The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (87 page)

FAQ:

When I do triceps dips, I feel a lot of pressure and pain in my shoulders. Why?

ANSWER:

The triceps dip can be a very powerful and productive exercise. You do, however, need to make sure that you protect yourself from injury, keep a few things in mind when doing the triceps dip. Don’t go too heavy unless you know your muscles, joints, and connective tissue can handle it. Although you may be very strong and feel that your flexibility is great, you still may not be as strong as necessary to do this exercise at its full capacity.

Bench Dip

Triceps dips can also be performed between benches if you are unable to perform them on the parallel bars for whatever reason. Just like parallel bar triceps dips, this exercise will primarily focus on the three heads of the triceps, located on the back of the arms, helping you achieve fat free and toned looking arms. This is a great exercise for developing the strength necessary to do the Triceps Dips exercise on the parallel dip bar unit.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

Place two benches parallel to each other (side by side) with sufficient space in between them to allow for the palms of the hands to be on one bench and the back of your feet on top of the other bench.

Sit between the two benches with your palms on the bench behind you and with your legs on top of the other bench. If you are aligned correctly, your body should resemble an L.

TECHNIQUE AND FORM

Use the strength of your triceps to lower you towards the ground in a gradual and controlled movement.

Continue to lower yourself until the upper arm and the forearms create a 90 degree angle.

Use your triceps to push yourself back up to the starting position.

Important Notes

Do not move up and down in a jerky or uncontrolled manner, as this exercise can place extreme stress on the shoulder girdle.

If unable to perform this exercise, you may use the assistance of a partner who should support part of your weight.

If you would like to add weight to the exercise, ask a partner to gently place a weight on your thighs, as illustrated at right.