Dips develop a group of your upper body muscles. To complete dips, stand in between a set of dip bars and grip each bar with your hands. Keep your hips straight as you pick your body up by extending your arms to get to the starting position. Lower your body down by bending your elbows. Force your elbows to go straight back instead of allowing them to flare out to the side.
Major Muscle Groups
According to ExRx.net, dips primarily recruit your triceps brachii muscle. Other muscles assist throughout the movement. These include your anterior deltoid, which is the front of your shoulder muscle, your pectoralis major and minor, which are the major muscles in your chest, your rhomboids and levator scapulae, located in the back near your scapula and your latissimus dorsi, the largest muscle in your back. Your biceps brachii and lower trapezius are recruited as stabilizers throughout the movement.
Muscle Actions
Your triceps brachii muscle in each arm extends your elbow joint. As you push yourself up, the triceps extend the elbows. As you lower yourself back down, it's your triceps that control the bending of your elbow so that you don't fall toward the floor. The anterior portion of your deltoid flexes your shoulder joint. The pectoralis major muscles and latissimus dorsi contribute by adducting your shoulder joints. This means these muscles bring your arms closer to center as you press up during the dip. Both your rhomboids and levator scapulae are smaller muscles that work to control the movement of your scapula as your shoulder joint moves.
Significance of Hand Placement
In addition to dip bars, some fitness facilities may offer chest dip bars. These bars are wider. This causes you to complete a greater amount of shoulder adduction. As a result, during chest dips, your pectoralis major muscle becomes the primary mover while your triceps brachii joints assist.
Effective and Considerations
According to the American Council on Exercise, dips are among its top 10 exercises. Those who are unable to lift their entire body weights in order to complete dips can instead perform bench dips. Sit on the edge of a bench with your legs extended out in front of you. Position your hands at the edge of the bench on either side of your hips. Slide your hips forward so that they clear the bench and then bend your elbows to lower your hips down to the floor.
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