Ring Dip
The ring dip is a bodyweight dip performed between two free-hanging gymnastic rings: from a straight-arm support you bend your elbows until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, then press back up. It works the chest, triceps and front of the shoulders, and the moving rings make the lats, rotator cuff and biceps work hard to hold you steady.
Also called: Gymnastic Ring Dip, Rings Dip · Equipment: suspension · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Set the rings about shoulder-width apart and at a height where you can put your feet down from the bottom of a dip.
- Grip the rings with your palms facing in, then jump or press up to a straight-arm support. Keep the rings pressed against the sides of your body and your shoulders pushed down away from your ears.
- Lock your elbows, turn the rings slightly out so your thumbs point forwards and out, and hold still. Brace your trunk and keep your legs together.
- Bend your elbows and descend under control, leaning your torso slightly forward. Keep the rings close to your ribs and your elbows travelling back, not out.
- Continue until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor, keeping your shoulders down.
- Press through the rings to straighten your arms, bringing the rings back in to your sides.
- Finish each rep with straight elbows and the rings turned slightly out, and settle any swing before the next rep.
- After the last rep, put your feet on the floor before letting go of the rings.
- Rings pinned to your sides
- Shoulders down, away from your ears
- Lean slightly forward on the way down
- Upper arms to parallel, then press
- Lock out and turn the rings out at the top
- Legs together, trunk tight
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps brachii: lateral head | Prime mover | C |
| Triceps brachii: medial head | Prime mover | C |
| Pectoralis major: sternocostal (mid) | Prime mover | C |
| Pectoralis major: abdominal (lower) | Prime mover | D |
| Anterior deltoid | Prime mover | C |
| Triceps brachii: long head | Secondary | C |
| Pectoralis major: clavicular (upper) | Secondary | D |
| Latissimus dorsi | Stabiliser | C |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | C |
| Biceps brachii | Stabiliser | C |
| Serratus anterior | Stabiliser | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Rings drifting away from the body
Fix: Squeeze the rings in so your forearms stay close to your ribs all the way down.
Shoulders shrugging up at the bottom
Fix: Keep your shoulders pushed down away from your ears as you descend.
Going deeper than you can control
Fix: Descend to upper arms about parallel to the floor, a depth you can reverse smoothly.
Bouncing out of the bottom
Fix: Reach the bottom under control, hold for a moment, then press up.
Soft lockout
Fix: Press to fully straight elbows and settle the rings before the next rep.
Swinging the legs
Fix: Keep your legs together and your trunk braced so only your arms move.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceStrengthGeneral fitnessSport performanceEnduranceFat loss & conditioning
- Load and effort — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, and that true failure adds only a trivial-to-small extra benefit. On rings, many lifters end sets with a rep or two in reserve because control of the rings fades before the muscles do.
- Instability and load — Reviews of instability training find that unstable set-ups keep muscle activity high while cutting the force a lifter can produce, so ring dips are usually done with less added weight than bar dips.
- Muscle activity — In an EMG study comparing bench, bar and ring dips, the ring dip produced the highest chest, lat and biceps activity and triceps activity similar to the bar dip. Muscle activity is not the same as growth.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. A common sequence is the ring support hold, then bar dips, then ring dips, then weighted ring dips; there is no research comparing progressions.
Swap it mid-workout
- Dip
- Assisted Dip Machine
- Barbell Floor Press
- Barbell Reverse Grip Bench Press
- Dumbbell Floor Press
- Kettlebell Floor Press
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the ring dip in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.