T Nation

DIPS

Bodybuilding
#1

This is definitely a newbie question but here goes, what is the proper form for dips?

I had made a nice progression on a seated dip machine, a Hammer machine, from 110# up to my body weight of 180# over the course about 2 months.

The first time I did them at the dip station, I hurt something in the front of my shoulder on the third set of 8’s. I was lowering myself under control until my armpits touched my wrists. Kind of a straight up & down motion.

I took 2 weeks off from during upper body work. It is amazing how many of the exercises I am doing use the shoulder in some fashion.

Then, after the time off, I did them with a more of a forward motion so that my body was in front of my fore arms and limited the bottom position to the point that my shoulders were just below my elbows. I definitely could have gone deeper.

This time I hurt something under my left collarbone, AAAGGGHHH.

The dips follow the flat bench and incline bench on my chest/tricep day. The only other thing I can think of was that I should warm-up at the seated dip machine first by during short sets of 95# and 135#.

Any advice would be appreciated.

#2

Are you stretching before working out?
If so, try using less weight and working up to what you’re using now.
How far apart are the bars on the dip station? I find that a wide dip station hurts me and I can dip for reps with 80 pounds attached to a dip belt.

#3

Part of the problem is that you’ve been usin a dip machine up until this point, so your stabilizers probably aren’t used to regular dips. On top of that, dips are an open-chain movement and machine dips are closed-chain (kinda like the diff. between chinups and pulldowns… it’s not exactly the same recruitment pattern). And I bet the machine is set at a different angle than the position real dips will put you in. Rest up, lower the volume, and work back up to whatever sets/reps you were using when you used the machine.

#4

Lose the machine and use the dip bars. Make sure you descend in a slow controlled manner. I have the same problem when I try that machine it puts me in a bad position.

#5

Sounds like you’re taking the motion too deep. You only need to go to upper-arm parellel to the floor. Work on some shoulder flexibility, and maybe back off a bit on the shoulder specific work, or put dips first.