dips, bench, and military

P

Proteinboy

2
i just want to know what you guys think about this. i know its hard to say that one is better than the other because they both are different exercises. i know...its not a big deal either; theyr both great exercises.

can the dip be considered a main lift? why is bench considered a main lift and often the dip is considered assistance? i believe i have read that rippetoe admits the dip to be superior.

i am about to start a new program in which the main lifts for pressing are military press and bench press. they alternate each workout. but i am really considering if it would be better to make my main presses military, bench AND dips; alternating bench and dips.

for instance, on a 3 day per week full body program

M-military
W-dips
F-military

M-bench
T-military
F-dips

M-Military
W-bench
F-Military

M-Dips
W-military
F-bench

this would, of course, cause for less than optimal frequency of practice for bench and dips.

the reason i am asking is because i want to fit dips into my program--i love them. they are also a staple in gymnastics routines(i am doing some of that).

i was originally going to simply add them in as additional work and do them on the same day as military or bench for higher reps.

im not sure which would be better.

yeah...i know its not a big deal. im a jobless teenager with a lot of time on my hands who thinks about these things too much

so what do you think?


also, whats the beef some people have about having db bench as a main lift? its much better because of the 3 dimensional stabilization required to press the dbs in a straight line, and the additional ROM. so is it usually not used as a main lift because its tricky to make incrimental increases on them? pshhh look at the kettlebell!
 
Not a fan of db simply for the reasons you say you like them, 3d movement. It all depends what you're looking for; if you're wanting a big 3 then stick with bench and supplement with dips. If your gymnastics is putting you in a position similar to dips then I definitely recommend making them a staple. You DO have to much time on your hands :p jk
 
Instead of alternating bench and dips, it'd probably be simpler to just do bench Monday, press Wednesday, and dips Friday every week.

I imagine that the main reason why bench is usually considered the main lift and dips the assistance lift is because it's easier to measure progression...well, actually, the main reason is PROBABLY because the guys in the gym are intent on being bros, but for anyone who isn't a bro, progression is probably the factor at play, or it's just a matter of preference.

The reasons you've offered for DB beating BB are not necessarily objective reasons. The shoulder is definitely one of the most fragile joints in the body. Increased ROM is not necessarily good for this joint, and reducing stability can further compromise the joint. Certainly, there's worse things you could do to your shoulder (flies would be pretty high up the list, since they put the shoulder into its weakest position, then stack unstable weights at either end of the levers), but DB bench press isn't all it's cracked up to be.
 
I wouldn't like doing dips too heavy because of the shoulder.. a lot of people think that dips are a shoulder hazard so I wouldn't want to treat it as a main lift and do really heavy sets on it and such not too often either. But if you need them for something, I'd find a way to put them in there.

I think the reason the bench is often seen as a main lift is because it is a PL competition lift. On the other hand, I never get the same feel from DB pressing as I do from BB pressing. If you used DBs with the same movement pattern (same ROM, etc) as you use with a BB, I think you'd still lift less weight with the DBs than the BB.. and I think weight is important for strength and growth.
 
alright, thanks guys. i will just keep dips as assistance for higher reps. thanks for all that. iv personally never had shoulder pain with dips, but it sounds better to keep them for higher reps and assist. thankyou
 
Just to confuse the situation more:
I use dips as a warmup, just 1 or 2 sets of 12-15 reps, before every upper body workout (along with a set or 2 of pull ups and handstand pushups).

Also consider bench dips for another variety. I like to do those as a final exhaustion exercise after pressing and triceps, with added weight for a couple of sets of 12 reps for a final burn and pump.
 
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