Dips

[chess315]

    Said to be the upper body squat what are your thoughts on them.

[NaturalWonder83]

   Said to be the upper body squat what are your thoughts on them.

i think they're amazing for the tris and chest
You should have the mechanics to do them correctly-core braced, no stress on neck, shoulders not rolled forward, not using the lower back to cheat
But I think you need to be extremely careful with them
They're one of the best exercises but also one of the exercises that can truly mess u up

[Royalty]

I once read that doing dips is the real test to see if you have healthy shoulders.

Doing pain-free dips let's you know that your wrists, elbows, and shoulders are healthy.

Probably just like squats... letting you know that your ankles, knees, and hip joints are healthy.

[oldtimer1]

Most guys do dips really shallow and would benefit from doing them deeper. I think if you can do them then they are an outstanding exercise. So many guys have wrecked shoulders from benching that they can't do them without pain.

[jpm101]

Dips, an overlooked exercise for many guys, that when done with serious intend can give serious results. If most guys would spend as much time dipping, avoiding benching, all might result in less shoulder girdle problems and better over all mass.. With basic dips your pushing down and along side the body, with a better natural grip (palms facing).  

When using a "V" dipping bar, a variety of hand positions, from narrow to wide, can be done as opposed to a regular dipping bar. . There's are also wider dips with the knuckles facing forward, giving a whole different stretch and feel to the exercise. Which ever you use, "V" bar or regular bar, a closer grip hits the triceps more. as a wider grip hits the chest more. Both hit the anterior delts. Holding a up right or a leaning forward position which dipping   cna change the whole affect of the exercise.

Ring dips are another very effective way to dip. Recruiting more muscle involvement because of the challenge of the stabilization of the whole body during reps. A core movement for gymnast.

Good Luck.

 

[chaos]

I know 2 people that have torn their pecs while dipping.

[oldtimer1]

I know 2 people that have torn their pecs while dipping.

Wow, I wonder if their shoulders were tight from benching I think benches really contributes to inflexible shoulders. I notice a technique everyone is using now using various boards on the chest for partial benches. It's really not a new technique. I just see every power lifter using it now.  I think Chuck Sipes a bodybuilder was the pioneer of it. He used a power rack. Started doing his sets for a couple of weeks doing quarter reps lock outs. Then a couple weeks of half reps. Then 3/4 reps. Going to full reps it feels like you have a spring from the tightness.  I tried that when I heard of it in my 20's.  My shoulder went immediately out.  The guys with the boards use the same concept but they stick to around 3/4 reps. Personally I thing it's a recipe to really mess up your shoulder joint.

[robcguns]

I started doing dips at 14 and did them until last year 24 years.my best was 2 100lb plates between legs weighing 260 for 8 when I did dips I went down as far as you cocan of go and I believe it is what ruined my shoulders.I did a body weight set and got over 100 at 250.Tris,chest and shoulders got most there size from dips I believe.I would do 20 sets once a week of dips.Beat exercise ever if your shoulders can handl them.

[Grape Ape]

I started doing dips at 14 and did them until last year 24 years.my best was 2 100lb plates between legs weighing 260 for 8 when I did dips I went down as far as you cocan of go and I believe it is what ruined my shoulders.I did a body weight set and got over 100 at 250.Tris,chest and shoulders got most there size from dips I believe.I would do 20 sets once a week of dips.Beat exercise ever if your shoulders can handl them.

That's some legit weight.  Props.

I was able to do 10 reps with 3-45s, using the leaning forward style.

Now I avoid them completely.  One, I've had both shoulders fixed, but two, they really stress the insertions on the sternum, which always causes me pain.

[jpm101]

The subjects of dips always reminds me of the late great Marvin Eder. His 400lb dips for 7 reps and his 430 for one rep  is something I'd remembering reading about as a teenager. He also did something like one arm pull ups for 7 or 8 reps.  Eder weighed around 198, and that bwt never seemed to change his whole life. He was a one in a million natural strongman. Being born with superior ligament and tendon doesn't hurt either.

