According to Strong Lifts, a person need two dip bars to perform the routine. As per the publication, the bars should be parallel and stable. The exercise is done by grabbing the bars and jumping up, balancing oneself with locked elbows. Then, the arms are bent to lower the body, with the torso leaning slightly forward. After that, the person goes down further until the shoulder are below the elbows at the bottom. Then, the body is lifted up to the starting position by straightening the arms. The person balances with his shoulders over the hands, with the elbows locked.
Doing negatives can be done when a person lacks the strength in doing a single dip. This means that the way down on which the person is stronger is done, skipping the way up. Then, he grabs the dip bars, jumps up, and straightens his arms. The body is lowered slowly until the shoulders are below the elbows. Then, the feet are placed on the floor and the person jumps back on the dip bars with straight arms. A person can now do one dip when he can do ten negatives with proper form.
A person who is learning how to do dips should consider the following points for correct execution of the exercise. The hands should be placed under the shoulders and just outside the hips. The bars are held low hand near the wrists, using a full grip and squeezing the bars. Then, the forearms should be vertical from all angles, both during the downward and upward movement of the body. The elbows should be locked at the top and are tucked at 45 degrees st the bottom; they should not be flared and touch the torso to prevent injury, especially to the shoulder complex. Then, the chest is raised before lowering the body; in fact, they should be raised between repetitions at the top. The shoulders should be pushed back and down and they should not be rolled forward or shrugged.
In performing chest dips, the head should be in line with the torso; thus, the person should not look at the ceiling and should look at the floor in front instead. The torso should be slightly inclined to maintain balance, but it should be lowered forward while the person lowers himself. Then, the lower back should not be over-arched and the legs should be kept straight if high bars are used. The arms should be straight while the elbows are locked. On the way down, the person raises his chest as he takes a deep breath and bends his arms while leaning forward. He lowers his body until the shoulders are below the elbows. Then, he rises up by straightening the arms, without looking up. The shoulders should be kept down at this point. During the lockout, the arms should be kept straight, with the elbows lock, chest up, shoulders down, and head neutral. The person also inhales at the top, holds his breath on the way down, and exhales at the top again.
Many gyms have a dip station, where people can perform the exercise. In fact, some people also use the station for doing hanging knee raises and pullups. In addition, one can also do the exercise in the power rack if dip handles that fit in the safety pins are available. Dips should not be done between benches or rings, since doing so could injure the shoulder complex.
The dip stands as the king of the upper-body mass builder while the squats and deadlifts are the lead when it comes to lower body exercises, according to Body Building. While the exercise serves as a good routine to bulking up the upper body, just like the pull-up and the bench presses, dips should not be done by people who have shoulder injury history. It is because dips could put pressure on the shoulder joint, which could lead to a more serious problem.
