Dips with assistance

[Crackerman]

Hi all,

i was wondering if there was anything wrong with doing dips with my feet positioned on a bench to take some of my bodyweight off.

At this stage i struggle to do 5 reps using my own weight.

I work out at home and plan to do this exercise using 2 chairs.

What is the correct ROM for this exercise and how far apart should i position the chairs?

Cheers

 

[mikeh]

No there is nothing wrong with this method.

However an alternative would be to use a decline bench.
You could decline bench and lift progressively until the last two
days of 5's then dip with the chairs. For negative dips you could do
a couple of dips then use your legs to lift yourself up then let your body
down slow (4 sec) . Repeat until you can't let yourself down slowly and your done.

You should be able to do 10 in no time . Good luck !!

Quote[/b] ]What is the correct ROM for this exercise and how far apart should i position the chairs?

As far as you can lower yourself "comfortably"I put my chin in my chest and lean a little
forward. I would position the close to your body with elbows out (you'll use less tri's)

 

[[xeno]Julios]

I lean forward and go all the way down, but i'm sure to be very careful at the bottom of the motion so as not to stress my shoulder joints. However this might not be a good idea (going all the way) - i've done 6 months of 5 RM to failure without problems tho. (When i quit HIT i was at bodyweight + 40 pounds on my dipping belt)

 

[Pauly]

Depth + weight can be a problem with dips. I naturally go quite deep, which is fine with lower weights, but as I got up to 5RMs, going as deep as I do has given my shoulders a bit of stick. Halfway through SD and they still hurt when I raise my hands over my head.

With dips, just be sure to look after your shoulders...

 

[imported_edziu]

I do my dips deep without any trouble, but only after experimentation with width.

I used to get shoulder aches; I presumed the widest grip setting was appropriate for me -- I'm 6'5". Eventually, I experimented, and found that the narrowest grip setting gives me no shoulder pain. My hands are in close to my hips, but I go just as deep as before.

My workout buddy is considerably shorter but has a different build, and has the same shoulder width as I. He is awkward and uncomfortable with the grips set narrow -- he needs them wide.

Find your groove!