Dips question about form to keep

Hi all!

Regarding parallel dips a few questions:

how should scapula be kept? Retracted or protracted? Depressed or elevated?

I guess PPT should be kept as well, is it right?

Thank you!

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think there's movement of the scapula during dips..

I would say depressed. But have not been there yet.

Your shoulder girdle should be depressed, the body kept straight with core tightened in the support position. Regarding protraction or retraction it stays somewhat neutral.

I think this one goes to the details but serratus anterior activation helps making the dips more stable, thus depression and a little protraction is the most advantageous position

HB_Ron said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think there's movement of the scapula during dips..

Elevation at the bottom and depression at the top of the dip.

Rayne-William said:

Elevation at the bottom and depression at the top of the dip.

I don't think so. Endeavour to keep your scapula depressed at all times during the dip.

If you can't do it in a dip, how are you ever going to Do it in an iron cross?

Vytautas Pilkauskas said:

Your shoulder girdle should be depressed, the body kept straight with core tightened in the support position. Regarding protraction or retraction it stays somewhat neutral.

I was thinking about lsit dips too! That's of course an advanced exercise, but in that case what about scapula? Protracted, or instead retracted just like they are kept in an advanced lsit?

Depressed and slightly protracted at the top (Support).

Depressed and neutral at the bottom.

Krel said:

Depressed and slightly protracted at the top (Support).

Depressed and neutral at the bottom.

Nothing more to be said really.

 

Of course the degree of depression will begin to fade at the bottom position - just like push ups with the fading degree of protraction. But depression should held to some degree all the way down.

I used to do l-sit dips with protracted shoulder girdle but kept it depressed for as long as I could. Now, when I know that l-sit is done with the back flat I assume that I did them wrong so the same shoulder girdle position remains doing any kind of dip, regardless its variation. If I'm wrong, please, correct me.

Vytautas Pilkauskas said:

I used to do l-sit dips with protracted shoulder girdle but kept it depressed for as long as I could. Now, when I know that l-sit is done with the back flat I assume that I did them wrong so the same shoulder girdle position remains doing any kind of dip, regardless its variation. If I'm wrong, please, correct me.

doing L-variation should only change leverage, not correct shoulder position

Bipocni said:

I don't think so. Endeavour to keep your scapula depressed at all times during the dip.

If you can't do it during a dip. How are you ever going to do it during an Iron Cross?

I can keep my scapula depressed throughout the full range motion. I can also elevate and depress my scapula throughtout the full range motion also.

 

I only mentioned depression and elevation because a lot people have weak serratus anterior muscles. I trust you know what a "Scapula depression dip" is. You have to elevate and depress your scapula to complete a single scapula depression dip.

 

One more thing about scapula elevation at the very bottom of a dip. The scapula elevation helps stretch out and develop the pec minor and in turn increases your overall pressing strength. I don't know about you or anyone else. However I personally want to develop as much pressing strength as I can.

 

As for Iron Cross, the static position can done with your shoulders rolled forward or back.

Rayne-William said:

I can keep my scapula depressed throughout the full range motion. I can also elevate and depress my scapula throughtout the full range motion also.

 

I only mentioned depression and elevation because a lot people have weak serratus anterior muscles. I trust you know what a "Scapula depression dip" is. You have to elevate and depress your scapula to complete a single scapula depression dip.

 

One more thing about scapula elevation at the very bottom of a dip. The scapula elevation helps stretch out and develop the pec minor and in turn increases your overall pressing strength. I don't know about you or anyone else. However I personally want to develop as much pressing strength as I can.

 

As for Iron Cross, the static position can done with your shoulders rolled forward or back.

I'm pretty sure the ability to keep your scapula depressed during your dips is goin to develop your pressing strength more than disengaging and re-engaging your serratus.

I'm assuming 'scapula depression dips' are just shrugging in a support hold? Have you ever noticed how there are loads of recommendations for support hold progressions and not so much for these little shrugs? It's simply an exercise to get you used to moving into the end position, when you can't hold it for time yet. Same as shrugging during wall handstands or L sit lifts.

Shrug dips is really skill work as you mention and not strength work, as soon as you learn to depress properly doing depressed dips will create strength more efficiently.

 

I would however consider doing them for someone having trouble entering depressing at will, perhaps as a warmp up for dips. Can also be used standing as shrugs of course.

Bipocni said:

I'm pretty sure the ability to keep your scapula depressed during your dips is going to develop your pressing strength more than disengaging and re-engaging your serratus.

I'm assuming 'scapula depression dips' are just shrugging in a support hold? Have you ever noticed how there are loads of recommendations for support hold progressions and not so much for these little shrugs? It's simply an exercise to get you used to moving into the end position, when you can't hold it for time yet. Same as shrugging during wall handstands or L sit lifts.

From personal experience and well before I found the Foundation course, I have developed more strength from doing scapula depression dips than holding my scapula depressed while doing dips.

 

As it has stated in an earlier post, losing some scapula depression is inevitable during dips in the same manner we lose most of scapula protraction during push ups.

 

If we all watch the hollow back press course videos carefully even the athletes lose some scapula depression during the descent portion of a dip. 

 

I do agree with you. Scapula depression dips are useful when additional strength is needed in all of the muscles, whether primary movers or stabilizer, responsible for scapula depression. Scapula depression dips are similar to an "L-sit lift."