Dips: Triceps and Chest

Enhancing Triceps and Chest with Dips for a Defined Physique

Ready to elevate your triceps and pecs to new heights? How about amplifying size and boosting strength simultaneously? It's time to target your triceps and lower pectoral muscles with a diverse array of dips!

This compound exercise not only amplifies triceps size but also fortifies your pecs, shoulders, and arms. Dips serve as an exceptional resistance training regimen, reinforcing the front of the upper body, including the shoulders, chest, and arms.

In essence, dips comprise three fundamental components:

1.   Grab your bars with your palms facing inward and your arms straight.

2.   Slowly lower until your elbows are at right angles, ensuring they stay tucked against your body and don't flare out.

3.   Drive yourself back up to the top and repeat.

To hit your triceps: keep upright with elbows tucked in.

To hit your chest: lean forward and let your elbows flare out slightly.

Dips: How to Perform

Seated Triceps Dips

1. Stand with your back facing a bench or chair, holding on to it for support if required. Keep your body straight and stiff and adjust yourself so that you can rest your heels on the edge of the bench or chair. Let go of it when you feel comfortable.

2. Slowly bend your arms and lower yourself, bending your knees if you need support to keep your balance. When your elbows reach a ninety-degree angle, push yourself back up again. Repeat the same movement for your desired repetitions.

For more resistance, place a weight on your lap or wear a backpack with books in it while doing this exercise.

Tips for Executing Effective Tricep Dips

1. Make sure you keep your thighs still throughout the movement, don't swing them to aid you on the upstroke. If the balance is a problem, have some support nearby so that you can hold on to it until you are strong enough not to need it. Otherwise, try performing the exercise on a bench or stool.

2 . Make sure to keep your back straight and shoulders back throughout the movement. You will place unnecessary strain on your lower back if you lean forward.

3. Keep the elbows close to the sides of your body, don't let them flare outwards to the sides, or they will receive too much strain.

4 . As mentioned earlier in the article, if this exercise is too strenuous for you at first, try it with your knees bent and your feet placed on a stool. This will allow you to build strength and balance before progressing to total tricep dips.

5 . Never perform this exercise to failure; always leave 1 or 2 reps left in the tank. Your arms will fatigue after about 12 or so repetitions, and it can cause damage if you continue any further.

Tips for Seated Chest dips

1 . Try to keep your body rigid throughout the exercise; avoid swaying forward or backwards while performing this movement. Also, make sure that you keep your knees straight and don't let them flare outwards; stay close to the bench at all times. If the balance is a problem, place some support nearby so that you can hold on to it until you are strong enough not to need it.

2 . Make sure your palms remain parallel to the ground while doing this exercise; do not let them shift inwards or outwards. You may find that eventually, your body weight will cause your hand to slip off the edge of the bench; if so, place something like a folded towel or foam pads on the edge so that you have a good grip.

3 . Keep your shoulders back and down, do not let them shrug up towards your ears while performing this exercise. Again, if balance is an issue, keep some support nearby so that you can hold on to it until you are strong enough not to need it.4. Make sure you're not bending your legs and letting them flare out to the side. Keep them straight and stay close to the bench at all times. Again, if the balance is an issue, place some support nearby so that you can hold on to it until you are strong enough not to need it.

4 . Do not let the elbows flare out to the sides, or they will take too much strain. Keep them close to your body, don't place stress on your shoulder joints by letting them droop out wide in toward the side of your body.

5. Do not lockout at the top of the movement. Locking out releases tension – that’s not what we want.

6. You do not want to go too “low” with your range of motion. This will place added stress on your pecs and shoulders.

Alternative ways to perform Tricep dips

This exercise is undoubtedly one of the most effective triceps building exercises. It offers you a straightforward way to have well-developed triceps.

The exercise can be performed with or without weight by using an elevated surface to bring your hands above the ground or placing your hands on two chairs.

Here are a few variations:

1- Tricep dips with your hands on two chairs

This exercise will lead to more solo work of the triceps and lower resistance. In all cases, use weight if you want to get results. You can add some weight by placing a dumbbell on your knees or the outside of both legs. You can also use a barbell to add weight by placing it on your thighs.

2- Tricep dips with your hands on an elevated surface

Place your hands in front of you, bend your legs, and lean forward. This exercise offers more excellent resistance, and there is no need to add weights when performing it, but if you want to increase resistance, you can hold a weight plate, as shown in the picture below.

3- Tricep dips with your hands behind you

Put your body weight on the palms of your hands and bend your elbows until they are at a 90 degrees angle. This exercise offers more excellent resistance but is less effective for building mass because it is unilateral.

4- Box Tricep dips using a large sturdy wooden box as support.

Chest dips

Get in the "top position" of a dip with your palms facing forward, arms bent and shoulders directly above your hands. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your stomach muscles tight and maintain straight arms. Lower yourself down to an imaginary partner's chest by bending your elbows out to the side. Your body should form a V shape. Push yourself up by straightening your arms. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Dips: Reps/sets

Ideal reps range for these are 15-20. However, you can adjust the number of agents based on your strength and ability.

The goal here is to increase the amount of weight added for more resistance over time without sacrificing form or gaining bad form.

Ideal sets for tricep dips -3 for basic/beginner, 5-8 for average, 9-12 advanced

Final words

-Chest dips help build your chest muscles by working on all three heads of the pectoralis major (the chest muscle). Perform it at the end of your workout to allow for proper recovery.

-For Tricep dips, place your feet slightly forward during this exercise, putting more work on the triceps and less on the chest.

-To increase the intensity of tricep dips, work with a partner and have them add weight to your ankles. This will force you to stabilize yourself by engaging your core and help you further develop your triceps.

-Maximize this workout with a high protein meal that contains essential amino acids shortly after you finish.

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