Chins, Dips, Squats

[Shacklock]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the community, and from Australia.

I'm just wondering, a friend of mine told me that I could gain strength and size by simply doing shoulder width underhand chins, shoulder width parallel bar dips, and shoulder width stance barbell full squats.

Is this legit? My goal is simply to gain size (20kg in total).

Cheers for any replies

[matjusm]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the community, and from Australia.

I'm just wondering, a friend of mine told me that I could gain strength and size by simply doing shoulder width underhand chins, shoulder width parallel bar dips, and shoulder width stance barbell full squats.

Is this legit? My goal is simply to gain size (20kg in total).

Cheers for any replies

Yes you could gain some size from that and if you had to choose just three exercises, then those are probably some of the best ones you could do.
However for a better rounded development of your body, you should do more different kinds of exercises. Deadlifts and overhead presses for starters.

[Shacklock]

So are you saying that I should add Deadlifts for lower back and hamstrings, and Overhead Presses for front shoulders?

Thanks so much for you're help

[Bone Crusher]

If your keen to follow that sort of minimalist approach then i'd go with Deads,Chins and Dips.

[Shacklock]

Are deadlifts better than squats for overall lower body development?

[mrpatrson]

Id have to say squats are better for lower body devolopment, damn I hope this doesnt start an argument.

[Shacklock]

I would have to agree, because you can get a much longer range of motion, and therefore activate more muscles.

That's where I'm confused...Why aren't the main power-lifting moves Dips, Chins and Squats?

Those three exercises work every muscle in the body, and allow you to lift the most weight, with the longest range of motion...

[Farley1324]

That is a very good trio of exercises. Very good


But I would always do some overhead pressing

[Shacklock]

Why overhead pressing?

I've always figured that your anterior delts got enough work from dips and most pushing exercises...

[GuyJin]

If you want to pack on size, then yes, doing chins, dips and squats is a very good minimalist routine and you'd gain, assuming you upped your caloric intake a bit. The reason why chins and dips are so good is that they involve multiple joints and have a longer range of motion. (This isn't said to start an argument of chins versus rows or dips versus benches or inclines--just saying). I would agree with Farley that overhead presses should be included. If you want to include deadlifts, you could always sub them in every second or third workout instead of squats. JMO...

[Shacklock]

I still don't quite understand why overheads are needed?

Don't your shoulders get enough work from the shoulder flexion and extension of dips and chins?

They are after all only a small muscle group when compared to chest, back and legs

[GuyJin]

Yes, they are relatively small compared to the chest and back and legs. And yes, they do get worked doing dips, but overhead presses are a good exercise to include as they are a direct exercise for the delts themselves and balance out your physique better in the long run. I'm talking about making your physique stronger overall as well as looking more aesthetic. If you see a guy with a big chest and back but small delts, he looks sort of like a traffic cone. JMO...

[Ka0s]

You probably could do this, but why would you?

[SwagMorris]

Only doing those 3 exercises will get very boring, very quick. But if I had to pick 3 exercises to do for the rest of my life, those would be them.

You'll end up doing more, guaranteed.






Just noticed OP is using words such as "shoulder flexion", "anterior delts", and he already knew that shoulder pressing was primarily for front delts. We postin in a troll thread.

[supmannn]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the community, and from Australia.

I'm just wondering, a friend of mine told me that I could gain strength and size by simply doing shoulder width underhand chins, shoulder width parallel bar dips, and shoulder width stance barbell full squats.

Is this legit? My goal is simply to gain size (20kg in total).

Cheers for any replies

If you were limited to three movements for whatever reason, you'd want to go with the "big 3", the squat, the bench, and the deadlift. The squat is a heavy rise from the ground, the bench is a heavy push, and the deadlift is a heavy pull.

In this case you're covering a heavy rise from the ground, a push (dips), and a pull (chins). No doubt better than 90% of kids who just go in and do curls all day, but no reason you can't also include deadlifts and bench press. Combine all them and throw in overhead press as well and you have all your bases covered as a novice. If you're looking to gain size and are a novice, check out Starting Strength.

[Farley1324]

Why overhead pressing?

I've always figured that your anterior delts got enough work from dips and most pushing exercises...

I still don't quite understand why overheads are needed?

Don't your shoulders get enough work from the shoulder flexion and extension of dips and chins?

They are after all only a small muscle group when compared to chest, back and legs

Overhead pressing because what is more raw, and potentially useful in real life, than lifting heavy stuff up over your head? And a standing overhead press works plenty of muscles.

Some will also say (such as Ripp) that it is useful to balance musclular development of the shoulder girdle

[Shacklock]

My problem with adding shoulder press, is that there seems to be no compound pulling exercise that corresponds with it (i.e. a pulling exercise that predominantly works the shoulders).

[BombDonald]

I followed a very similar routine a while ago. Basically I would do dips and chins at my apartment, and only do squats at the gym. It got me bigger and stronger, but it definitely was not the best route I could have taken. Too many neglected muscles and weak points.

