How to Do Weighted Dips
A weighted dip is a parallel-bar dip with extra load, usually a plate on a dip belt. Add weight once 15 strict bodyweight dips feel easy, and start with 5 to 10 lb (2.5 to 5 kg). It trains the triceps, chest and front delts. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.
- 1Top. Dip belt on with the plate hanging between your legs, arms straight, shoulders pulled down.
- 2Bottom. Lower until your shoulders are just below your elbows, then press back to straight arms.
Watch 3 video demonstrations
Find more video demonstrations in the Gravitus app
How to do a weighted dip
- Buckle the dip belt low on your hips, thread the chain through a plate and clip it back to the belt. Keep the chain short enough that the plate clears the base of the dip station at the bottom of the rep.
- Grab the bars with your palms facing in, step up to straight arms and let the plate settle before the first rep. Bend your knees so your feet stay off the floor.
- Pull your shoulders down, away from your ears, and lean your chest slightly forward.
- Lower under control until your shoulders are level with or just below your elbows, the same depth as your bodyweight dips.
- Press back up to straight arms without swinging. Step down onto the base to unload instead of dropping with the plate.
Dip belt vs weighted vest vs dumbbell
| Attribute | Dip belt | Weighted vest | Dumbbell between the feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the load sits | Hangs from your hips on a chain | Strapped to your chest and back | Squeezed between your feet or behind your knees |
| How heavy it goes | As many plates as the chain holds | Capped by the vest | Capped by how hard you can squeeze |
| Changing the weight | Swap a plate in seconds | Move blocks in and out of pockets | Pick up a different dumbbell |
| Best for | Heavy sets, small jumps, drop sets | Higher reps, or a circuit with push-ups and pull-ups | Light loads, when there is no belt |
Use a dip belt. We found no study comparing the three, but the belt leaves your legs free, loads in 2.5 lb steps and holds far more than a vest. A dumbbell has to be squeezed for the whole set and can slip at the bottom of the rep, so keep it for light sets. A kettlebell hangs from a belt chain as well as a plate does.
How much weight do lifters add?
Among 3,000+ men who log weighted dips on Gravitus with a bodyweight on file, the heaviest set had a median of 8 reps with 27% of bodyweight added. For a 180 lb (82 kg) man, that is 50 lb (22.5 kg). The strongest quarter added 41% or more, and the top 10% added 57% (Gravitus data, September 2026). Too few women have a bodyweight on file for a reliable figure.
Log only the weight on the belt, not your bodyweight plus the belt. That is what 93% of men on Gravitus do, and it keeps your log comparable when your bodyweight changes. We do not show a weight calculator for this lift, because a one-rep-max formula applied to added weight alone gives the wrong answer (see below).
When to add weight, and how much
Add weight when you can do 15 strict dips with your bodyweight, from straight arms down to shoulders just below the elbows. Lifters who log weighted dips on Gravitus had a median best bodyweight set of 15 reps for men and 12 for women (7,000+ men and 170+ women, September 2026). If you are at 10, keep adding reps first.
Start with 5 to 10 lb (2.5 to 5 kg) and aim for 3 sets of 6 to 8. Small jumps matter more than they look. For a 180 lb (82 kg) lifter, a 10 lb plate adds about 5% to the load, since your arms press your bodyweight and the plate together.
When every set reaches the top of your rep range, add 2.5 to 5 lb (1.25 to 2.5 kg) and drop back to the bottom of the range.
How deep to go with weight
Go as deep as your bodyweight dips and no deeper: shoulders level with or just below your elbows. In experienced men doing bodyweight bar dips, the bottom of the rep already used 88% of their maximum shoulder extension range. The authors warned that added load, fatigue or a wide grip could raise the risk of a pec injury (McKenzie 2022a).
Depth itself holds up well as you tire. In a bodyweight set to failure, experienced men averaged 25 reps and their peak shoulder and elbow angles did not change from the first reps to the last (McKenzie 2022b). Set your depth at bodyweight and keep it as the plate gets heavier.
Use bars about shoulder width apart rather than wide, stop at the depth you use without weight, and add load in small steps.
Weighted dip myths the numbers do not support
"Plug your weighted set into a 1RM calculator." Only if you count your bodyweight. Your arms press your body and the plate together. Take a 180 lb (82 kg) lifter who does 8 reps with 45 lb (20 kg) added. Counting all 225 lb, the Brzycki formula (Brzycki 1993) predicts a single with 100 lb (45 kg) added and 10 reps with 30 lb (12.5 kg) added. Enter 45 lb alone and it predicts 55 lb (25 kg) for a single, about half the real figure, and 40 lb (17.5 kg) for 10 reps.
