The funds in parallel, also known as Dips of chest, are an excellent alternative to the press in declined bench, let’s see how it is done correctly plus some training tips.
As I was saying, this is a great exercise, but keep in mind that it requires some core strength and is therefore not recommended for beginners.
Performed the exercise with the body vertical and with the elbows close to the sides, the funds in parallel work mainly the triceps, but if the exercise is done leaning forward and with the elbows open it becomes a chest exercise.
Most gyms have parallel bars for Dips, they can even have access to the bars that form a V.
Try both if you have the opportunity, and see which one you are most comfortable with, especially in the shoulder joint.
HOW TO PERFORM DIPS OR BACKGROUNDS IN PARALLEL?
- Standing between the bars. Hold on to the parallel bars with your arms outstretched and locked.
- Lean forward, slightly bending your knees and crossing your legs (or keep them together if you prefer, it does not affect in this case).
- Keep your elbows sideways as you lower your body, falling until your triceps are practically parallel to the ground.
- With the bars well gripped begin to press upwards until the arms are fully extended again.
Muscles involved
- The main muscles are the pectoralis major (bottom), triceps, deltoid (anterior), and pectoralis minor.
- Secondary muscles requested include the serratus anterior, the coracobrachial, and the subscapular.
TIPS FOR PERFORMING CHEST DIPS
The further forward the chest is tilted during exercise, the more the lower fibers of the pectorals will be used. Conversely, the more vertical the trunk, the more the triceps brachii intervenes. If you can lift your ankles towards your buttocks, you will see that you will naturally lean more forward.
As they go down, the elbows should move back, away from the trunk.
This exercise is excellent for stretching the pectoralis major and for working on the flexibility of the shoulder girdle. However, this is not recommended for beginners as it requires a lot of initial strength.
Don’t get too low on the bars or you may hurt your shoulders. However, the lower you can safely go, the more the outer pectorals will benefit.
If you are a beginner, use a guided machine to familiarize yourself with the movement.
To develop more strength and also more size, athletes who use this movement can wear a weight belt, or hang a weight on their legs.
The position of the head is critical. Keep your head down close to your chest. This position optimizes the recruitment of the chest muscles and minimizes the involvement of the triceps.
CAUTION WARNING FOR THIS EXERCISE
This is a great exercise for the lower chest, but it is very demanding on the shoulders, even if done in a well-controlled way and without touching the bottom.
If you have had shoulder problems in the past, and it still bothers you, no matter how careful you are, forget about performing Dips.
However, although they may not be able to perform the exercise safely on the parallel bars, they may still be able to do the machine version, it only remains to try, but yes, at the slightest sensation of pain abandon this exercise.