Dips For Beast Mode

Straight bar dips 

Straight bar dips are another challenging and worthwhile variation. As the name
implies, the straight bar dip is performed with both hands on a single straight bar positioned
in front of the body. When you do a parallel bar dip, you dip in between the bars,
but when you dip on a straight bar, your body must move around the bar. As you lower
yourself down, you’ll need to reach your legs out in front a bit to keep balance.

The straight bar dip is one of the more challenging dip variations and one of the most specific
precursors to the muscle-up. You should start working on these once you can do a few reps
on the parallel bars.

The straight bar dip is one of the more challenging dip variations and one of the most 
specific precursors to themuscle-up.

Perpendicular Bar Dips

You can also split the difference between the parallel bars and the straight bar by practicing
your dips on two perpendicular bars. Feel free to get creative with everyday scenarios
if you don’t have access to formal workout equipment.

Dips on the perpendicular bars and parallel bars are very similar, though they each
have their own nuances. Just like with parallel bars, playing around with how far forward
you lean can effect the subtleties of muscle recruitment. Lean forward for more
chest, stay upright for more triceps and abs. The perpendicular bar set-up can allow you
to stay more upright without the potential shoulder strain. Just make sure you are strong
enough to handle this variation before you start trying to rep out.

Korean Dips

A Korean dip is a behind the back dip on a high bar. It’s almost like the low bar dip I
talked about earlier, except your feet are in the air!

This is one of the hardest dip variations, so I suggest getting very comfortable with the
others before attempting the Korean dip. You should be able to perform at least fifteen
consecutive parallel or perpendicular bar dips first. Because it is difficult to control your
body from this angle, you’ll really need to focus on engaging your abs and lower back
muscles to stabilize. It also helps to keep your hamstrings and glutes contracted. Having
the bar behind you can give your shoulders a deep stretch as well, so make sure you are
warmed up. The Korean dip is really a full body exercise.Here is video tutorial for additional
help.

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Exercise:Parallel Bar Dips

Once you can comfortably perform many dips with your feet resting on the ground you
will be ready to attempt the real deal. The parallel bar set-up is the gold standard for the
triceps dip exercise. Like pull-ups (and most of the exercises in this book for that matter),
dips will be more difficult for women than they are for men. They are still amongst the
best exercises for either gender.

"The parallel bar set-up is the gold standard for the triceps dip exercise." Al Kavadlo

Like pull-ups , dips will be more difficult for women than they are
for men. They are still amongst the best exercises for either gender.


When performing parallel bar dips, you’ll need to tilt forward at the torso. Your
elbows should stay more or less over your hands, so your shoulders will wind up in front
of them. You can vary the degree to which you do this, and doing so can change the
emphasis. The more you lean forward the more you are working your chest. The more
upright you stay, the more you work your triceps and core. Trying to stay totally vertical
is not advised, however, as doing so can put unnecessary strain on your shoulders. Unless
you’re really, really strong.

The more you lean forward the more you are working your chest.
The more upright you stay, the more you work your
triceps and core.

Thickness of the grip

It is worth noting that the distance between the bars and thickness of the grip will
effect the difficulty of the exercise. Beginners are better off using thinner bars spaced
fairly far apart (20-24 inches), while closer bars (anything closer than 18 or 19 inches is
pretty narrow) will provide increased difficulty.

Here is video example of parallel bar dips:

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Exercise:Low Bar Dips

A great way for novices to work up towards full dips (and avoid the humiliation I felt
after my first try) is by first practicing with the feet resting on the ground. This is most
commonly done by placing your hands on a bench or a low bar held behind the back,
with your hands in a pronated grip.

Al Kavadlo doing low bar dips

Beginners should start with their knees bent and feet flat on the floor. This allows you
to push gently with your legs in order to give your arms some assistance. Make sure to
hold your chest high. Don’t allow your shoulders to shrug upwards.

When low bar dips with your feet flat become easy, you can progress to doing them

with your legs straight and your toes pointed up. Let your legs relax and allow your hips

to hang down right below your shoulders. Your arms will have to do more of the work

this way.

It might take a lot of practice for some people to get the feel for how to perform this

move correctly. It is common for beginners to shrug their shoulders, lean over and

hardly bend their elbows at all. Most of the time, these people have no idea that they are

doing it until someone points it out and guides them through the proper range of motion.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve literally had to hold someone’s arms and physically

bend their elbow for them to perform the correct movement pattern. It’s always helpful

to videotape yourself in order to objectively assess your form. Nowadays everyone has a

camcorder in their phone, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

The jump from low bar dips to full parallel bar dips can be a big hurdle. You’ll likely

need to be able to do at least 20 on the low bar before you’ll manage even one dip on the

parallel bars. Some may get there quickly (young men especially), but it will take longer

for others. Don’t be in a rush to get to the finish. One step at a time, one rep at a time.

Here are some exercies for your triceps wich is neccesary for Dips.

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Slow Muscle-up

Once you’ve gotten a feel for kipping into a muscle-up, performing a slow muscle-up is
a worthwhile challenge. After you can perform six or seven kipping muscle-ups, you
should be ready to go for it.

