I was just wondering if anyone has experience with the dips + chins + squats program and could give me some feedback on how things went. I’m thinking of trying it, but I’m having doubts.
The problem with me is, I have terrible upper chest and shoulder development, and it just seems like doing dips and chin-ups alone would only build other muscles and therefore make this weakness look even worse. Some guys have said that dips and chins alone build the whole upper body very well, but I’m just not sure.
This is AnytimeJakes program and maybe he can stop in later to give you the exact thing but I think it went something like,
Day 1
Squats 5x5
Dips 5x fail
Chins 5x fail
You need to set clear objectives. Why would you do a program with minimal to no shoulder work instead of a normal one when you feel your shoulders are lacking?
I’m in the middle of a chins, dips and deadlifts program (not doing squats because I’m currently working through some right knee issues which seem to be exascerbated by squatting). So far, I love this program. I am definitely a believer in the chins and dips working the entire upper body. I don’t agree with the fear that some have that dips emphasize the lower chest at the expense of the upper chest. I always get a good contraction in my entire chest during the movement and DOMS throughout my chest the day after.
I don’t think that it’s as good at stimulating the shoulders although I definitely feel good contraction there as well. My goal with this program is mostly to maintain my strength as I’m ramping up my boxing training and don’t have as much time right now for lifting. For this purpose, this program has definitely been a success.
[quote]chobbs wrote:
This is AnytimeJakes program and maybe he can stop in later to give you the exact thing but I think it went something like,
Day 1
Squats 5x5
Dips 5x fail
Chins 5x fail
Day 2
Squats 1x20
Dips 5x5
Chins 5x5[/quote]
I hope the OP has better luck than I have with dips and chins on the same day (let alone multiple days per week) - my right elbow felt like it was going to break in half after awhile. Then again I was using a straight bar, I’m almost 43, and weigh about 220…
My advice would be to use a bit more variety than this, even if it’s simply varying grip widths, angles, etc. to avoid overuse injury.
I’m all for keeping things old school and simple, but this is definitely stretching it for me.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
So… do dips, chins, squats, and then something for your upper chest and shoulders.
E.g., some incline bench variation and overhead press variation, with some rear delt work.[/quote]
I’m interested in finding out why the OP chose this program despite being aware of his lagging shoulders and upper chest. Injuries, lack of equipment etc.
Thanks for your input everyone.
dt79 I didn’t ‘choose’ this program, I’ve just been considering it, mainly due to the fact that I’ve heard so many positive comments on it, and it seems like it’d be so easy to track progress, since there is only a few lifts to monitor.
What if I was to add in snatch-grip high pulls? Dips, chins, high-pulls and squats? Change up rep ranges, intensity, sets, volume etc. every workout, and even make slight changes in the movement like grip width. I feel like the high-pulls would provide plenty of delts and upper back stimulation, and the upper chest problem doesn’t seem so bad now that CMdad has cleared up things about dips working the whole chest.
I was just wondering if anyone has experience with the dips + chins + squats program and could give me some feedback on how things went. I’m thinking of trying it, but I’m having doubts.
The problem with me is, I have terrible upper chest and shoulder development, and it just seems like doing dips and chin-ups alone would only build other muscles and therefore make this weakness look even worse. Some guys have said that dips and chins alone build the whole upper body very well, but I’m just not sure.
What do you guys think?[/quote]
When I preexhuast my “upper chest”, I feel it when I do dips afterwards. The same doesn’t apply to delts, so I don’t know what to tell you about that. Maybe something like
Incline bench:4x6-8
Chin-up/Dip supersets: 50 total reps each (or more reps on dips since they’re easier)
Squats/Delt work supersets: Whatever rep ranges you want for this
This is actually almost exactly what I’m doing now
There’s nothing wrong with focusing on a few body parts, and using dips, chins, and squats to cover all your other bases
It’s a pain to quote on my phone… but those high pulls won’t do anything for your upper chest and probably not much for your delts. Great lift for other purposes though. Definitely upper back if that’s something you care about. There might be some interference with the squats though, since if done properly, your legs and glutes are also heavily involved.
You’re probably better off with what Facepalm just suggested.
[quote]ChristNhero wrote:
Thanks for your input everyone.
dt79 I didn’t ‘choose’ this program, I’ve just been considering it, mainly due to the fact that I’ve heard so many positive comments on it, and it seems like it’d be so easy to track progress, since there is only a few lifts to monitor.
What if I was to add in snatch-grip high pulls? Dips, chins, high-pulls and squats? Change up rep ranges, intensity, sets, volume etc. every workout, and even make slight changes in the movement like grip width. I feel like the high-pulls would provide plenty of delts and upper back stimulation, and the upper chest problem doesn’t seem so bad now that CMdad has cleared up things about dips working the whole chest.
Thanks again all![/quote]
Understood.
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t sound very experienced. If you use your delts in the pulling portion of any kind of olympic lift, you’re doing it wrong. I also doubt you will be able reap the full benefits of using dips for your entire chest at this level.
I feel it’s best you choose a non-complicated program out of the hundreds already written that have a major lift for each bodypart and develope an awareness of what each individual muscle is actually doing during each lift.
day 1
dips , db row (supersets )
deads or squats (any rep/set scheme you prefer say something similiar to 5/3/1)
Optional : GPP (sprints/farmer carries etc)
day 2
chin ups, overhead press (supersets)
deads or squats (any rep/set scheme you prefer say something similiar to 5/3/1)
Optional : GPP (sprints/farmer carries etc)
For dips,db row,chin ups, overhead press
1 set * 15 reps, 112 (warm up sets), 18 with 8 RM, 35 with 8 RM, decrease weight for a last set of 18
no set taken intentionally to failure , decrease weight if necessary
Meh, not great advice here. dt79 was the only one on the right track.
I recommend that you use that little 2-day program IF and ONLY IF you cannot make room for training more frequently during the week. Otherwise you will be better served with a standard 4-5 day BBing body split routine (you can keep the chins and dips in there if you like).
Okay, thanks for advice all. Perhaps I should give this program a miss. dt79 and infinite_shore, I wouldn’t say I’m inexperienced in general, I’m just not very experienced with high-pulls, I just assumed they’d help shoulders without really trying them out. Thanks for clearing things up though, maybe I should just focus on a more complete program with more movements.
Pretty much what I do, without squats. I do pull ups and dips usually everyday, but minimum 4 times a week, both bodyweight and weighted. Been steadily and consistatly inproving since I started six months ago. I occaisionally do clean and press once or twice a week too. To be honest, it will work if you’re consistant, like any kind of program.