Triceps Dips Cross Training Exercise and the Common Mistakes Athletes Make
In the CrossFit training niche, dips are considered to be one of the compound exercises which can be applied to triceps training. The reason why triceps are so strategic is that they take up approximately two-thirds of your arm and therefore important targets for anyone looking at improving the overall size of their arms.
Being a compound exercise, triceps dips involve the shoulders, chest, and triceps. However, you should mindfully focus on the triceps when performing the workout. There are many training tutorials and literature on how to perform triceps dips the right way, but somehow athletes tend to veer off the mark. Below are some of the common mistakes athletes make in this Crossfit exercise.
Confusing Triceps Dips with A Chest Dip
Just like the deadlift and the squat CrossFit exercise, the dip is a compound movement that can be oriented in different positions as you target various muscles. Depending on how you position yourself, you can either target the chest or the triceps.
For instance, when you lean slightly forward, your target is the chest. On the other hand, if you position yourself bolt upright, all the tension will be placed on your triceps. It is therefore important to be mindful and practice your positioning so that you target the right area.
Panic When the Workout Gets Too Hard
Triceps dips is indeed a difficult CrossFit exercise therefore when the going gets tough, do not panic. The difficulty arises from the positioning, the zero lower body stabilization, and isolation of the triceps. In order to regress the movement, you can enlist machine assistance to help bring you upwards through the movement and stabilize. The alternative is to use a bench to practice the triceps dip movement before progressing to the dip bars.
Complacency Upon Mastering the Exercise
When athletes have mastered a particular workout, there is a tendency to become complacent and even forget the method of progressive overload. Progressive overload is a key component for those who want to stimulate and grow their muscles. Various methods such as more sets, added resistance, decreased rest time, and increased eccentric times make the workout harder each week and hence progressively overloading it.
Performing Triceps Dips Too Quickly
Just like any exercise, when you do a workout too quickly, chances of you recording progress are minimal. In order to develop working muscles, you require constant tension which is enhanced through continuous overloading of the muscle at least on a weekly basis.
To increase the time and attention, you need to slow down your exercises and apply a sufficient speed instead of performing the exercise very fast.
Lastly, going too high or too low can potentially strain your shoulder joint and cause some shoulder injuries including rotator cuff tears during the CrossFit exercise routine. To prevent this from happening, you should keep an eye on your arms and ensure a 90-degree angle is generated about your forearm and upper arm.