That was a few years ago when I knew more than I know now, and of course benching was just unfunctional.

[mrpatrson]

My problem with adding shoulder press, is that there seems to be no compound pulling exercise that corresponds with it (i.e. a pulling exercise that predominantly works the shoulders).

upright rows

[Farley1324]

My problem with adding shoulder press, is that there seems to be no compound pulling exercise that corresponds with it (i.e. a pulling exercise that predominantly works the shoulders).

Press is a vertical push. Chinups/pullups are a vertical pull.

[-Lucifer]

Why limit yourself to only three movements? While they will help you put on size, you could always do better. The following exercises are basic and the best, in my evil opinion.

1. Squat
2. Bench
3. Deadlift
4. Overhead press
5. Chin up
6. Weighted dip
7. Bentover row

[Shacklock]

I don't consider it limiting...I consider it intelligently focusing.

A weighted dip works all the muscles that the bench press works and more, and a chin up works all the muscles that a bent-over row works and more. The only muscles these two movements don't work are located in the lower body - which we all know is best simulated by squats.

Therefore...I feel like people (that aren't professional bodybuilders) waist a lot of their time doing all of these isolation exercises, supporting exercises, and other less effective exercises. The number of times I have seen a barbell curl recommended to grow biceps sickens me...

[Farley1324]

I don't consider it limiting...I consider it intelligently focusing.

A weighted dip works all the muscles that the bench press works and more, and a chin up works all the muscles that a bent-over row works and more. The only muscles these two movements don't work are located in the lower body - which we all know is best simulated by squats.

Therefore...I feel like people (that aren't professional bodybuilders) waist a lot of their time doing all of these isolation exercises, supporting exercises, and other less effective exercises. The number of times I have seen a barbell curl recommended to grow biceps sickens me...

What does a dip work that a bench does not?

What does a chin-up work that a row does not?

LOTS of people who do more than three basic exercises, who are not professional body builders, are not wasting time in doing so. Now, if you looked at a cross section of the typical gym going population then, yes, there would be a lot of time wasted. But among the regular bb.com members/posters...not so much.

And a barbell curl is a great exercise/tool to use in growing your biceps brachii.

[Orlando1234977]

yesterday;

Is this legit?

today;

I consider it intelligently focusing.

Interesting. I think you need to go back to yesterdays question.

[Shacklock]

Any exercise that involves lifting the body through space with your hands/feet planted (Dips, Chins, Squats) will always activate more muscle fibers than an exercise that simply moves your hands/feet through space with your body planted (Bench, Rows, Leg Press).

If i'm not mistaken, the biceps have two origins/heads - and the shorter one of them is located on the coracoid process of the scapula (shoulder blade). Therefore to fully activate your biceps brachii, you need to perform elbow flexion AND shoulder extension. So many guys think the 10 reps of 40kg barbell curls is building their biceps, and completely forget just how effective those 8 reps of weighted chins they did earlier are.

[Farley1324]

Any exercise that involves lifting the body through space with your hands/feet planted (Dips, Chins, Squats) will always activate more muscle fibers than an exercise that simply moves your hands/feet through space with your body planted (Bench, Rows, Leg Press).

Good thing I bench with my feet planted then, eh?

If i'm not mistaken, the biceps have two origins/heads - and the shorter one of them is located on the coracoid process of the scapula (shoulder blade). Therefore to fully activate your biceps brachii, you need to perform elbow flexion AND shoulder extension. So many guys think the 10 reps of 40kg barbell curls is building their biceps, and completely forget just how effective those 8 reps of weighted chins they did earlier are.

That does not mean that bicep curls should not be used if you want bigger biceps. That simply means that, perhaps, one single exercise as a stand alone is not optimal. But wouldn't that same train of thought also mean that 3 for the entire body is not optimal? hmmm

[EPMD]

Focusing on basic exercises is good. Focusing on basic exercises to the point where you neglect to train specific body parts is not good. I think doing just three exercises is taking the focus theory to the extreme, and not in a good way for bodybuilding purposes.

[Shacklock]

If someone could give me an educated answer as to exactly which muscles would be 'neglected' if one focussed purely on chins, dips and squats, then I would be a very happy man.

[Farley1324]

If someone could give me an educated answer as to exactly which muscles would be 'neglected' if one focussed purely on chins, dips and squats, then I would be a very happy man.

This is apparently rather important to you.

Tell you what, train for the next 12 months only doing these three lifts and nothing else.

Then show us your results.

You should post up pictures, maybe even videos, now to define the starting point.

[Shacklock]

I don't see how working out for a year, if only to prove your point, helps me at all. I first started this post to see what members of this community thought about a workout consisting of just Dips, Chins and Squats. I have reasonable knowledge of the human anatomy and it's movements, but I still can't figure out what muscles (if any) would be neglected by doing this basic program.