Weighted Dips
Weighted dips are an intense variation of classic dips, where additional weight is used to increase the resistance. They primarily target the chest muscles, triceps, and front shoulders. Compared to regular dips, they offer a greater challenge, making them especially suitable for advanced athletes looking to achieve more muscle growth and strength. The extra weight is often added using a weight belt with weight plates or kettlebells.
Weighted dips are a great addition or progression from classic dips and can also serve as an alternative to bench press, providing a different angle to work the upper body.
Necessary equipment
Weighted Dips - the correct execution
- Start in support
- Press your shoulders down
- Bend your elbows at least 90 degrees and lower yourself towards the floor
- Keep permanent tension in torso and buttocks
- Stretch your arms and press back into support
- Work in the largest possible range of motion
- As an alternative to the weight belt, you can also use a weight vest or clamp a dumbbell between your thighs
The exercise Weighted Dips is intended to be used as a hypertrophy exercise.
Which muscles are trained by Weighted Dips?
Primary trained muscles for Weighted Dips
Chest - The pectoralis major muscle is the large muscle on your chest. It helps you bring your arm towards your body and rotate it inward.
Secondary trained muscles for Weighted Dips
Triceps - The triceps brachii muscle is located at the back of your upper arm. It extends your arm at the elbow and also helps move the arm backward.
Front Delts - The front part of the deltoid muscle, also known as the anterior shoulder, is located at the front of the shoulder. It is primarily involved in the forward movement of the arm, such as lifting the arm forward. It also assists in the internal rotation of the arm. This muscle is engaged in activities that involve lifting objects in front of the body or pushing forward.
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Similar exercises to Weighted Dips
Dips on the Parallel Bars
Parallel Bar Dips are an effective exercise for building strength and muscle mass, particularly in the chest and triceps area. They are well-suited for training with additional weight, such as a weight vest or dip belt. Although parallel bar dips require less stabilization than Ring Dips, they are ideal for anyone looking to specifically build muscle mass and strength.
Weighted Ring Dips
Weighted ring dips are an advanced variation of classic dips, where the additional weight significantly increases intensity. This exercise primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps, with the instability of the rings often meaning that less weight can be managed compared to dips on parallel bars. However, many trainees feel their chest muscles working more intensely when training on rings. In addition to regular ring dips, Bulgarian ring dips offer another challenging ring dip variation.
Negative Dips with gym rings
Negative dips on the rings focus on eccentric loading, where you lower yourself in a controlled manner. This phase intensely engages the chest, shoulders, and triceps and can lead to muscle soreness. Negative dips are an ideal preparatory exercise for ring dips.
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