Best ways to Dips

For some lifters, nothing beats the upper-body pump they get from a high-intensity chest physical exercise. several of those gym-goers hope to make an even bigger, stronger chest by that specialize in the bench press, however mastering the easy and effective bodyweight dip typically goes unmarked.

This staple movement isn’t only for gymnasts or physical exertion enthusiasts. It’s a elementary old style exercise that’s been utilized by bodybuilders and strength athletes for many years.

Adding dips to your physical exercise routine can target your striated muscle, triceps, associated shoulders for an all-round larger, fuller, stronger higher body. Here’s a way to use solely your weight to deliver a deep burn and explosive pump for your chest.

• How to Do Dips
• Dip Mistakes to Avoid
• Benefits of Dips
• Muscles Worked by Dips
• Who ought to Do Dips
• How to Program Dips

How to Do Dips

Dips are often done on dedicated dip bars, at associate assisted  dip station, or a durable and stable combine of chairs. Whichever setup you’re victimization, guarantee it’s at a height wherever you'll keep your legs and feet off the bottom once within the bottom (stretched) position. this can permit a full vary of motion for max profit.

Step one — rise up on the Bars

Step up to the dip station and grab the bars with palms your facing inward. Keep your arms straight — looking on the setup, you'll have to be compelled to beautiful jump into the fast out position. Bend your legs slightly in order that your arms support your entire weight.

Keep your back straight and your head wanting forward. interact your core and glutes by compressing them each to stay your entire body tight.

Form tip: Ideally, your hands ought to be roughly shoulder-width distance. Some dip bars square measure angular  to permit completely different grip widths. If your hands square measure farther apart, shoulder-joint strain will increase and tension on your chest muscles will decrease.

Step two — Lower into a Stretch

Slowly lower your body till your elbows square measure roughly at 90-degree angles, if your quality permits. Maintain a progressive head position, however let your higher body angle slightly forward to extend accomplishment of the chest muscles.

Your elbows can naturally angle slightly outward. Avoid overly flaring your elbows on to the edges, which may increase strain on the shoulder joints.

Form tip: Use a slow  tempo to make sure management, most muscle tension, and boost muscle growth. (1) Take up to 3 seconds to succeed in the lowest position.

Step three — approach to Full Contraction

Push your body up in an exceedingly controlled, fluid motion. Stop once you’re back at the beginning position with nearly straight arms. in short pause at the highest to stabilize your body and minimize any swinging.

As your body rises, specialize in feeling constant tension acquiring your chest muscles. interact the mind-muscle affiliation by focusing your full attention on the striated muscle and visualize the muscle fibers operating.

Form tip: Your body’s path upwards ought to mirror the lowering section. Your head and ought toers should arc slightly before of your hands on the method down, and your higher body ought to come to a completely stacked position along with your elbows higher than your wrists.

Dip Mistakes to Avoid

Dips square measure a classic bodyweight exercise that may add strength and size to your chest, arms, and shoulders. However, poor kind will result in suboptimal results or potential injury, as well as wear and tear on your bodily structure tendons. (2) as luck would have it, the foremost common errors square measure comparatively straightforward to avoid.

Locking Your Elbows

In the high position, avoid protection your elbows ramrod straight. Maintain a small bend in your arms to stay them beneath constant tension and yield optimum muscle-building results. (3) taking note to your arm position at opposition reinforces employing a comparatively slow tempo whereas that specialize in most muscle accomplishment.

In addition, protection your elbows puts them in an exceedingly probably hyperextended state, which can increase your risk of injury.

Avoid it: As your body approaches the highest of the movement, listen not solely to your chest muscles acquiring, however your arm position. this can be troublesome to try and do if you utilize sloppy, swinging repetitions, therefore maintain a continuing, fluid motion throughout every repetition.

Dipping Too Low

The bottom, stretched position of most exercises is wherever the concerned joints square measure beneath the best potential stress. Save your shoulders by paying shut attention your depth once doing dips.

Going too low, on the far side the purpose wherever you're feeling your shoulder muscles stretching, will considerably strain the joints. Remember, kind is king once it involves any exercise. Bodyweight exercises, as well as dips, are not any completely different.

Avoid it: As you lower your body into the stretched position, you must feel each your chest muscles and shoulder muscles stretching. Don’t let your ego speak you into victimization associate excessive vary of motion. If you'll see a mirror throughout the exercise, pay additional attention as your elbows approach a 90-degree bend. Stopping slightly higher is additional acceptable than dropping too low.

Benefits of Dips

This basic bodyweight exercise permits you to make muscle mass and strength in your higher body, significantly your chest, shoulders, and skeletal muscle. Mastering strength training along with your bodyweight can even facilitate to reduced your overall risk of injury and improve core stabilization.

