Dip on Floor with Chair

The Dip on Floor with Chair is a compound movement that trains the chest with help from triceps, front delts, lats and neck. This guide covers the setup, the execution, the mistakes worth fixing early, and how to program it.

BodyweightIntermediateCompound

Updated 2026-10-20 · Written by the Metal Strength coaching team from the movement itself, and reviewed against the exercise library.

Dip on Floor with Chair, performed through a full range of motion.

Pressing a load away from your torso is the foundation of upper-body pushing strength, and it trains the chest alongside triceps, front delts, lats and neck in one movement. It is the lift most people measure their pressing strength by, and the one where small setup details make the biggest difference.

Who it is for. Everyone, from the first session onward. It goes first in a push or upper-body day, while you can still generate force.

Muscles worked

The prime mover here is the chest, with triceps, front delts, lats and neck assisting — which is why this movement earns its place as more than a single-muscle exercise.

Dip on Floor with Chair — Muscles worked: Chest, Front delts, Lats, Triceps, Neck (Back)

How to do it

Set your shoulder blades down and back into the bench or floor and keep them there — a stable base is what lets you press heavy safely.
Take your bodyweight with your wrists stacked straight over your elbows, not bent back.
Plant your feet and create tension through your whole body before the first rep.
Lower under control to your chest, keeping your elbows at roughly 45 to 75 degrees from your torso rather than flared straight out.
Touch or come close to the chest without bouncing, then press back up and slightly back toward your shoulders.
Finish with your arms nearly locked, keeping the shoulder blades pinned down throughout.

Breathing. Breathe in and brace at the top, hold through the descent and press, and breathe out once you are past the hardest point.

Form cues that matter

Shoulder blades stay back and down for the whole set.
Elbows tucked to around 45 degrees, not flared to 90.
Press yourself away from the load, not the load away from you.
Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides
Bouncing the load off the chest

Common mistakes

The mistake	Do this instead
Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides	Tuck them closer to your body; it protects the shoulder and usually adds weight to the bar.
Bouncing the load off the chest	Pause briefly at the bottom of every rep and press from a dead stop.
Letting the shoulders roll forward at the top	Keep the blades pulled back and stop just short of a hard lockout.

What makes this variation different

The Dip on Floor with Chair is a specific version of this movement, and the details in its name change how it should be performed.

Using only your bodyweight means you can train anywhere, and it keeps the whole body involved in stabilising the movement. Progress comes from leverage, range and reps rather than from adding plates.
Lying down gives the torso full support, which takes balance out of the movement and lets you focus everything on the working muscle. Keep your back in contact with the surface throughout.
Using a chair or bench sets the height of the movement, which makes it a reliable way to standardise the range of motion and scale the difficulty.

Sets, reps and rest

Goal	Sets	Reps	Rest
Strength	3-5	3-6	2-3 min
Muscle growth	3-4	6-12	2-3 min
Endurance	2-3	12-20	2-3 min

10-20Weekly sets
2-1-1Tempo
2-3 minRest

How to progress

Add weight before you add reps. Work at the top of your rep range for two sessions in a row with clean technique, then put the smallest increment available on the Dip on Floor with Chair and build back up. Small, boring jumps beat big ones.

Variations and alternatives

If you do not have the equipment, or you simply want to rotate the stimulus, these 8 movements train the chest in a similar way.

Barbell Bench Press — Barbell
Dumbbell Bench Press — Dumbbell
Barbell Incline Bench Press — Barbell
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press — Dumbbell
Lever Chest Press — Machine
Chest Dip — Bodyweight
Push-Up — Bodyweight
Barbell Close Grip Bench Press — Barbell

Safety

Key takeaways

Shoulder blades stay back and down for the whole set.
Elbows tucked to around 45 degrees, not flared to 90.
Work in the 6-12 rep range for muscle growth, leaving a rep or two in reserve on most sets.
Full range of motion on the Dip on Floor with Chair matters more than the weight on it.
Progress gradually and keep technique identical as the load goes up.

Go deeper

FAQ

What muscles does the Dip on Floor with Chair work?

It works the chest as the prime mover, with triceps, front delts, lats and neck assisting. The midsection also works throughout to keep you stable.

How many sets and reps should I do on the Dip on Floor with Chair?

Three to four working sets of 6-12 reps suits most people training for muscle growth, leaving one or two reps in reserve. Across all the exercises that train this muscle, 10-20 hard sets a week is a productive range.

Is the Dip on Floor with Chair good for beginners?

Yes, provided you start light enough to own the technique. Spend the first few weeks on the movement itself with a load you could do several more reps with, and add weight only once the pattern is automatic.

What can I do instead of the Dip on Floor with Chair?

Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press and Barbell Incline Bench Press all train the chest in a similar way, so any of them works as a substitute when the equipment is taken or you want to rotate the stimulus.

What equipment do I need for the Dip on Floor with Chair?

This version uses your bodyweight. The pattern matters more than the tool, though — the alternatives above cover the same movement with whatever you have available.

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Track your sets, reps and progress on the Dip on Floor with Chair — free, with every exercise in the library.