A dip bar is a piece of fitness equipment that consists of a U-shaped bar, usually about 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter, which surrounds the user's body at the waist. It is designed for the performance of, and named after, the dip exercise. In addition to this exercise, much like the

trap bar The trap bar (also referred to as the hex bar) is an implement used in weight training. It is an assemblage of bars bent into an angle, then welded into a shape which lies flat in a plane, consisting of: # A barstock welded into a hexagonal or dia ...

can be used for

deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises ...

s, a dip bar has other potential uses. It can, for example, be used to do handstand pushups, or the forearms can lie on it to be used as a (probably less comfortable)

captain's chair A power tower, also known as a knee raise station, and as a captain's chair, is a piece of exercise equipment that allows one to build upper body and abdominal muscle strength. When only the forearm pads alone are used for performing abdominal exerc ...

for doing things such as knee raises. When dip bars have clearance under the handles, they also allow the exerciser to do things like hip abduction leg raises, to work muscles like the

gluteus medius The gluteus medius, one of the three gluteal muscles, is a broad, thick, radiating muscle. It is situated on the outer surface of the pelvis. Its posterior third is covered by the gluteus maximus, its anterior two-thirds by the gluteal aponeuros ...

. Dip bars that are high enough can also be used via having the hands below the bar instead of on top of them, using the finger flexors to hang on. They can be used to hold the very top motion of a pull-up (generally they are not high enough to allow significant range of motion in this movement, even if the knees are bent or pulled to the chest) as well as to perform supine rows.

See also