Weighted dips

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Cuchulain82, Dec 31, 2007.

  1. Cuchulain82

    Cuchulain82 Custodia Legis

    I was, until very recently, under the impression that dips were great. I put tons of weight on, did dips, and felt it like crazy. Recently, however, I've felt it in a bad way.

    You see, I was doing 100 lb dips, 5x8, as usual. I did them and, the next day, my shoulder felt funny. It felt somewhat... loose. I tried not to think about it, but the next time I did dips, I felt really strange.

    Recently I have gone lighter- as little as bodyweight, as much as 25 lbs. Has anyone else had problems with weighted dips? Injury, shoulder pain, etc.?
     
  2. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    I used to do a lot of them... though nothing as heavy as 100lb... the most I'd do were sets (3X6) of around 15kg. The thing I noticed... is that it's easy to tweak a shoulder. The movement with weight can be problematic for the very shallow shoulder joint. Most people never spend any time working their rotator cuff and preparing the posterior side of their shoulder... so I really think most people are at risk when doing them... even more weighted.

    I've not done them in a while as I've been off the weights due to other training... but I'd do them again... but it really takes keen attention to form and the range of motion (eg. how deep your going). All of that connective tissue in the shoulder is rather delicate.
     
  3. dbowles

    dbowles New Member

    Agree 100% ^^^

    Dips put a lot of stress on the shoulders, and even in healthy shoulders they can cause issues. If you feel any pain doing them stop immediately. If you have any history of an injured shoulder I would highly advise against doing them.

    I would also say that doing weighted dips to the extent you have been doing them is far more detrimental than beneficial. I think you should stop doing dips for a while and maybe even do some shoulder rehab. Replace dips with close grip bench, pull downs, or skull crushers (lying triceps extension).

    I'm not against dips, it is a great exercise, but the risk of injury is fairly high.
     
  4. Fighter4Higher

    Fighter4Higher Dark man of the unknown

    Props on being able to do dips with so heavy a weight + bodyweight :cool:

    but I"d go with the advice stated above.
     
  5. TMA

    TMA Valued Member

    You do need to pay close attention to form and speed of movement, performing them in a slow controlled manner on the way down, rather than quickly pumping out reps as this is what puts your shoulders at risk. If performed correctly they are a great exercise
     
  6. narcsarge

    narcsarge Masticated Whey

    Go with what Slip advises. I absolutely love dips but I also work my shoulders hard and never work dips and shoulders on the same day.
     
  7. Davey Bones

    Davey Bones New Member

    Experiment with different hand positions. I find that if my hands are too close to my body, my shoulder feels funny, but if I spread them a bit it relieves any odd sensations and just works the muscles properly.
     
  8. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    At what point is it a good idea to start weighted dips? I currently do unweighted ones twice a week with a session being 10, 10, 9, 8, 7. Should I keep doing unweighted ones and build up higher numbers or is it about time to start adding weigh?
     
  9. dbowles

    dbowles New Member

    Start by easing into it ( 5 maybe 10 pounds), and be sure that your form is great, and you have your hands in the right place. And like domino and TMA said, find the right hand position, and stay controlled in the movement.
     
  10. mai tai

    mai tai Valued Member

    dont go to deep....i think arm at paralel is fine....anything lower turns it from a great mass builder to a shoulder wrecker
     
  11. narcsarge

    narcsarge Masticated Whey


    Bump.

    When you add weight, try for 3 sets of 10reps. If you can do that easily then add a bit more. W/ 25lbs my reps are 10, 8, 6. Once I get 3 sets of 10, I will add 5 more lbs and start over...
     
  12. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    i've been doing weighted dips for a while, think I may be giving them a break after reading this, coupled with the slight problems I had with my shoulder to the end of last year, also problems with my wrists I think have come mostly from this.

    I have a history of shoulder problems after 2 car crashes, so it may be time for me to give this exercise a rest.
     
  13. Another Muay Thai Guy

    Another Muay Thai Guy Valued member

    I've always done them and loved them. I was getting up to doing an upper set of BW+50-60kg about nine months or so ago. Then I think I just hit it too hard and injured my costal cartilage quite badly. Couldn't do dips even remotely for over six months, and only recently managed to get back into them without pain. I've built them back up to BW+30kg now but am going to make sure I take them much easier now. Just thought I'd chuck it in there as most people seem to have shoulder trouble with them. Any pain in the sternum area, stop.
     
  14. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Yeah injuries to the intercostal muscles , sternum or ribs take ages to heel. Most people injure them... train that area again to soon, injure them again and then have to spend even more time away. One place on the body you definitely have to listen to when it speaks.
     
  15. Cuchulain82

    Cuchulain82 Custodia Legis

    Thanks for all the replies. I've taken some of the advice to hear- more limited range of motion, less weight, etc. The motion has become one that is less about mass and more about power generated (as in, how much "pop" I can get off of the starting point).
     
  16. Colucci

    Colucci My buddies call me Chris.

    That bold part...does that mean you added weight for the exercise, or you recently added bodyweight onto yourself. (Too many frappachinos to stay awake studying all that legalese?) ;)

    If it's the latter, bodyweight exercises are very sensitive to any added bodyweight. A few pounds here or there, muscle or not, can play havoc with the reps you get, as well as your technique.

    Was the 5x8 w/ 100 pounds a PR? (you big, strong so-and-so) If so, that would lend itself to the answer.

    Bodyweight dips are one of the small handful of exercises that completely kills my bad shoulder, almost regardless of the ROM. Interestingly, I can tweak machine dips so that they're more tolerable. Primarily by using a push-up-type/fingers facing forward grip. If you have the option, give it a shot (lightish, moderate rep to test tolerance.)

    Just watch it with any dynamic reversal of motion, especially from an extreme stretch position, like the bottom of a dip. With a borderline-plyometric technique like that, you might be best served using a progressive ROM. Start relatively shallow, and gradually increase depth, instead of adding weight/reps to make sure you build adequate strength in that stretched position.
     

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