Increased Muscle Mass and Strength

Doing dips stimulates your striated muscle, triceps, and core considerably. By stretching and making tension on the complete chest muscle, dips square measure associate economical exercise for reinforcing muscle growth. (4) Bodyweight exercises have conjointly been shown to be such as sports equipment exercises for building strength. (5) Improved Joint Health

Maintaining muscular balance is crucial for joint stability and overall health and performance, and bodyweight coaching could be a extremely effective resolution. (6) If you perform several actuation exercises or participate in activities that square measure pulling-intensive (e.g. coaching on row machines, pull-ups, several combat sports, etc.), often playing dips will build robust pushing muscles to assist stop muscular imbalances. a tenth increase in strength coaching volume has shown to well minimize overall injury risk. (7) Improved Core Stabilization

Dips aren’t exclusively a chest exercise. You’ll interact your core by keeping your lower body stable throughout the movement. whereas your core isn’t directly trained throughout dips, it's powerfully recruited to produce total-body stability and coordinated movement as you press. Improved core stability helps to push overall strength, health, and injury hindrance. (8) Muscles Worked by Dips

Dips square measure a extremely effective exercise for strengthening the muscles situated in and round the chest. whereas dips primarily target the chest itself, the skeletal muscle and shoulders are directly trained, in addition as smaller stabilizers throughout the higher body.

Pectoralis Major.

The pecs could be a thick, fan-shaped muscle that’s the most important muscle of the front chest wall. The striated muscle have multiple functions dominant arm movement as well as flexion and motility (bringing the arms toward the body’s centerline)(9)

The pec major has 2 heads, the clavicular (upper chest) and therefore the sternocostal (mid and lower chest). once corporal punishment dips, the clavicular head is additional considerably worked as you approach the highest portion of the movement. The sternocostal head is additional extremely activated as you lower into the stretched position. (9)

Triceps Brachi.

The skeletal muscle accommodates 3 separate however functionally similar muscle heads — the long, medial, and lateral. These square measure found on the rear of the higher arm. The skeletal muscle square measure liable for straightening the arm at the cubital joint, extending the shoulder, and moving the arm behind the body — all of that add synchronise throughout dips. (10)

Dips apply tension on all 3 heads of the skeletal muscle. apparently, the medial head, above all, is additional activated once the elbow is flexed on the far side 90-degrees and therefore the body reaches a comparatively important depth. (10)

Anterior Deltoid

The anterior deltoid (front shoulder muscles) is concerned once raising the arm forward, in line along with your body. additional significantly, it’s engaged once moving your arm from behind your body to the front and/or overhead. throughout dips, the anterior deltoid is activated once your higher arm moves from the 90-degree bent position into the highest position along with your arms straight arms by your sides.

The anterior deltoids shoulder not be the first operating muscle throughout dips, however they're recruited considerably, that is why lifters with pre-existing shoulder issues might not be comfy playing the exercise.

Abdominals.

The abs square measure worked statically to regulate your lower body and maintain a stable total-body position. almost like playing pull-ups, it’s not uncommon for lifters to feel some ab tension (or even post-workout soreness) in their abs when many intense sets of dips.

While your abs aren’t acquiring through a big vary of motion, they're recruited to take care of management over the hips and pelvis, and stop any leg swinging.

Who ought to Do Dips

Whether you’re pushing a lawnmower or pushing a weight overhead, having adequate higher body pressing strength is crucial. Dips will facilitate to extend muscle mass, improve practical strength, and build bigger higher body quality.

Bodybuilders and Physique Athletes

Dips square measure a bodyweight-only various to the bench press or alternative chest pressing exercises. It permits lifters to coach the chest with high tension, high intensity, and minimum instrumentation. Dips will facilitate to sculpt the chest by operating the striated muscle at a singular angle, making a good information for growth. (11)

Strength Athletes

Any lifter targeted on moving most weight in an exceedingly pressing movement (bench press, overhead press, clean & jerk, etc.) will take pleasure in adding dips to their accent coaching. By building the chest, shoulders, and skeletal muscle, {you will|you'll|you'll be able to} improve the potential power and strength those muscle can exert. (12) The bodyweight dip conjointly permits associate intense physical exercise with comparatively less load, which may scale back accumulative stress on the joints.

How to Program Dip

Most beginners can notice the dip to be difficult as a result of you’re needed to raise the bulk of their own weight, which may be too troublesome because of lack of strength. as luck would have it, persistence and energy can yield improvement. old lifters can even take pleasure in the exercise as a coaching staple for size and strength.