Dips and pushups are compound, multijoint upper body exercises that use only your body weight as the resistance. Dips are a more challenging exercise than pushups, but you can modify the exercise to make it easier. Both exercises work the same general muscle groups; however, they target those muscle groups differently.
Identification
Start a pushup with your hands flat on the floor and your legs extended behind you. Your arms should be straight with your wrists directly below your shoulders. Keep your hips in line with your body. Bend your elbows and lower yourself to the floor as one unit.
For dips, you need two parallel bars waist high or taller. Grab the bars and jump up, straightening your arms. Cross your ankles to stabilize your lower body. Bend your elbows, pointing them behind you, not to the sides, and lower your body until your elbows are bent at 90-degree angles.
Function
Dips and pushups work your chest, triceps and front shoulder muscles, but they emphasize each muscle group differently. The primary mover during a standard dip is your triceps, the muscles on the back of your upper arms. The chest and front shoulders are secondary movers. The primary mover during a standard pushup is your chest. The triceps and front shoulders are secondary movers. You can adjust your body position for dips and pushups to change the muscle emphasis.
Dip Modifications
Leaning forward during the dip exercise transfers the weight to your chest, making it the primary mover and your triceps the secondary movers. This is only possible when you perform the dip exercise on dip bars.
Chair or bench dips are an easier version of the dip exercise. Place your hands on the edge of a chair or bench and extend your legs out in front of you. From this position, you are only lifting part of your body weight. This dip modification targets your triceps; you cannot lean forward to change the muscle emphasis.
Pushup Modifications
During a standard pushup, you allow your elbows to flare out to the sides; this arm position targets your chest muscles. If you keep your upper arms tucked in close to your sides when you do a pushup, you transfer your weight to your triceps, making them the primary movers.
Dropping your knees to the floor makes the pushup exercise easier because you are pressing only part of your body weight. From this position, you can still change the muscle emphasis by adjusting your upper arms.
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