Increase Dips

[AlexMunn]

Hi I'm very new to dips, never done them before but I thought i should do them because all of the people in the powerlifting community I look up too do them. I've started already and I'm wanting to focus more on the triceps and front delts whilst doing them, to really help my bench press. What would be the most effective way on getting stronger in doing these? Right now I do 4 sets 8 reps because I struggle with my body weight. Any ideas? Thanks :)

[Nmowery]

First of all, just keep doing them...like most body weight exercises it takes some work to get strong at them. As soon as you can hit 10-12 reps, starting adding weight that takes you back down to 6-8 reps...then when you get back up to 12, up the weight again. I'm no badass by any means, but when I first started doing dips I had to use the machine taking 80-100 lbs off...now I'll bang out sets with 75 lbs hanging off me.

That said, it's not really possible to emphasize both the delts and tris at the same time...if you want more chest and delt activation, lean your torso forward, and flare your elbows out at the bottom. This is usually my preferred technique, simply because my triceps tend to be my strong point anyways.

If you wanna hit the back arms harder, keep upright with elbows tucked in.

[AlexMunn]

First of all, just keep doing them...like most body weight exercises it takes some work to get strong at them. As soon as you can hit 10-12 reps, starting adding weight that takes you back down to 6-8 reps...then when you get back up to 12, up the weight again. I'm no badass by any means, but when I first started doing dips I had to use the machine taking 80-100 lbs off...now I'll bang out sets with 75 lbs hanging off me.

That said, it's not really possible to emphasize both the delts and tris at the same time...if you want more chest and delt activation, lean your torso forward, and flare your elbows out at the bottom. This is usually my preferred technique, simply because my triceps tend to be my strong point anyways.

If you wanna hit the back arms harder, keep upright with elbows tucked in.


Thanks for the reply good idea of trying to hit 12 reps before increasing weight, how much ruffly should I increase weight? 5lb?

[br1ck]

Hi I'm very new to dips, never done them before but I thought i should do them because all of the people in the powerlifting community I look up too do them. I've started already and I'm wanting to focus more on the triceps and front delts whilst doing them, to really help my bench press. What would be the most effective way on getting stronger in doing these? Right now I do 4 sets 8 reps because I struggle with my body weight. Any ideas? Thanks :)

I have found that leaning forward and keeping your elbows in tight at the bottom pretty much blows up the shoulders / traps and makes the triceps so pumped I cant flex them. When I was focusing on dips as an accessory for my benching I was doing working sets of 90 lbs for 5(around 140 lb bw) but it does take a good amount of time to get the added weight up a bit more I think it was over a 12 week period i went from 8 reps bodyweight to 90 lbs for 5 but I had never focused on dips before that. Also if you have had shoulder pain with any other chest or shoulder exercises dips might bother your shoulder as well. Just my 2 cents from what I have experienced. Ultimately remember that everyone is built the same but different in a way, so what works for you might be different than what works for everyone else. Try to be in a comfortable condition and keep your form good.

[AlexMunn]

I have found that leaning forward and keeping your elbows in tight at the bottom pretty much blows up the shoulders / traps and makes the triceps so pumped I cant flex them. When I was focusing on dips as an accessory for my benching I was doing working sets of 90 lbs for 5(around 140 lb bw) but it does take a good amount of time to get the added weight up a bit more I think it was over a 12 week period i went from 8 reps bodyweight to 90 lbs for 5 but I had never focused on dips before that. Also if you have had shoulder pain with any other chest or shoulder exercises dips might bother your shoulder as well. Just my 2 cents from what I have experienced. Ultimately remember that everyone is built the same but different in a way, so what works for you might be different than what works for everyone else. Try to be in a comfortable condition and keep your form good.

Thanks for your input! I dont receive shoulder pain, I try to make sure I'm fully stretched this helps me keep injured down so doing dips I'm not in pain :)

[JHOORNSTRA]

Do them with a slight pause at the top, really hits the triceps hard. Also, as to weight, try to add a couple or a few every workout you do them in and when you get to over 10, drop down to sets of 5 or so with a 25 lb (or so) plate and get used to that. Get better at it and slowly add more, dropping the reps when needed.

[AlexMunn]

Do them with a slight pause at the top, really hits the triceps hard. Also, as to weight, try to add a couple or a few every workout you do them in and when you get to over 10, drop down to sets of 5 or so with a 25 lb (or so) plate and get used to that. Get better at it and slowly add more, dropping the reps when needed.

Thanks for feedback !

[jrh0341]

just my personal take

to hit tris more: elbows a little closer in, torso upright (not straight up and down, and not "leaning back" just think, the way some people look slightly upwards during a squat to help keep their torso upright? like that. Focus on pressing down through the hands. Think yourself through the same motion as a wide grip-straight bar tricep cable press.

to hit chest more: let your elbows out naturally. NOT super crazy wide. Just natural, good bench press range wide. allow your torso to lean slightly forward. NOT all the way over. If you let your head lean over and look towards the floor, that should put you in the right position. From there, lower yourself into the hole, and try for a motion somewhere close to that of a decline smith machine press.

The critical factor in either press is not to shift your body all over the place. Look around the gym and you'll see dudes trying to swim and flap their way through drips like salmon trying to get upstream. That's a no no. You wants your core through your legs to just drape down like a bunch of chains. Make your pressing muscles do the work.

I do NOT suggest going too heavy too early.

When I first started doing dips, I would go volume late in my pressing workout, and I'd hit sets of 30-45 no sweat. Sometimes there's a time and place for that.

Later I started doing 45 plates off a belt for that 8-12 range.

Neither is "wrong", both will grow you, however

good deep dips will introduce a lot of shoulder rotation. you want to have some serious experience and joint development before you start loading 6-8 rep levels of weight on your shoulders in a weird, structurally unsound rotated position.