From the archive :
8/5/19
300 dips.
300 reps has become the minimal number of dips I do each day at the gym, and I’m at the gym every day after work…5-6 days a week, and sometimes too on a day off.
My rep PR keeps creeping up. There is no doubt in my mind as to my ability to push this well into the triple digits. My bodyweight is slightly dropping, as my upper body is recomping for the better. I am leaner, and more muscular.
They’re getting wicked easy, I may have to start AMRAPing all my sets, that, and/or add weight via the long neglected dip belt collecting dust in the trunk of my car.
But for now I’m straddling 2000 weekly reps, most often superset with similar reps of back/bicep using a handled resistance band.
Starting out I did dips.
I stopped for awhile.
Again I do dips.
My freshman PE teacher, this 5’10” fresh from college volleyball blonde, pulled me aside before the first day in the weight room, and asked me if I could do dips :
“Yeah, I can do dips.”
“Good, I can’t and someone has to demonstrate the exercise.”
She expected maybe 5 reps, as did the class, I stopped at about 30. A dude was butthurt about his perception that I was showing off…I wasn’t. I was asked to show the class dips…and did.
I used to go to the weight room before the bus, and do a quick few sets of calf raises, and dips on a regular basis.
Dips are my most true upper body bread and butter.
(Though I’ve been far more faithful over the years to my pushup habit.)
I’m built for them, and am high response to them.
I’ve done 600 in a session as the highest volume workout so far (800+ since writing) in these few weeks of this dip odyssey. I may still push into the 4 digits, and/or add weight (some rep PRs since writing).
Want to make some physical changes quickly?
Take a calisthenic that you can push effectively into high volume density training, and do so. It’s a lot of bang for maybe an hour of daily workout time.
For me the density training is best done with push calisthenics, as I have the t-rex arms of a natural presser. I can push these to Cardio Calisthenics™ territory, which I feel is where the best progress occurs. With different leverages one may be better served doing the same with pullups.
Another interesting note is how much lat involvement I get because of both the volume, and the super slow and controlled reps I do to end each set. The dips helped me relearn how to put my lats into pushups.
*Cardio Calisthenics™ – very high volume calisthenics done in a period of time with as much training density as possible, that not only causes a strong cardio/conditioning effect, but an inexplicable gaining of strength. Cardio Calisthenics™ is the ideal way to train, and is how I personally make the best progress.
Persistence & Tenacity