Weighted Close-Grip Push-Ups instead of Dips

[360365LAWS]

Anyone have any experience with weighted close-grip push ups. Kind of like diamond push-ups but a tiny bit wider hand position and a more standard hand position vs. making a diamond with your hands.

I decided to lose the weighted dips and add the close-grip push-ups. Hoping to build the triceps and assist weighted push-ups/push-up variations. Maybe a little benching assistance too.

I definitely like these because you don't have to worry about depth like you do with dips, and dips can mess with the scapula when they start to get heavy.

Hate it? Love it? What do you think?

[safcpaul]

Great exercise for triceps. Will also hit your chest as well. If you have no issues adding weight to it then yes they will work. I prefer parallel tricep dips but if you struggle with them then yes they will help you grow if you progressively overload. I went through a phase of weighted diamond push ups, they work your core quite well as well

[NomadNA]

The crossfit "murph" competition used a weight vest for the push ups.

The problem is, the weight vest reduces push up range of motion, so its kind of flawed (and stupid). Another problem, inherit to the push-up in general is the lack of strength progression. Even with "weights" there's only so much you can add to the push up without risking damage to your spine.

To acknowledge my own bias, I kind of don't like the push up in general. After you can do 10-20 there's no benefit beyond a very inefficient calorie burner. In high school I think I got up around 200 push-ups with **** bounce technique or 75 strict 2 second push ups. Ultimately I think this slowed my actual strength progress by just putting repair stress on my muscles with no actual strength building stimuli. My high school bench press finally broke 315 when I stopped dicking around with push-ups before bed.

Weighted dips are much safer for the spine, and you can extend quite a bit of weight progression. I'll have to read about your point on the scapuli, sounds interesting. I like that dips feel safer than decline BP (a failed decline BP rep seems like it might land on your neck). I also like that dips engage the lats more and look awesome.

In my opinion, if you're doing vertical pushes as often as horizontal you'll get triceps. If you want to focus it, Tricep extensions...

If you enjoy push-ups and want variety: diamond push-ups, knuckle push ups, finger tip push ups, clapper push-ups, 1 armed push ups, switching 1 armed push ups, wall-pushs, hand stand push ups, scorpion push ups.

[GeneralSerpant]

I've heard that closer grip actually hits chest more while standard gets more arms and shoulders.

If you have proper thoracic extension then putting your hands closer together forces you to push much more precisely with the upper thorax with a lot of stabilization at the upper back. Widening the grip seems to reposition the center of gravity more broadly with a lot more engagement out to the teres major and lat area for stabilization.

[Garage Rat]

Ok for some tricep development.
Keep arms more to the sides if you can.
I think they would be more of a conditioning and endurance movement because of previously mentioned comments on adding resistance.
You could use bands around the back and through the hands as well as elevating the feet for extra resistance also.
I don't think they would be a great BP assistance movement as they are not similar and the again not enough resistance.
I will mentioned the first man to BP 600 pounds in competition Pat Casey did a lot of heavy dips as assistance.
I don't think these days they do them much as assistance though as they can be hard on the shoulder joints.

[SmashinYoungVag]

I actually love this exercise. If you’re gym has 100 pound plates they work great. Can put a 45 on top of that. If you try and start stacking 3 or more weights than they start to slide and fall off.

You can also put chains around your neck to make the lockout more difficult to further accentuate the tricep portion of the lift.

With any common lift you’re gonna find elite athletes that used it. So and so loved dips. So and so loved weighted pushups. Westside barbell used them a lot when they were smashing record back in the day. If it feels good and gives you results go for it.