Bulgarian Ring Dips

Coach Sommer said:

Width of Support Hold on Rings

How wide you are comfortable holding the rings out, will depend entirely on the level of support strength which you currently possess. The athlete in question from the Bulgarian Dip demonstration video has an iron cross, so he is obviously very strong in the support position.

In terms of a general support position on the rings, you will progress through the following stages of support strength:

1) Arms bent with the rings turn in

2) Arm straight (elbows completely locked), but the rings are still turned in

3) Arms straight with the thumbs turned outward until the straps are completely clear of the forearms.

4) Arms straight and the thumbs turned with the rings pressed slightly outward from the side of the body.

Be patient here and enjoy the process. Building strength is a journey; not a destination. There is no hurry, with regular practice your support strength is going to increase at a fairly fast rate anyway. Forcing yourself to perform a support position for which you are not yet strong enough may cause an overuse injury to the elbows.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

In regards to support strength and this progression, is it just a matter of holding support positions (individually and in exercises like dips) reguarlly that will produce these gains? Currently I'm able to perform 1 and 2, but soon as I attempt to turn the rings outward my arms start shaking and support becomes unstable. Also during dips my forearms are pressing hard against the rings and straps; sometimes I"m bruised there afterwards.

Thanks for your comment about the strength being a journey and not a destination. It easy to lose sight of that.

I think just holding the position will make the stablizer muscles adapt and grow to the demand of such position.

The holds are where it all starts. You will grow a bit just from the demands of the holds, and sometimes it takes a while to become strong in the right position because sometimes it takes time just to get to that right position!

If you have anything more than a light pressure on the straps, you are not ready for ring dips.

Would it be wrong and/or dangerous to lean the forward with the chest when performing Bulgarian ring dips? (to try emphasizse pecs more) and that the body should stay completely straight/vertical throughout.

mattybongo said:

Would it be wrong ... to lean the forward with the chest when performing Bulgarian ring dips? ...

Yes.

Performed correctly, it is literally physically impossible to lean forward during a Bulgarian Dip.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer