Bodyweight Dips or Weighted Dips for Assistance?

I know dips are supposed to be used after the supplemental lift and as assistance with usually just body weight. If it is easy to rep out 20-plus with bodyweight is it alright to add dips weighted as assistance for lower reps?

I can hit 70 reps in a set and I tend to stick with bodyweight dips. Bodyweight dips tend to have a different training effect, in that they beat up your joints a lot less compared to strapping weight on.

Okay I might just stick to doing 3 sets at Max reps with the 20% drop off each set Wendler talks about

I second what pwn said. I’ve found bodyweight dips help with tricep endurance and size more so than weighted and help push through bench and ohp plateaus. All I’ve ever gotten out of weighted dips are being better at weighted dips

I use a 60 pound vest and typically do 60-75 dips with it across 5-6 sets. When I do body-weight dips I can hit 20-30 reps a set. I say mix it up - one week do weighted for 50 reps, the next week do 75-100 without weights. Make sure the reps are controlled and done with a purpose.

Someday you will learn that not everything in training is “Sophie’s Choice”. You can do both.

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