Weighted Dips are an advanced variation of the Dips exercise that works the muscles of the triceps, chest, shoulders and arms. To perform them, you add extra weight to further challenge your muscles.
Being relatively difficult, weighted dips should only be done if you already have good upper body strength. If you're new to this move, try strengthening your chest muscles first to build strength. Whenever you're ready, follow the tips in this article to maximize your muscle gains with weighted dips!
What are weighted dips?
The dip is an exercise that primarily targets your chest, but it also activates the shoulders, triceps and abs. Depending on how you incline your body during the exercise, you can increase the chest or tricep load. This means that one exercise can be an effective way to bulk up and strengthen two different body parts.
Centered chest dips are performed on two parallel bars located approximately just outside of shoulder width. Dips centered on the triceps can also be performed on these bars, but it is more common to use two benches to elevate your feet and increase the level of resistance.
To do these weighted exercises, it is mainly enough to add weight to increase the difficulty of the movement by lifting heavier simply with your body!
In parallel, do not hesitate to read: What muscles are used by dips?
What are the benefits of weighted dips?
Weighted Dips can help strengthen your shoulder, back, triceps and lower back muscles. When done correctly, weighted dips can add muscle mass to your upper body. This exercise can also help you build your strength for other exercises like the bench press.
Another benefit of weighted dips is their ability to work opposing muscle groups at once. This is because chest dips are a closed kinetic chain exercise. With kinetic chain exercises, the hands or feet are pressed against a stationary surface: in this case, parallel bars.
These exercises are beneficial because they work multiple opposing muscle groups at the same time and isolate the muscles you are trying to work. Using a narrow grip with an upright torso helps keep your focus on your triceps, while a wider grip with your weight shifted forward targets your chest more.
In parallel, don't hesitate to read: Chair dips: advantages and how they work
What equipment do you need for weighted dips?
Weighted Dips are usually performed on a dip machine. These are sometimes called dip benches or parallel bars. Some gyms also have an assist machine, which uses weights to help push your body weight.
Other equipment you will need includes: a weighted belt, weight plates or a weighted vest. You can easily find this type of bodybuilding accessory on online fitness sites or in sports stores.
The weighted dips can easily be done at home, in a street workout place or even in the gym. Regarding the equipment to use, it all depends on your budget, but also on the quality of the training you want to enjoy: generally, athletes prefer weighted vests which are more practical and comfortable.
For maximum results: Top 7 exercises to perform with a weighted vest to build muscle
How to do weighted dips?
Movement
As with all strength exercises, the quality of the movement greatly impacts the effectiveness of the exercise. You must therefore focus on its execution in order to ooptimize your muscle gains, protect your joints and avoid injuries.
Follow these steps to do weighted dips safely and with proper form of movement:
- Start by wrapping your weighted belt around your waist or putting on your weighted vest.
- Hold onto the bars while holding your body at arm's length (arms and elbows straight and locked). Keep your head aligned with your trunk, your wrists aligned with your forearms.
- Inhale as you slowly begin to lower your body. Let your torso come forward slightly and your elbows flare out to the side.
- Once you feel a stretch in your chest, exhale and start pushing yourself slowly back to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement.
- Try to do 2-3 sets of no more than 10 reps. Rest several minutes between sets. If you're new to this exercise, you may want to do fewer reps and sets until you've built up your strength.
- Try to do these exercises two to three times a week. Give your body 48-72 hours of recovery time before repeating the exercise.
Also, to optimize your recovery as much as possible: Sports massage: everything you need to know!
Precautions
The weighted dips are an advanced exercise. Before trying this exercise, make sure you can perform at least 10 repetitions of chest curls easily. Otherwise, you may want to focus on increasing your upper body strength by continuing to perform exercises, such as chest or triceps dips, pull-ups, and push-ups.
Indeed, adding weight to a chest curl exercise before your upper body is strong enough can lead to injuries. Pay attention to the following tips to stay safe when performing weighted dips :
- Lean forward slightly into the movement to make sure the movement works your chest.
- Keep your head and neck stable as you lean forward during the movement.
- Make sure your elbows bend out to the side and not back as you move up and down.
- Try to keep your legs steady (they can be straight or with your knees bent) to help isolate the movement from your upper body
- Avoid doing weighted dips if you are pregnant or have an injury. Consult your doctor if you are unsure if this exercise is right for you.
Possible variants
A change to this exercise, you can try using a dumbbell instead of a belt, vest and weight plate. To do this, you hold a dumbbell firmly between your ankles. You can have someone place the dumbbell for you once you are in position on the dip bar, and then you will do the exercise as described above.
Another alternative is to use a backpack loaded with weights or other heavy objects. Always try to start and end each rep with your elbows locked. Your descent should take about two to three seconds, as the eccentric or downward phase of an exercise is where most muscle breakdown occurs.
Maximize this breakdown with a slow descent. Make sure your biceps are slightly below parallel to the ground in the bottom position, then explode again.
What resistance to choose for weighted dips?
To do your weighted dips, you have several options available to you: the weighted belt, the weighted vest, the weight bag or the plates. All allow you to weigh down your body in order to challenge you more.
This is because your body weight can sometimes be insufficient to progress over the long term: the load it places on your muscles is then fixed and it can be difficult to progressive overload. Our 50KG™ Military Weighted Vest offers adjustable resistance between 5 and 50 kg. Results ? You are progressing rapidly!
Much more comfortable than a weighted belt, this type of accessory is simply put on like a jacket. You won't even feel it while training thanks to the strong and comfortable velcro system . Its size adapts to all body types so you don't have to worry about which size to take: you should just focus on your physical performance !
In summary: Weighted dips
Weighted dips are a great way to progress when bodyweight exercises are no longer enough to challenge your muscles: this movement helps to strengthen the muscles of the upper body, mainly triceps and chest.
This is a very complete exercise, which allows you to obtain a homogeneous musculature. And above all, you develop real strength: your power is real, and not just aesthetic! To weight your dips, we recommend the 50KG Military Weighted Vest™, as it is the most effective way but also the most comfortable way to add extra resistance to your dips. So, ready to try weighted dips ?
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