Weighted dips recruit a collection of your upper body muscles. They are difficult exercises to complete because they require you to lift your body weight, plus any additional weight that you attach to your body. Among the collection of muscles involved in completing dips is your chest muscle group. The type of dips you complete affects how your chest is used.
Chest Muscles
The major muscles in your chest consist of the pectoralis major, which has two separate heads, and your pectoralis minor, Get Body Smart reports. The two heads of the pectoralis major are the sternal and the clavicular. They both provide movement around your shoulder joint, but they differ in where they originate. The clavicular head assists in shoulder flexion, or the act of lifting your arm in front of you. The pectoralis minor provides movement at your scapula joint.
Dips
When you complete the weighted chest dip, the sternal component of your pectoralis major in your chest is the primary mover, meaning it's responsible for producing most of the force to complete the exercise, ExRx.net reports. The sternal head of the pectoralis major originates at the the top of your sternum and some of your ribs, and then fans out and attaches to the top of your humerus. In terms of location, the sternal head of the pectoralis major is often considered the lower chest muscles.
Additional Muscles
Other muscles assist in the weighted chest dip exercise, including the deltoid, triceps brachii, rhomboids, levator scapulae, latissimus dorsi and teres major. In addition, the clavicular head of your pectoralis major and pectoralis minor of your chest have roles. The clavicular head of your pectoralis major inserts at the top of your humerus but originates at the top of your clavicle. It's located above the sternal head of your pectoralis major and is often called your upper chest. The pectoralis minor originates on your rips and goes onto your scapula.
Impact of Technique
When you complete tricep dips with a more narrow pair of dip bars that cause your elbows to stay behind you instead of flaring out as you lower yourself down, your tricep's brachii muscles become the primary movers, ExRx.net reports. The sternal and clavicular heads of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor of your chest only contribute as synergists.
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