How to do dips at home without fitness equipment

Introduction

Push-ups and dips are two of the most popular upper body workouts that you can do. Having your dip muscles worked will stimulate your deltoids, pecs, and triceps and help in enhancing these features. Hence, if you just wondered what muscles do dips work, then we just answered it for you. This is also because while performing chair dips, all of your body weight is transferred to your arms.

The unique mechanics of the exercise allow strength gains and improve the upper-body mass. There is a wide range of benefits to performing free dips at home. Did you also know that you can perform dips at home without having any fitness equipment? Yes, you can. Before that let’s have a close look at the amazing benefits or advantages of doing dips.

1. Add Unlimited Weight

If you thought dips are easy, you are wrong. Though initially, it may be hard to ace, with time, your body gets used to the pressure and movement. It is a challenging enough task for your body. At the same time, once you outgrow the dip, you can then choose to add additional weight to your body. For instance, you can wear a backpack that has weights in it and then perform your dips. On the other hand, you can also try holding a dumbell in between your legs that will further enhance your workout.

 

2. Closed Kinetic Chain Exercise

A Closed Kinetic Chain (CKC) exercise is one that comprises of moving your body in a constant motion while keeping your feet or hands in a fixed position. Dips and pushups are few such exercises that help to boost muscle gain. Dips are known to work on your muscle group while you lift and lower your body.

 

3. Boost Lockout Strength

A dip workout session is not complete until your elbows are locked out. The final remaining inches are considered to be the most difficult part of the motion. Performing dips are the best way to boost your lockout strength.

 

4. Upper Body Mass

If you carry on adding weights while performing dips, then you will be able to load your muscles and build your upper body mass. However, it is important to note, that just performing exercises won’t alone help in your progression. You also need to maintain a good and healthy diet for your body to show a difference. Eating a balanced and well-nourished diet along with exercising will effectively show results.

 

5. Customizable

As discussed earlier, dips are a very customizable exercise that can be performed in multiple ways to add fun and spice. You can perform it with or without any equipment. At the same time, you can also carry on with the workout using additional weights. What’s more? You can customize using various equipment and supplies as well. Hence, there are many options that you can choose from and make it interesting as per your choice.

 

What furniture can you use for doing dips at home and how to do dips at home?

If you are now interested in performing dips at home, then here we shall have a closer look at all the aspects. We shall discuss how you can perform dips at home with simple furniture. Dips can be performed either using equipment or simply without them.

Let’s have a quick look at how you can perform dips.

• Step 1: Get into a position where you have a bench or sturdy equipment behind you. You can use a park bench, sturdy bench, or anything that is sturdy and will hold your weight.
• Step 2: Sit down near the edge of the bench and place your hands on either side of the legs. Make sure that your arms are straight enough. Keep your feet on the floor and keep your knees at a 90-degree angle.
• Step 3: Tighten your muscles and lower your body. This will tighten your core muscles. Make use of your arms and lower your body towards the floor. Do not go all the way down to the floor.
• Step 4: Keep your upper body and head straight. Look straight and do not bend your head while performing the dip. At the same time, keep your elbows closer to your body.
• Step 5: Hold the position for 2-3 seconds and pull yourself back up. While you hold your position, that will force your arm muscles to work. Also, tighten your core. Move up and down in this method doing 8 to 10 reps at a single time. Do it in a slower motion rather than a faster rate. Moving slowly will put your muscles to work harder.

 

Kinds Of furniture you can use for doing dips at home:

Now let us have a look at the various furniture you can use for performing dips at home.

1. Play area

If your home has a backyard with monkey bars, then you can easily perform dips using them. Also, a pair of parallel bars that are placed at a shoulder-width apart should work quite well for doing dips. In fact, you can get as creative as you want and turn plain bars into your dip workout station.

 

2. Chair Dips

You can use the chair for performing seated dips. All you need for doing chair dips are two identical and high backed chairs. Make sure that the chairs you choose are sturdy and strong as they should not fall over as you put your weight on them. At the same time, if you do not have high back chairs, then you can also perform dips using the seats. You can start dough your reps from your knees as well. These dips between chairs are a great way to work your muscles up.

 

3. Floor Dips

If you find totally nothing in your room, then you can use the floor to perform the dips. Though the range of movement is quite small in floor dips, still it gives your body the workout it requires. While performing dips on the floor, make sure that your hips are lifted and knees are bent. Also, keep your hands in line along with your shoulders.

 

4. Bench Dips

This one is similar to the chair dips but here you are making use of a bench to perform the workout. Though they can be fun and exciting, they can be pretty hard on your shoulders. This is especially when you drive your hips forward. Make sure to keep your torso straight and as close to the torso as possible. If you wish to challenge yourself, then you can try raising your feet on another bench or chair. These dips for the triceps are a great way to build your upper-body mass. At the same time, you can also try doing chest dips at home.

 

Safety suggestion to prevent shoulder injury when doing dips

Though dips are a great workout for your upper body, you should also do them in the right way so as to avoid any shoulder injuries. Let’s have a look at the common reasons that end up in shoulder injuries.

1. Poor Form

Performing dips is known to be a very good exercise for the upper portion of your body. However, some people simply start the workout without knowing the basics of the same. It is important to know the technique so as the avoid any kind of injuries to your shoulder or body. The parallel bars or chairs that you use for the dips should not be more than 5 inches from your hips. This will avoid the stress on your shoulder. When you perform the dip, you should feel a minute stretch in your shoulder. Also, your elbows should be bent at 90 degrees.

 

2. Excessive Weight

If you plan on customizing your dips using weights, then you need to make sure you don’t overdo it. Though it can sound very fun and exciting to add weights to your belt, it can put unwanted stress on your body also causing injuries. When your body cannot handle the load, it transfers the load onto your shoulder muscles, and then it worsens from there. At the same time, when you have a poor form along with extra weight, it can affect your muscles in a negative way and also put a lot of strain on your body.

 

3. Previous Injury

If you have had any previous shoulder injury, then it is best to avoid performing dips altogether. Rather, you can try extensions or presses that work the same muscles as dips. If your shoulder is still in pain, do not allow the muscles to worsen more. Your body may not be in a state to handle the excessive weight of dips which is why you can either rest or simply try other workouts that don’t cause additional stress.

 

Conclusion

Now that we have come to the end of the article, let us make sure that you are now well acquainted with the right techniques and methods for the same. Also, make sure that you breathe well while performing dips. Breathe in throughout the whole dip and when you come back up again, breathe out.

Take a deep breath and go down into the dip. We hope that this article was much fun to read and informative as well as we discussed some amazing dips benefits. Also, simply dips is not going to help. Remember to have a well-balanced diet and exercise regularly. Do let us know your feedback and suggestions.