"25 to 45 lb is an intermediate load." AI answers often repeat this range. Among Gravitus men, the median best set used 45 lb (20 kg), and 63% of best sets used 45 lb or more. The bottom quarter added 33 lb (15 kg) or less. A 45 lb plate for 8 reps is about average for a lifter who trains the lift.
"You need heavy weight to grow your triceps and chest." Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of loads (Schoenfeld 2021). Weight earns its place by keeping dips in a rep range you can do strictly, not by making the muscles grow differently.
Muscles worked
Weighted dip vs dip vs bench press
| Attribute | Weighted dip | Dip | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load | Bodyweight plus the belt | Your bodyweight | Any weight on the bar |
| Smallest jump | 2.5 lb (1.25 kg) plate | One rep | 2.5 lb (1.25 kg) or less |
| Best for | Strength once bodyweight reps pass 15 | Building up to 15 strict reps | Heaviest pressing loads |
Do both if your shoulders tolerate dips. We found no long-term trial comparing chest growth from dips and the bench press. Bar dips load the chest, triceps and front delts (McKenzie 2022a), and the bench press is easier to load in small steps.
Sets, reps and progression
Stop each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure, with every rep at the same depth. Rest 2 to 3 minutes and train weighted dips 1 to 2 times a week. If you bench on the same day, dip after it.
Sets of 3 to 5 with more weight suit a strength goal. For muscle, anything from 6 to 12 works when you finish close to failure (Schoenfeld 2021). Add bodyweight sets after the weighted work for extra volume.
Common mistakes
-
Adding weight too earlyGet to 15 strict bodyweight reps first. Weight on top of half reps just makes worse half reps.
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Going deeper under loadStop at the depth you use without weight. The bottom of a bar dip is already close to the end of your shoulder range (McKenzie 2022a).
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Shrugging at the bottomKeep your shoulders pulled down, away from your ears, for the whole rep.
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Letting the plate swingLet it settle before the first rep and keep your legs still. A swinging plate turns the rep into a kip.
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Chain too longShorten it until the plate clears the base of the station at the bottom. A plate that taps the frame unloads the hardest part of the rep.
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Jumping 10 lb at a timeUse 2.5 and 5 lb plates. A 10 lb jump adds about 5% to the load for a 180 lb (82 kg) lifter.
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Logging bodyweight plus the plateLog only the added weight, so your history stays comparable when your bodyweight changes.
Weighted dip variations
Questions people ask
How many dips should I do before adding weight?
15 strict reps from straight arms to shoulders just below the elbows. Lifters who log weighted dips on Gravitus had a median best bodyweight set of 15 reps for men and 12 for women (September 2026).
How much weight should I add to dips?
Start with 5 to 10 lb (2.5 to 5 kg) and add 2.5 to 5 lb (1.25 to 2.5 kg) when every set reaches the top of your rep range. Log only the weight on the belt.
What's a good weighted dip?
Among 3,000+ Gravitus men with a bodyweight on file, the median best set was 8 reps with 27% of bodyweight added, 50 lb (22.5 kg) for a 180 lb man. The top 10% added 57% of bodyweight (September 2026).
What muscles do weighted dips work?
The triceps and chest most, with the front delts helping. The traps, serratus and lats hold the shoulder blades steady, and the core keeps the plate from swinging.
Are weighted dips bad for your shoulders?
Not when you keep the depth you use without weight and add load slowly. The bottom of a bar dip already uses most of your shoulder extension range, and researchers flagged added load as a pec injury risk (McKenzie 2022a). Stop if you feel a sharp pain at the front of the shoulder.
Are weighted dips better than bench press?
Neither is better for growth on current evidence; we found no trial comparing them over time. The bench press is easier to load in small steps, and dips train the triceps hard with no bench or spotter. Most lifters do well with both.
Do weighted dips grow triceps?
Yes. The triceps are a prime mover in the dip, and triceps activity on bar dips was higher than on bench dips (McKenzie 2022a). Take sets close to failure for growth.
When should you do weighted dips?
Early in an upper-body or push session while you are fresh, or right after the bench press if you do both. Bodyweight dips and triceps isolation go after.
Log every set and see your percentile on every lift, weighted dip included.
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