maintain the correct shoulder position. Because of the high difficulty, these muscles work together to ensure the right exercise path.

Therefore, regularly performing ring dips is a great way to improve muscular coordination.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do ring dips work?

Ring dips primarily work the chest, triceps, and shoulders, while also engaging core muscles for stabilization during the movement.

Are ring dips better for hypertrophy?

Yes, ring dips are effective for hypertrophy due to the high muscle activation and resistance involved in performing the exercise.

How many ring dips are good?

It depends on your training goals. For hypertrophy, aim for 8–12 reps, which effectively build muscle size. For strength gains, opt for lower reps with added weight.

Is it OK to do ring dips daily?

No, it’s not recommended to do ring dips daily. Your muscles need time to recover, typically around 24–48 hours between sessions.  This is to prevent overtraining and promote optimal growth.

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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