For many, Dips are the upper body equivalent to the Squat. Such high praise is well deserved since this is an extremely effective bodyweight exercise that targets your chest, triceps, and shoulders. By altering your body angle more emphasis can be placed on your triceps or chest.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Training: Strength
Type: Compound
Force: Push
Equipment: Dip Station
1° Muscles: Triceps, Pectoralis Major
2° Muscles: Pectoralis Minor, Anterior Deltoids, Rhomboids
SET-UP
- Mount the dip station by grabbing the handles and lifting yourself up.
- Fully extend your arms; avoid locking your elbows.
- Keeping your upper body straight, but slightly bend your knees.
EXECUTION
- Leaning forward slightly, inhale as you pull your shoulders back and lower yourself by bending at your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
- Exhale as you press yourself back up to a full extension of your arms by powerfully contracting your triceps, chest, and shoulder muscles.
- Repeat for the prescribed number of reps and sets.
- To place more emphasis on your Triceps hold your body more upright; this will however place a greater amount of stress on your shoulder joints.
- To place more emphasis on your chest lean forward; this normally allows for a greater amount of weight can be used (for weighted dips).
- Avoid allowing your upper arms to go too much below parallel.
- Keep your elbows close to your body.
- Keep your head back, your neck in a neutral position, and tuck your chin in; some have a tendency to stick their head and neck forward particularly at the bottom of the lift.
- Maintain a constant body angle through the entire range of motion. A change in torso angle – particularly as you tire – will alter the focus of the exercise.
- Tabletop Dips
- Incline Dip
- Diamond Press-Up
