Anybody ever do very wide grip dips? I’ve been doing them at about 40 inches apart twice a week for a couple weeks now at bodyweight. I’m starting to like them a lot since they seem to work the chest similar to standing cable fly’s, but I’m able to do them at or above bodyweight. I’d like to do them with weight soon but need to know how to reduce the risk of injury. I’d really appreciate any input or experience you could share.
Thanks in advance for any replies. I love this site. All the advice here is top notch.
Unfortunately there is no correct answer here. Some people swear by behind the back shoulder presses, or even behind the back wide grip pull ups. Others think it places the shoulder under unnecessary stress, and isn’t worth the risk. Everybody’s anatomy is different. I wouldn’t recommend wide grip dips, if you have shoulder issues as that may aggravate the issue. That doesn’t seem to be your case. If you are free of shoulder pain, then incorporate the weight slowly. Give your joints time to adjust to the new stress, after a couple of weeks you’ll be able to answer your better than anyone else.
I’ve always approached dips as a triceps-dominant movement and have preferred narrow grips.
I’ve tried the wide grip before, and I’ve found that it puts an awkward strain on my shoulders. My primary concern would just be that in pursuing progressive overload with weighted ones, I’d have ended up hurting my shoulder. Much prefer just doing decline bench press.
Wide grip was fine for my shoulders as long as I lowered my shoulders no lower than my elbows (roughly upper arms parallel to the ground). When I added weight, I actually started getting pain in my sternum (costochondritis), which went away after I gave it some time.
I would just make adjustments based on how things feel. If you need to limit the ROM, or just work up in reps before adding weight, I would do that.
