Many people will tell you that all you need to get a great upper body workout is push-ups and pull-ups. However with the use of a simple tool like a dip stand you can perform a similar workout of dips and body weight rows and possibly experience better results. To find out if this is true we will compare these exercises. It's push-ups versus dips and gymnastics bars against body weight rows. Who will be the winner? Push-ups are arguably the most popular of the four exercises because they require no special equipment and engage a variety of muscles including the chest, arms, shoulders and core. The drawbacks are push-ups can strain your wrists and you have to put your hands on the floor which is often a dirty place. Secondly, push-ups only require you to lift a small portion of your body weight thus limiting resistance and potential for muscle growth.
You can increase the resistance by raising your feet off the ground. You can place your feet on a chair and some people go as far as getting their body in an almost hand stand position by putting their feet up against a wall. This adds much more resistance but your head tends to get in the way hitting the ground and limiting your range of motion during what you might call a handstand push-up. Now imagine you are a gymnast on the parallel bars. Your hands are grasping the bars and your arms are straight. While you may not be able to do a summersault from this position you may be able to do a dip. Lower yourself between the bars by bending your arms and when your biceps are parallel to the bars you then raise yourself up again. You have just completed one dip. In comparison, dips use similar muscles to push-ups and gymnastics bars you do not have to put your hands on the floor or strain your wrists. Additionally, because you are lifting your entire body weight dips offer more resistance and greater strength gains than push-ups without the range of motion issue. However, because of the increased range of motion you have to be careful not to over extend yourself. Lowering your body too far can strain your shoulders. If you cannot lift your entire weight some dip machines, like the Ultimate Body Press dip stand which is designed for home use allow you to leave your feet on the ground for support so you can work your way up full body weight dips. Having compared the two "push" exercises let us move on to the "pull". Pull-ups have been called the king of body weight resistance exercises. That is because pull-ups work almost all the muscles groups in the upper body and are quite possibly the most difficult body weight exercise. The drawback is that the vast majority of people can't even do one. So what do you do if you like the benefits of pull-ups but you can't do them? You may like to try body weight rows. This exercise looks very similar to an upside down push up. Hang your body under a bar that is about waste high. Keeping your back and legs straight and with only you heels touching the floor pull your upper body up towards the bar and then lowering yourself again. This gymnastics bars exercise works basically the same muscles as pull-ups except with more focus on the upper back and shoulders. It is also a little easier so more people will be able to benefit from body weight rows than pull-ups and similar to push-ups you can add resistance by raising your feet off the ground. In conclusion the winner here is a matter of personal preference and your own fitness goals
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