If only doing two exercises for the upper body, might suggest the dip and pull ups...throwing in chin up as a alternate from time to time. Of course few take them seriously today, which is a mistake on their parts. Both exercises are know as body through space movements.

I've worked with a few gymnast before in the weight room at college and other training places, and yes they can include  weight training. Not just their strength in dips & chins (push-pull) but extension exercises like DB lateral, front and rear raises.  Example might be holds. Press a  DB overhead, than lower it out to the side and hold that DB position for 10 to 15 seconds each rep.  Than raise it back overhead again for another rep. Working that style with DB rear delt raised give not  only stable holding power but impressive read delts. This also improves the ligament and tendon strength, a very important element in any sport.

Good Luck.

[joeygym65]

Great exercise. Always throw it in on my chest and tris days.

[sync pulse]

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[sync pulse]

In seriousness, they're great...If you are advanced enough to have fun doing them.  If it's too much of a struggle you should use a push-down machine so you don't get frustrated...After a couple of months work the bodyweight dips in.

[Montague]

Dips, an overlooked exercise for many guys, that when done with serious intend can give serious results. If most guys would spend as much time dipping, avoiding benching, all might result in less shoulder girdle problems and better over all mass.. With basic dips your pushing down and along side the body, with a better natural grip (palms facing).  

When using a "V" dipping bar, a variety of hand positions, from narrow to wide, can be done as opposed to a regular dipping bar. . There's are also wider dips with the knuckles facing forward, giving a whole different stretch and feel to the exercise. Which ever you use, "V" bar or regular bar, a closer grip hits the triceps more. as a wider grip hits the chest more. Both hit the anterior delts. Holding a up right or a leaning forward position which dipping   cna change the whole affect of the exercise.

Ring dips are another very effective way to dip. Recruiting more muscle involvement because of the challenge of the stabilization of the whole body during reps. A core movement for gymnast.

Good Luck.

My original gym had a set of v-bars... in storage. I was always disappointed they never had or made the room to bring them out.
A friend who still trains there recently told me the owners finally got rid of the apparatus.

Never having the luxury of their presence, I've found ways to adapt as best I can to make do with available gym equipment.
One of my current gyms has adjustable dipping bars, which allow you to alternate between a narrow and wider grip. These are my favorite. The gym I frequent most often has bars spaced about a "medium" distance apart.

For chest, I love adopting a modified grip (wide when possible) in which I face away from the bars (opposite the way most people use them) and place my palms on the ends of the handles such that my knuckles are turned in about 45 degrees from a neutral position. I then maintain a concave body arch from head to toe with my chin tucked down. Elbows flare out to the side. I lower myself down for a nice stretch, pause, and fire up just short of lock out. Used as a second or third exercise on chest day, I love the feel of these.
My inspiration for this style is based on a variation Larry Scott used on v-bars.

As for weighted dips, I mainly do them as a substitute for close-grip presses when training without a spotter. I try to keep my body as perpendicular as I can during execution, but the belt has a tendency to pull my torso a bit forward, which recruits a little more chest than I'd like. I still love them done this way.

[robcguns]

Incredible exercise for shoulder,chest and triceps thickness and strength.Horrible for shoulder joints.Dips were my favorite exercise and I would of do 20 sets at a time for many years.i couldn Do over 100 bodyweight and do 10 reps with 200 lbs hanging from me.My shoulders are now shot due to this.Prob because I would go down so far to where my chin was at hand level.

[chess315]

Im seriously debating getting some heavy duty dip bars or a power rack with dip bars

[Montague]

Im seriously debating getting some heavy duty dip bars or a power rack with dip bars

I've heard of some guys using these in their home gyms with good results.





An added advantage is that you can vary the spacing and angle of the handles in relation to each other.

[jpm101]

Saw horses are good. The ones in the picture are easily folded up, just grab the finger holes in the middle and lift.  A few guy's will complain that their not high enough, but those guy's tend to complain about every little thing anyway.  Can space to about any angle and width, though may be a little awkward if moving them too close together. .  Seen some do handstand presses on sawhorses as part of a workout.  The say it's easier...don't know myself.

