Dips are incredible for constructing robust, sleeve-stretching arms and have typically been known as squats for the higher physique. They hammer the triceps and problem your anterior delts and your chest. However let’s be sincere—not everybody can or ought to do dips and that’s why we’ve created an inventory of dip options that also goal all of the muscle groups a traditional dip train hit.
When you’ve ever felt a pointy twinge in your shoulders whereas performing dips, struggled to take care of good type, or don’t have entry to dip bars. Dips will be unforgiving on the shoulders and elbow joints; at occasions, they’ll do extra hurt than good.
The excellent news?
You don’t should sacrifice triceps features as a result of dips aren’t in your wheelhouse. Right here, we’ll break down what makes dips so efficient, what to search for in a fantastic various, and 5 dip options that may preserve your triceps rising—with out the pointless ache.
The Execs and Cons of Dips
Parallel bar dips are a traditional upper-body energy transfer that concurrently challenges the triceps, chest, and shoulders. You may construct critical urgent energy with simply your physique weight whereas enhancing flex time.
Nevertheless, doing them pain-free is essential.
Whereas dips are nice for constructing muscle and energy, in addition they put lots of stress on the shoulders, significantly on the backside of the motion. In case your type isn’t dialed in or you will have pre-existing joint points, dips can shortly go from muscle-builder to ache maker. That’s why performing dips appropriately or discovering another that also torches your triceps with out ache is essential.
How To Do Parallel Bars Dips
- Grip the parallel bars with a impartial grip and carry your self, conserving your arms straight, shoulders down, and chest up.
- Lean barely ahead and decrease your physique till your higher arms are about parallel to the ground.
- Brace your core, preserve your elbows tucked, and keep away from letting your shoulders elevate.
- Drive by your palms, lengthen your elbows till lockout and reset, and repeat.
Standards for a Good Different To Dips
A stable various ought to problem the triceps whereas minimizing the stress in your shoulders and elbows. Right here’s what to bear in mind when selecting a dip options:
Targets the Triceps: Dips are an elbow-extension train, which means any various should prioritize the triceps. For bonus factors, hitting the chest and anterior delts is incredible, too.
Mimic the Movement: Dips contain urgent your physique weight vertically, so a great various ought to comply with an identical motion sample—a vertical or horizontal press—to construct energy that carries over to different urgent workouts.
It’s Joint-Pleasant: The most important downside of dips is shoulder ache. A superb various ought to cut back pointless pressure whereas permitting you to load the triceps for features.
With that in thoughts, let’s discover 5 dip options to maintain your triceps robust.
5 Dip Options To Goal Triceps, Chest, and Shoulders
When dips aren’t an choice, these 5 workouts will nonetheless problem your triceps whereas conserving your shoulders comfortable. Every one offers a robust stimulus for muscle progress by mimicking the dip motion sample or isolating the triceps in a joint-friendly method.
Unilateral Cable Dips
The unilateral cable dip is a incredible substitute to carry out the dip movement with out stressing your shoulders. This variation mimics the urgent movement of a dip whereas conserving it shoulder-friendly. The cable machine offers fixed stress, forcing your triceps to work by the complete vary of movement whereas enhancing energy imbalances between sides.
Kind Tip: Don’t rush the eccentric (decreasing) part. Management the eccentric with a 3-second contraction earlier than urgent again down.
Units & Reps: 3 units of 12-16 reps per arm.
Leaning Ahead Dips
Modifying the motion generally is a game-changer if common dips hassle your shoulders. Leaning your torso ahead will shift the emphasis to the chest whereas nonetheless partaking the triceps, typically lowering shoulder discomfort.
Kind Tip: Goal for an higher arm angle slightly below parallel to get a full stretch of the chest.
Units & Reps: 2-4 units of 8-16 reps.
Cable Overhead Triceps Extension
Dips stretch the lengthy head—the most important muscle of the three. The cable overhead triceps extension does the identical however with fixed stress and with out the shoulder pressure that usually comes with dips. The one downside of this variation is that there isn’t any chest or shoulder motion, which normally means much less weight, however you may carry out extra reps.
Kind Tip: Keep away from letting your elbows flare out or drift ahead excessively. Preserving them in place ensures your triceps are doing the work.
Units & Reps: 3–4 units of 15-20 reps.
Diamond Push-Up
Diamond push-ups are among the finest body weight options to dips as a result of they focus squarely on the triceps as a result of shut grip and restricted ROM. Plus, they reinforce core and lockout energy that carries over to extra advanced urgent workouts.
Kind Tip: Squeeze your glutes and brace your core like a plank to take care of a straight-line place from head to heels.
Units & Reps: 2-4 units of 8-15 reps (modify based mostly on energy degree).
Dumbbell Squeeze Press
This transfer doesn’t simply work the triceps—it additionally strengthens the pecs and anterior delts whereas enhancing urgent type. By squeezing the dumbbells collectively all through the train, you enhance triceps involvement and simulate the close-grip movement of dips. The decreased ROM and further stress make this triceps variation extra shoulder-friendly.
Kind Tip: Press the dumbbells towards one another all through the set to maintain fixed stress on the triceps.
Units & Reps: 3-4 units of 10-15 reps.
Key Takeaways
- Dips are efficient, however they’re not for everybody. Many lifters want another that delivers outcomes, whether or not because of shoulder discomfort, lack of apparatus, or energy limitations.
- The 5 various workouts present a robust triceps stimulus whereas being extra joint-friendly.
- Small tweaks, like slowing the eccentric, conserving your elbows tucked in, and sustaining core bracing, will enable you to obtain horseshoe triceps.
