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The
dip should be a staple of any complete strength
and muscle-building routine. It's one of the best
upper-body movements you can do. But what do you
do if you don't have dipping bars in your gym?
Are you doomed to miss out on all the incredible
benefits this exercise has to offer? Not anymore.
Just
because you don't have dipping bars in your gym
doesn't mean you can't do dips. In fact, the dipping
set-up I'm going to show you is much more versatile
even than bars that are built specifically for
the exercise!
In
order to use this technique, all you will need
is a power rack and two Olympic bars. That's it.
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First, set
the safety rails in the rack to approximately
chest height. Now set two Olympic bars on
top of the safety rails about 18 inches
apart and voila! You've got a dip station.
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| You
can choose to set the bars perfectly parallel
or set them in a V-shape (I prefer a V-shape
for best results). |
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But
the functionality of this set-up doesn't end with
it just being a simple dip station. You can take
your dipping to a whole new level with the following
techniques:
1. Partial Dips
Instead
of setting the safety rails at chest level, set
them at just above waist level. When you are standing
in between the bars, you will notice that you
only have a few inches in the top range of motion
in the exercise now.
The
partial top-range dip is excellent if you are
just beginning with dips and need to build up
strength or if you are an advanced trainer doing
heavy partials with extra weight (either on a
hip belt or with a dumbell between your feet).
Instead of climbing up onto something or using
an elaborate set-up to do partials all you need
to do is adjust the height of the safety rails!
For
more information on partial training, read "Partial
Training For Full-Powered Results."
2. Negative Dips
The
negative dip is very useful for building up strength
in all levels of trainer from beginner to advanced.
If you are a beginner and have trouble doing full
reps with your bodyweight, you can almost always
at least lower yourself down under control. If
you are an advanced trainer, add some weight to
yourself and do heavy negatives!
Set
the safety rails somewhat lower than your waist
so that your arms are straight when you're in
a standing position. Set your hands on the bar
then bend your knees, lifting your feet off the
ground. Lower yourself to the ground slowly until
you are either kneeling on the floor or until
you have lowered as far as you can safely go.
Stand up, set your hands on the bar and repeat
the movement.
For
more information on negative training, read "How
to Do Negative Training Without A Training Partner"
3. Incline and Decline Dips
These
unique variations are only possible using the
Power Rack Dip set-up. To do the incline and decline
dip, set one safety rail higher than the other
then set the bars on top. The one rail can range
from being only a few inches higher to as much
as a foot or more. The higher the other bar, the
more challenging the exercise will be.
Set
the bars parallel to each other on the rails for
this variation. The collars on the higher ends
of the Olympic bars should be braced up against
and hooked onto the safety rails so that the bars
don't slide as you're doing the exercise. You
can even put weight plates on the ends to ensure
they don't go anywhere.
To
do incline dips, set yourself so that you are
facing the higher end of the bars. In this variation,
gravity will not only be pushing you down but
also pushing you backwards. This places more tension
on the triceps because you not only have to push
yourself up, you have to also constantly push
yourself forward to keep from falling backwards.
To
do decline dips, all you have to do is face the
other way. Turn around and face the lower ends
of the bars. Now the stress on the triceps is
different because you must constantly lean back
to keep from falling forward. Leaning back during
the dip is a great way to increase tricep involvement--this
version forces you to do it.
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This places
more tension on the triceps because you
must constantly be pushing forward with
them as well as up to keep from falling
backwards.
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Set yourself
back down on the ground, turn around and
do the same thing back down in decline dips.
It will be a little easier to move yourself
forward because you won't be climbing in
altitude. Don't let that fool you, though.
Remember, you'll have to catch yourself
each time you move forward!
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4. Travelling Incline and Decline
Dips
This
is the most challenging version of the dip. You
must have very good dipping strength in order
to properly do this movement.
Start
with the incline dip. Set yourself up at the very
low end of the bars, facing the top. Lower yourself
into the bottom of the dip then push yourself
explosively up and slightly forward. You should
end up slightly higher on the bars. Repeat the
movement, shifting yourself a little higher with
each explosive rep until you get to the very high
end of the bars.
This
places more tension on the triceps because you
must constantly be pushing forward with them as
well as up to keep from falling backwards.
Set yourself back down
on the ground, turn around and do the same thing
back down in decline dips. It will be a little easier
to move yourself forward because you won't be climbing
in altitude. Don't let that fool you, though. Remember,
you'll have to catch yourself each time you move
forward!
Catching
yourself on each rep is exactly like doing plyometrics
for your triceps (Note: plyometric exercise is
basically catching yourself then explosively pushing
back up again. For example, when you jump up in
the air, land, then jump back up again, that's
a plyometric movement. Plyometric exercises are
very effective for building explosive strength
and power.). Repeat this procedure all the way
back down to the bottom of the bars. If you're
still feeling good, try and go back up and down
again.
Travelling
Incline and Decline Dips will build tremendous
explosive power in the pushing muscles of the
upper body. Not only are you doing explosive movements
on the way up, you're doing plyometric movements
on the way down. This can translate into dramatic
improvements in exercises such as the bench press.
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With
the information in this article, it's time to
unleash your upper body strength and muscle mass
potential. The dip is one of the all-time great
upper body exercises. Work it hard and you will
be guaranteed results!
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