Parallel bar dips is an excellent exercise to build Chest muscles, especially the pectoralis major, as well as deltoids and triceps. As in any pull-up exercise, all upper-body flexor muscles (latissimus dorsi, biceps, forearms) are involved to some extend. Still, this exercise is quite rarely performed in the gyms, mostly because it need to be provided with special parallel bars, designed for this purpose. But if you have excees to such bars, don’t lose an opportunity to check this exercise, as it is very effective and different from many others chest exercises.

The starting position is holding yourself on the bars. Usually the width between the bars is shoulder width or slightly more. Feel your own parameters to match the construction and change it, of possible and necessary. When everything is ok, raise yourself on the bars at arm length, your hands fully straighten. Then let your arms flex while your body goes downward. Lower yourself as low as you can and feel a stretch in your chest muscles. Upper body flexor help your body to remain sharp during the exercise provise you with extra power to press back and forth. As you press up, you will feel a chest and triceps contraction, that is a sign to exhale deeply to deepen this tension in your muscles.

This effective exercise has to be done correctly in order not to spoil your training. The number of injuries that are possible during performing include shoulder, wrist and elbow traumas. To avoid it don’t force yourself to go too dip, putting a shoulder into quite dangerous and tensed position. Still, try to go full range of motion, so that your chest muscles get maximum benefit from this exercise. Train, feel right while performing and you’ll notice the result very soon!

Written by: Dennis Borisoff
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