Use to workout at a neighborhood garage gym growing up. It had a three legged (4x4's) tri shaped dipping arrangement, with 2x6's has the "bars" for the hands. Adjust a few bolts and you could move the 2x6  "bars" to a "V" type position and back to the original  parallel position.  Pretty clever the way it was made. Sad part, some druggie was lighting up a meth pipe outside the garage one early morning and burned the garage down.


Naturally if going extremely low with dips, where the joints, muscle inserts, ligaments and tendons are exposed to  a unneeded problem, than a problem will occur . Not so much that  most any exercise can be a danger sooner or later, but the manner in which that given exercise is preformed.  

Good Luck.

[Montague]

JPM, good to see you here as always, Sir.
I haven't been online as much lately.

How have you been?

Catch any good waves this year?

[jpm101]

Montague

Status Que with me.

Come here now and than.  GB is really falling apart as a training/workout site. Tries to become all things to all people, which means more keystrokes and more money coming in, which also means it's removed from actual BB'ing. BB'ing a very small sub culture as it is.  Of course it takes big bucks to set this site up  and run it, so I can see that side of it. Been told from some lab people/kids that this is a very easy site to hack into. Wouldn't know myself., doesn't draw my interest.

Surfing at San Onofre from time to time. And other spots along PCH (don't want to give away my secret surfing spots).  Haven't been to Baja for over a year, maybe next year. Usually OK but travel in groups if driving down there. Got stories that you don't get in the news about some pretty nasty stuff going on.

Workout with short and to the point workouts, normally twice a week. Backed off some of the heavier stuff...like most 40 years old do (or should). Common sense really. Never had any major injuries since starting lifting as a teenager.  Did have lower spinal surgery from a football injury while a senior in college.

Hope you and yours have a great holiday season.


Good Luck.

[Montague]

Montague

Status Que with me.

Come here now and than.  GB is really falling apart as a training/workout site. Tries to become all things to all people, which means more keystrokes and more money coming in, which also means it's removed from actual BB'ing. BB'ing a very small sub culture as it is.  Of course it takes big bucks to set this site up  and run it, so I can see that side of it. Been told from some lab people/kids that this is a very easy site to hack into. Wouldn't know myself., doesn't draw my interest.

Surfing at San Onofre from time to time. And other spots along PCH (don't want to give away my secret surfing spots).  Haven't been to Baja for over a year, maybe next year. Usually OK but travel in groups if driving down there. Got stories that you don't get in the news about some pretty nasty stuff going on.

Workout with short and to the point workouts, normally twice a week. Backed off some of the heavier stuff...like most 40 years old do (or should). Common sense really. Never had any major injuries since starting lifting as a teenager.  Did have lower spinal surgery from a football injury while a senior in college.

Hope you and yours have a great holiday season.


Good Luck.

Same to you and yours, my friend!!

[chess315]

Same to you and yours, my friend!!

Im slowly be convinced dips and chins (curl grip) are the to best upper body exercises ever I believe science agrees to if you count out deadlifts

[Montague]

Im slowly be convinced dips and chins (curl grip) are the to best upper body exercises ever I believe science agrees to if you count out deadlifts

They're fantastic!
No matter how you do them, you will recruit at least some degree of chest, triceps, and maybe even a little bit of lat and delt involvement for some people.

But, yeah - chins, deads, and dips are ALL terrific movements that provide tremendous payoff for the work invested.

[QuietYou]

Agreed that dips are great

[chess315]

They're fantastic!
No matter how you do them, you will recruit at least some degree of chest, triceps, and maybe even a little bit of lat and delt involvement for some people.

But, yeah - chins, deads, and dips are ALL terrific movements that provide tremendous payoff for the work invested.

yes maybe throw in a bench , bentrow, military press that's all you need another thing about military press it hits the long head of the tricep good unlike the bench you could look perfect