As I mentioned before, I sometimes use a false grip for muscle-ups, but there’s actually a
special false grip that I like for slow muscle-ups. For this variation I like to have my closed
fist resting on top of the bar with the bar in the crook of my wrist. This really cooks my
forearms, but it allows for better leverage when aiming to keep the movement slow.


When you do a slow muscle-up, you’ll really need to reach your legs away from your
body during the transition phase in order to counter balance your weight behind the bar.
The carryover from hanging leg raises can make a big difference here but it still takes a lot
of practice. It is also another instance in which practicing slow negatives can be helpful.

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Chin-ups For Strong Body

Once you are strong enough to do lot of Australian pull-ups and negative pull-ups, you
will be ready to start working on chin-ups. As with the flex hang, it is easier for beginners
to start with an underhand grip first.

If you’ve gotten pretty good with Aussies but you still can’t manage a single pull-up,
here’s something to practice. Get under the bar with your feet resting on a step or bench
(or use a lower bar if you have access) so you can grab the bar overhead with your feet flat
and elbows slightly bent. From here, you can assist yourself by jumping into the pullup.
Jump as hard as you can and in time you will be able to initiate the movement with a
smaller jump and eventually without jumping at all.

Getting an Assist

Having a trainer or training partner to spot you can be very helpful while you are

learning to do pull-ups, just make sure they don’t do too much of the work for you. I

find it best to spot someone on their back rather than holding their feet as it allows me to

adjust how much help I am giving them.

You might need a little extra help initiating the movement as well as during the last few

inches, but the idea is for the spotter to make you really work for it. It is important to

discuss this with your workout partner to make sure you are on the same page. If they’re

giving you too much help, you’ll never build up the strength to do it on your own.

One more thing, steer clear of assisted pull-up machines that allow you to rest your

body on a platform. They provide too much stability and therefore do not require the

core strength needed for an actual pull-up. You’ll never build to the real deal with this

type of machine. Beginners who don’t have a spotter are better off practicing pull-ups

using a rubber exercise band.

PULL UP!

After you can do a dead hang chin-up, you may begin training for the classic pull-up

(overhand grip just wider than shoulder width). You may need to go back a step and

practice flex hangs and negatives with an overhand grip in order to prepare your body for

a pull-up, as you won’t be able to use your biceps as much as you do with the chin-up.

When you use an overhand grip, you’ll need to engage your lats as the

primary mover. It is for this reason that beginners who can do several

chin-ups will still often struggle with the pull-up. Though the lats can

potentially become bigger, stronger muscles than the biceps, deconditioned

individuals are more likely to have some bicep strength from everyday

activities, while their lats will be nowhere near their full potential.

The key to overcoming this is not to think of the pull-up simply as an arm exercise. 

Your lats are doing the bulkof the work, followed by your shoulders, chest and abs. 

Rather than simply focusing on pulling your chin past the bar, think

about squeezing your whole body tight and pulling your elbows into your sides while

keeping your chest up. 

This will help you recruit more of your muscles. Remember the concept of total body tension discussed earlier. When you are performing a pull-up you must keep your body rigid. 

The pull-up is actually one of the best abdominal exercises out there. Beginners are often surprised at how sore a day of pull-up training can leave their abs.

Here is video tip for improving your chin up skills.

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Australian Pull-ups

Down Under the Bar

The Australian pull-up (or bodyweight row as it’s sometimes known) is a great exercise
for someone who is working their way up to a standard pull-up. The Australian involves
getting “down under” a bar that is a little above waist height, with your feet resting on the
ground. Keep a straight line from your heels to the back of your head as you squeeze your
shoulder blades together and pull your chest to the bar.

 Novices may choose to bend their knees and push gently with their heels in order to give 
 their arms assistance if needed.

When you get a little more comfortable with this exercise you can angle your heels to the
floor with your feet pointed up and your legs straight. Like a standard pull-up, the
Australian tends to be a bit easier with an underhand grip, though I believe there is more
benefit for beginners to practice the overhand version once they are strong enough.

Just like the dead hang, be sure that you are not shrugging your shoulders up when performing
Australians. You want to pull your shoulder blades down and back - never up.
This is the case for all pull-ups. Start getting in the habit of doing this right away - it’s the
most common error I see people make when performing these moves.

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Ladies and Pull-ups!

Females can be especially intimidated by the bar, but

let me assure you, women can do pull-ups! It might be

a little more work for the ladies, but it is within the

potential of every able-bodied woman to perform a

pull-up.

Some women may be concerned that pull-up bar training

will make them too muscular.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard this myth perpetrated.

Being afraid that pull-ups will make you too muscular is

like being afraid that reading books will make you too

smart; it's really just an excuse for those who aren't

willing to make the effort.

Sadly, this misguided notion prevents many females from

achieving their potential.

That's right, ladies - anyone can do pull-ups!

The truth is, most women don't have enough natural testosterone

to gain muscle easily. It takes time for females to build the strength to

do pull-ups (and the muscle that comes with it). Overly muscled

women are either a genetic anomaly or taking artificial "enhancements."

Your natural body type is what it is, pull-ups will only help

you get stronger and leaner. I've had a lot more clients quit over the

years because they couldn't hack it than because they had gotten too

muscular.

Here is some motivation for all ladies..

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