What muscles do dips work?

Which muscles are used by dips? dips are incredibly effective, yet they are an exercise that easily gets overlooked in sports and strength workouts.

However, it is an excellent way to work daily chest, shoulders and arms. Whether you're in the gym, outdoors, or at home, there's always equipment you can use to do dips and incorporate them into your workout routine .

Plus, you can strengthen multiple upper body muscles with this simple exercise! In this article, we tell you all about the muscles solicited by the dips, as well as the possible variants to continue to progress continuously!

Muscles used by classic and pectoral dips

Tricep dips

The muscles solicited by traditional dips are the triceps. It’s even the best exercise to work these muscles! The anterior muscles of the shoulders are also worked, while the posteriors are not.

The pectoralis major, commonly corresponding to the pectorals, will also be targeted as a secondary muscle. Finally, the upper back muscles will also be activated to perform the exercise. The following muscles therefore act as synergists: the deltoids, the upper back and the chest.

The traps, abdominals and biceps are used to a lesser degree, and more like stabilizing muscles. Yes, the abs are well used during dips! As you move through the exercise, your core should be tight and engaged to keep your body straight and stable.

The same goes for your glutes, which are used for your stability and balance. Despite what you might think, many muscle groupsare therefore involved in tricep dips!

Do you want to gain muscle? Read our article about the weighted vest to gain strength and muscle.

Pectoral dips

There is a well-known variation of dips, which is the dips for the chest. What are the muscles involved in chest dips?

Not surprisingly, it is mainly the pectoralis major, with the lower trapezius in the role of the stabilizing muscle. The triceps are still working, but it's not the main muscle targeted.

This is a variation of the classic dips that emphasizes the chest by changing the location of the hands, their grip, as well as the movement performed. This is a great way to complement triceps strengthening with deep work on the chest muscles.

Also read: How to train to gain power with the weighted vest?

Muscles used by dips: Exercise guide

The execution of movements

How to do dips with proper execution form? One of the main reasons why people tend to shy away from dips is that they often do them incorrectly and therefore suffer from shoulder pain.

But if you perform the exercise correctly, the muscles solicited by the dips will not make you suffer, except for the muscle burn sought!

• Chest dips: Using parallel bars, pull yourself up so that your arms are fully extended down, wrists slightly behind your shoulders
  
  Make sure that your abs and glutes are contracted in order to stabilize your body from the swing. Bend your knees (you can cross your feet for more comfort). Lean your chest forward, about 30 degrees. Ideally, your body will form an L.
  
  As you descend into your dips, let your elbows flare out slightly. Continue until your shoulders are slightly lower than your elbows and you feel a slight stretch in your chest muscles. Return to starting position.
  
  
  
• Triceps dips: Using parallel bars, stand up so that your arms are fully extended down, wrists below your shoulders. Contract your abs and glutes to stabilize your body.
  
  Depending on your height, you can bend your knees and cross your feet for more comfort, but the ideal position is with your feet under your body. Keep your head and chest straight as you slowly lower your torso. Lower yourself as far as your shoulder flexibility allows.
  
  The ideal reach is until your upper arm is parallel to the floor. Do not go any lower, as this could lead to injury. Don't let your elbows flare out, keep your arms tight at your sides.
  
  

Tips for working the muscles better

To give the best results, the muscles used by the dips must be used in the right way. In addition, it is important to perform the movement well to avoid injury:

• Keep your chest forward: You may see some pec growth after doing dips for a while, but only if your form is correct.
  
  We recommend keeping your chest forward and up to avoid rounding your shoulders.
  
  Be aware of your shoulder position when completing the dip. If they are facing forward, they are working instead of your pectorals.

• Stay straight: Too often people break form and tip their body backwards in the upswing phase of the exercise.
  
  But doing this isn't just bad for your shoulders, it's also bad for your balance. You want to stay stable, which means keeping your torso upright throughout the exercise.
  
  
  
• Keep the shoulder blades down: Another mistake is not keeping the shoulder blades down during dips. As you tire, your shoulders may want to pull up, pushing your traps closer to your ears.
  
  Don't let your body do it. Push your shoulder blades down and keep them down as you complete your reps.
  
  

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Muscles used by dips: Possible variations

When bodyweight exercise is too difficult

Some beginners may not yet have the strength to support their body weight on the parallel bars In this case, the bench dips are a great way to enjoy the benefits of dips while gradually gaining strength. And the muscles used by bench dips are the same, they will simply be worked less intensely.

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You can perform bench dips by placing your hands on a bench and placing your feet on a stable support in front. Thus, it takes a lot of the weight off the legs. While keeping your legs straight, raise yourself up until your arms are fully extended. Then lower yourself until your shoulders are slightly stretched.

As with other forms of dips, you can accentuate the work on your pecs by leaning forward, or you can emphasize the triceps work keeping your body straight throughout the exercise.

As your strength increases, you can increase your resistance to exercise by placing weight plates on your knees. Over time, your strength will increase enough for you to perform normal dips!

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When bodyweight exercise is too easy

The resistance you use when dipping is provided by your body weight. As you gain strength, you will likely need more resistance than the sheer weight of your body alone. The solution to this problem? Use a weighted vest!

The Military weighted vest load 50KG™ from Super-Human Fitness allows you to add up to 50kg of extra weight thanks to 12 loading pockets to evenly distribute this weight. It allows you to intensify workouts at hometo improve your sports performance. The size adapts to all body types and the Velcro system guarantees excellent support for the vest: it accompanies you in all your movements.

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Hyper resistant, the materials have been chosen among the strongest  so that this weighted vest resists wear and the passage of time. You will finally be able to effectively work the muscles solicited by the dips and achieve real muscular progress.