Bench dips

[qbkilla]

Wondering why more people don't do these for tris as opposed to parallel bar which target the chest more. I feel like bench dips really hit the back part of the tricep aka long head which is what most people neglect. A guy at the gym with a skinny frame but great Tris swears by then, he says he does 100 a day using the grease the groove method aka just get them in, doesn't have to be while at the gym. Obvious cons are shoulder health and it's hard to overload them. I feel like when I started lifting I'd see people doing them now it's 100% bar dips. One dip machine at my gym you kind of push back vs straight down and I definitely feel a better triceps contraction. I've also seen people push down behind their body on the leg pads of the assisted chin and dip machine to simulate the movement.

 

[Heath82]

If you workout alone it’s hard to add weight… and like you said shoulder issues. But it’s a great movement

 

[Sixfoottwo]

I guess because there are a gazillion ways of hitting your triceps. Like you said, overloading on it sucks unless you have a training partner. You take up 2 benches which sucks as well in a crowded gym. Once you get strong I can imagine it hurting the shoulders quite bad unless you do light weight and hit I dunno, 50 reps or so.

As you can see I don't do them either haha. I love chest dips between the parallel bars tho. Since getting relatively strong on them my chest and triceps grow nicely as well.

 

[cage99]

Both kill my shoulders now but bench dips make them hurt worse. If that wasn’t the case I’d utilize them.

Cage

 

[Big Vin]

Blew my right tricep out doing those. 4 plates on my lap. Complete re-attachment surgery for one...and PRP for the other. No thanks!

 

[TheOtherOne55]

because its very difficult to add LOAD...
No one is doing these with BW and its ridiculously hard to add weight to this.

 

[Maelstrom]

Bench dips are a great old school exercise you rarely see anymore. I used to work up to 70-80kg on them, but I like them as a high rep finisher with 20kg these days.

 

[buck]

I find they put the shoulder in a very poor position for stability. Mostly all triceps are used. I am sure small skinny guys can get away with doing them more. I quit doing them 30 years ago as there were far better ways to get growth then twisting my shoulder into an unnatural position.

 

[lookslikesausage]

I've pretty much given up on all versions of the Dip. These tired old shoulders don't cooperate with Dips anymore. I do however like Hoist's Roc-It Dip and also Nautilus X-Pload's plate-loaded Dip machine felt pretty good.

 

[alfresco]

The triceps muscles, in order to achieve complete contraction, your elbow / arm must be past / behind midline of your torso. That is what makes this exercise so triceps intensive, it forces that to occur. And if you observe your triceps in the extended position you will see your triceps in a new light, standing out in bold relief. But it does / can, come with a cost as many have rightfully noted.

(It is my understanding that the Chinese ‘language’ has the same or a very similar symbol for opportunity and danger.)

Triceps kickbacks are another of the few exercises that can achieve that contraction but it is an exercise that is regularly dismissed as being of little to no value but in fact it has great value properly performed and integrated into your arm routine.

 

[fisther69]

The JM press exist

 

[lookslikesausage]

The JM press exist

I don't think this is a great movement for all body types, despite their popularity. I know many will disagree and that powerlifters swear by it (particularly Dave Tate) but I just don't think it's optimal for the very long-armed. Let me explain. In my own case, if I use a bar and lower to my forehead while being supine, my elbow probably only reaches around 90 degrees. I get so little stretch, particularly in the Long Head. I feel it almost exclusively in my elbow joint and not enough in the muscles of the triceps. For the exercise to be effective for me, I either need to go behind my head (the force curve gets funky doing this with a bar) or simply use DBs or KBs in order to go "past" my head. In the case of JM Presses, it's the same deal except these make my elbows feel like they're going to explode.

Now, another popular Westside favorite, the Rolling DB Tricep Extension, I've had better luck with this movement.

 

[fisther69]

I don't think this is a great movement for all body types, despite their popularity. I know many will disagree and that powerlifters swear by it (particularly Dave Tate) but I just don't think it's optimal for the very long-armed. Let me explain. In my own case, if I use a bar and lower to my forehead while being supine, my elbow probably only reaches around 90 degrees. I get so little stretch, particularly in the Long Head. I feel it almost exclusively in my elbow joint and not enough in the muscles of the triceps. For the exercise to be effective for me, I either need to go behind my head (the force curve gets funky doing this with a bar) or simply use DBs or KBs in order to go "past" my head. In the case of JM Presses, it's the same deal except these make my elbows feel like they're going to explode.

Now, another popular Westside favorite, the Rolling DB Tricep Extension, I've had better luck with this movement.

If your elbows feel that way then you are using more weight than you can handle

 

[Dens228]

I don't think this is a great movement for all body types, despite their popularity. I know many will disagree and that powerlifters swear by it (particularly Dave Tate) but I just don't think it's optimal for the very long-armed. Let me explain. In my own case, if I use a bar and lower to my forehead while being supine, my elbow probably only reaches around 90 degrees. I get so little stretch, particularly in the Long Head. I feel it almost exclusively in my elbow joint and not enough in the muscles of the triceps. For the exercise to be effective for me, I either need to go behind my head (the force curve gets funky doing this with a bar) or simply use DBs or KBs in order to go "past" my head. In the case of JM Presses, it's the same deal except these make my elbows feel like they're going to explode.

Now, another popular Westside favorite, the Rolling DB Tricep Extension, I've had better luck with this movement.

I love JM press but aim the bar towards my chin. To my forehead I'd view it more as a partial lying tricep extension.

 

[bornonthebayou]

i love them. There are old school set ups with the arm parts on the side with the middle being empty, which allow the body to move more naturally in the reps. basically picture a dip bar with a set up for your legs to be supported out. i built my tri's on this lift. get someone to put 45's on your lap and strip them off as you burn out.if no one can help you just use a db on your lap.

 

[qbkilla]

i love them. There are old school set ups with the arm parts on the side with the middle being empty, which allow the body to move more naturally in the reps. basically picture a dip bar with a set up for your legs to be supported out. i built my tri's on this lift. get someone to put 45's on your lap and strip them off as you burn out.if no one can help you just use a db on your lap.

Would love to have an apparatus like this. Would take a lot of the stress off shoulder joint compared to bench dips imo.

 

[Gravyv]

For me its due to shoulder issues and its why I don't do two arm db tricep presses anymore either. Over time I've stopped doing certain exercises if I'm feeling it doing more damage than good. I feel bodyweight skullcrushers are just as good with less stress on the shoulders. I can adjust the tension depending on where I want to do them, (bench, smith, or trx straps).

 

[lookslikesausage]

I love JM press but aim the bar towards my chin. To my forehead I'd view it more as a partial lying tricep extension.

I also aimed to my chin when I tried them but the pressure on my elbows was too much.

 

[lookslikesausage]

If your elbows feel that way then you are using more weight than you can handle

I've done empty and it feels ok but not as effective as a straight up kettlebell extension. as soon as I put tens on each of the bar my elbows feel like they're going to explode. I understand the ROM for this compared to a lying extension is going to be much smaller but between a reduced ROM and the load I probably need for the exercise to be viable, it just doesn't seem like a good match. Christian Thibaudeau did a nice video about different levers and the most effective movements for each bodypart.