All hail the mighty dip!

[Tokiz]

*Tokiz hails the mighty dip*

[ThundaHorz]

[ThundaHorz]

[badclams]

I really dig these too !

[ectobryan]

ThundaHorz, elbows out or elbows close to the body? Your thoughts? Thanks for the article and your help!

[DavidZiegler]

[jamalfudge]

Subbed. In my poverty home gym, I use a random walker that my old man used after back surgery as my dip station.

[ThundaHorz]

in/out

Elbows "in" but not really in just tight and above your wrist (but it will fee like tight and in).
Out can be done (imo at lighter weight) but it puts your shoulders and pectoral muscles in riskier positions for injury.
Adding in weight and elbows out really isn't much of an option.
So yeah "close" to the body is a good description. YW

[img]

you?

Subbed. random walker

TY, go on and do what you must!

[fihe]

I either do dips on the bench, or assisted dips on the machine. I primarily do them as a triceps exercise but appreciate how they're also good at working other muscle groups!

[Shanfari]

Thanks guys.

Here is some extra that i hadnt fit into the original piece:

Marvin Eder - considered one of the most amazing physique and strength stars of his era. Known initially for his physique, he earned 3rd place at the Mr. America competition at the tender age of 19. He bench pressed more than 500 lb. while weighing under 200 lb. and could perform repetitions in the press with the then world record in that movement. Perhaps his most amazing accomplishment was a dip with 434lb. of added weight – a feat that has never been approached by anyone of any bodyweight since Marvin.

Respect to Marvin!

[T-Bone75]

Great article. I have always loved dips and believe they are one of the secrets to a strong bench.
In one of my crazier moments I managed a couple of reps with 100kg chained on. Not a regular thing though (that amount).

[lemittapowa]

hail the dip
dip 4 sets yesterday, feeling great

[Truthbombing]

I thought this meant Copenhagen

[pulpNi]

arnie

[ThundaHorz]

bump

[whateversclever]

love dips. hate how weak my chest is

[PolishSasquatch]

dips give me a terrible pain in my front delt area deep inside.
how can i fix this?

[dillydollaz]

great read! using dips as an accessory movement on my pressing days!

[ThundaHorz]

love/weak

Give it time it'll come. and besides upper body strength is not the be-all

pain in my front delt area deep inside

Your description is very specific and concerning. As we dont dish out medical advice on here I'd tell you to be cautious and if you think its a real issue, see a local specialist. But I will say that I do stretch before heavy dips so you may want to think about that as well...

great read!

TY. glad to hear that.

[ThundaHorz]

[FLChamp]

They've been good to me.

[ThundaHorz]

[SkinnyTina]

picture of girl (can't post links yet)

This chick is who I want to be!!! I can barely do a couple bodyweight ones right now

Tina

[sandyr9]

Great information!

[ThundaHorz]

[Dedikejshn]

Oh, how I miss doing dips... :/ Dat squeeze when you're at the top position of the movement... Was doing around 10 when I started working out ( ~8 months ago, gained freaking 48 lbs since then ), but as my weight increased, I was more and more unable to do them, now I can't do even one... Gonna incorporate them right away when I cut in about 4-5 months :/

[imcca001]

Nice article man

[Jetigen]

Really loving dips! Not shredded as this guy though. Not yet.

[nashjocic]

The all mighty dip like any other exercise has developed a cult following. Whether it is seated, body weight, or weighted, the dip has earned its place in the bodybuilding lexicon for good reason. The history of the exercise dates back to the advent of sport and physical fitness itself.

The dip is formally categorized as an upper body compound pushing exercise which involves the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The dip is a staple of many bodybuilding and strength training programs for its simplicity and the results it produc


The dip has even been likened to the “upper body squat,” by the great Mike Mentzer. The equally great Vince Gironda even had his own theories on the creating of a wider chest through the use of what has become known as the “Gironda Dip” and a V shaped Dip bar.





While the 60’s are behind us the dip remains. But working up to Bodyweight dip strength can be accomplished through a number of exercises. If one were to remain faithful to the dip we can always begin with the seated dip with legs on the floor or supported on another bench.





When one deems it time to move on the next stage of dipping the same form used in the seated or legs raised version travels with you. Some form related things to look out for are, that many people seem to just toss their legs up on a bench lock out their knees, and hunch over while pressing out partial reps.

DON’T DO THIS! Take a nice strong posture and press out full reps.

Proper depth:

Errors in form need correction and one should be mindful of what a rep that travels through its full range of motion looks like. Some of these miscues will correct themselves when doing an unsupported bodyweight dip, i.e. locking ones knees out on the bench in front or you. Ideally you will just allow your legs to hang comfortably or knees bent to keep ones feet from touching the ground.

On hand spacing:
Ideally one should begin with hands about shoulder width apart allowing for a comfortable decent and ascent. This will take some fiddling to get right. If you stand naturally and allow your hands to hang loosely (palms facing your thighs) at your waist you can use this to find good spacing on a bench or dip station. This will about perfect to start with.

Some may prefer a wider grip than shoulder distance, but be cautious with a “too wide” grip position because the possibility of stressing your Pectoral muscle near its insertion point. Be mindful of this as you ramp up the intensity & volume or suffer the dreaded “Pec tear” that seems all too common in gyms. I’m not your MD or PT, its just a word of caution…

The novelty is in having a greater degree of core muscle activation in that you are controlling your dip motion and very well contracting your abs throughout the movement.


*note: please disregard the second slide 2, I don’t want anyone going crazy with “flying dips”.

Moving beyond the beginner level we are then able to explore the sheer awesomeness that is the weighted Dip! Weighted dips are identical to bodyweight dips with the only difference being the added resistance of weights that are either suspended from the waist by a traditional Dip Belt or in the form of a vest or backpack.

The choice of weight placement is yours, but some considerations may be that a backpack centers the weight somewhat towards your back (as the name would imply) and this may shift your balance and the exercise to become more Triceps dominant or throw off your form completely.

A weighted vest centralizes the weight but not everyone will use one as they are expensive and the higher quality ones somewhat rare. (i.e. firefighter, military, law enforcement training vests)

The standard is having the weight hanging from your waist. (This is my preference in that it allows for fidelity in form and I aim to maintain a tight core throughout)









In any form the dip’s versatility can be matched by few and I even had a friend tell me that while on the job he parked two UN trucks bumper to bumper to set up his Dip Station while out in the field.

Happy Dipping!

Dips are the great exercise for the chest development, period! Unfortunately, they are not on the menu of the modern day bodybuilders, since the fancy chest machinery has entered the gyms... In order to hit the chest more than shoulders and triceps, avoid leaning forward with your legs far back. Keep the grip wide, elbows away from the body (elbows close to the body will it mainly triceps), keep your body straight and your legs forward. You can also cross your legs and lift your knees, but that will require a bit more strength and experience. If you manage to get in the position that I described, you will expose your chest more and really benefit from dips, as they are in did squats for upper body! Best wishes, Nash Jocic
http://nashfittraining.com
http://nashjocic.com

[prakash1988]

Incredible article. Definitely going to read it a few more times.