How low do you go on dips

[thumpinos]

Reading a book by Stuart McRobert and he said that dips are safe as long as you don't go too low. How low do you have to go for them to be effective?

[MC]

I guess my question is "effective for what": Chest or tricep development?

I have shoulder problems so I don't go extremely low and I also can't lean far forward as you might see some people dipping. the lower you go and the more you lean forward, the more stress you place on the shoulders.

So: slightly leaning forward, down to about 90 degrees. This has helped my triceps and chest.

[T-Bone]

I probably go to nearly 90°. My shoulders are too tight to go much lower. People who have watched me tell me I'm going lower than I think.

[Soldier]

That sounds silly to me. As long as you keep your arms tucked (elbows back) you can go as low as your body will let you. I go until my hands are pretty much in my arm pits.

Another big thing though is keeping your legs tucked up to your abs. This makes your torso face more towards the ground and keeps it a chest and triceps movement, while also keeping your shoulders from getting in a bad position.

Good;




Bad;

[Kuytrider]

I found that my technique was messing up my shoulders. I have since altered it and probably go to 90 degrees or so where my triceps get ruined but my shoulders feel great
In the last pic Soldier posted, you can even see the stress on the shoulders, IMO it is quite noticeable.

[Shadowschmadow]

I don't even go down to 90 most of the time. It puts too much stress on my shoulder joint, and I've had this cause injuries in the past. I prefer not to risk it. I use dips for tricep work and leave exercises like bench to work the chest.

[Off Road]

I actually don't know how far down I go...no mirrors, partners, or video. I just go down as far as I can comfortably go and try to keep a slight forward lean. I think dips are the best lift for triceps and chest development, they will even work the shoulders to a good degree. Great lift!

[Soldier]

Originally Posted by Shadow

I don't even go down to 90 most of the time. It puts too much stress on my shoulder joint, and I've had this cause injuries in the past. I prefer not to risk it. I use dips for tricep work and leave exercises like bench to work the chest.

This actually makes sense if someone doen't feel confortable going low and wants an awesome tricep movement, similiar to board presses or doing overhead presses in the upper ROM. This would be super effective if you load it up and keep the reps low as the triceps usually respond well to lower reps and heavy loads.

Personally, I don't have shoulder issues so I use it as a chest and triceps movement and go super low.

[BigJosh]

In the past when I did dips, I always went until my upper arm was parallel with the ground. However, within the last 3 months, doing this caused shoulder pain and a minor shoulder injury. Soooo.....take that for what it is worth.

On a side note, which Stuart McRobert book are you reading?

[bigtim27]

Originally Posted by BigJosh

In the past when I did dips, I always went until my upper arm was parallel with the ground. However, within the last 3 months, doing this caused shoulder pain and a minor shoulder injury. Soooo.....take that for what it is worth.

On a side note, which Stuart McRobert book are you reading?

Last year I listened to a guy who told me I wasnt going low enough and as soon as i tried to go lower I trashed my shoulder. Listen to your own body!!!