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Over the years, I’ve dabbled in more than my fair share of rehashed workouts and training programs. But the one thing that I’ve always practiced consistently (without fail) is dips and pullups.
To be honest, they’re the only two exercises that I’d consider game-changers when it comes to hitting the upper body effectively.
And if you perform them like I’m going to show you in this a little further down the page. I have no doubt you’ll be able to build an impressive upper body while saving a sh*t load of time in the process.
Now, if you’ve read some of my other blog posts, then you’ll already know that I’m a bit of a calisthenics freak.
And you’ll also know that I’d rather take a hard kick in the nuts than live without this killer combination of exercises in my life.
Why?
Because not only do dips and pullups hit almost every muscle in the upper body.
They’re also versatile. And you can utilize them to build pretty much any type of physique you want. Provide you know what you’re doing.
And that’s why in today’s no so epic blog post, I gonna be unlocking the vault to some of my most tried and tested workouts for you to take your dips and pullups to an entirely new level.
There’ll be blood, sweat, and it might get a little emotional, who knows. But by the time we’re done. You’ll have to supreme knowledge you need to start using these two exercises to their full potential.
Let’s rock and roll…
WATCH VIDEO: Discover How To QUICKLY Master Advanced Calisthenics Exercises Like The Muscle-Up, Front Lever, Pistol Squat And Other Epic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
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Table of Contents
Benefits Of Dips And Pullups
Now, the reason I use these exercises so much in my workouts is that you can adapt them to meet any of your specific goals.
For instance, if you wanted to focus on building strength or size. You could simply load each exercise using a weighted vest, dip belt, or even throwing a small child on your back.
But if learning new calisthenics skills was your goal. You could just as easily adapt and utilize the many progressions both dips and pullups have to offer.
Now, another reason these exercises make the ultimate tag team is that they work opposing muscle groups.
So they’re ideal for performing as a superset or even turning them into a kind of mini circuit.
And when you train this way, you end up saving you a hell of a lot of time while adding a whole new dimension to the workout.
But here’s the thing…
If you’re only going to focus on these two exercises, you need to do them right.
See when most people perform dips and pullups. They tend to just rep out without any real focus on muscle engagement and form.
Think kipping pullups, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Anyway…
Not only does sh*ty form take away the real benefits of the exercise. It also puts a great deal of stress on muscles that aren’t meant to be worked.
And it’s sad to say that this is also one of the main reasons a lot of guys get injured…
…Especially with dips and shoulder injuries.
Correct Form & Muscle Engagement For Dips And Pullups
This is what’s gonna make the difference between an effective workout and a really bad one.
I really can’t stress enough how important muscle engagement and form are to your overall success and development.
So let’s take a look at both exercises in more detail…
How To Perform Dips Correctly
As you might already be aware, dips primarily target the chest and triceps.
But to place more emphasis on one muscle group over the other. There are a few very subtle changes you need to make between each.
Targeting The Chest
If you want to target the chest effectively, your need to adopt a wider grip, and your chest should be in front of your shoulders during the entire movement.
When you set up, make sure you depress your shoulders to stop any unnecessary load from being placed on them. Then simply lower yourself in a slow and controlled manner until your arms are a little below parallel to the floor.
Jeff, over at Athlean, does a great job of demonstrating this in the video below…
Targeting The Triceps
When it comes to targeting your triceps. You’ll want to adopt a narrower grip with your elbows tucked in towards your body.
This is what’s going to make sure you’re targeting all three heads of the tricep.
During the negative phase of the movement (lowering phase), your elbows should be behind your hands to avoid extra assistance from the chest and shoulders.
Again, lower yourself in a slow and controlled manner to really feel each head of the tricep engage.
Quick tip…
If you’re still struggling to hit the triceps effectively, try using a hollow body by positioning your legs a little out in front of you at a 45-degree angle.
It’ll make the exercise harder, but it will also allow you to naturally sit back during the movement. Which, in turn, is going to place more of your bodyweight on the triceps.
The Right Way To Do Pullups
So next up, we have the almighty pullup.
Now, the two main muscle groups worked during this particular exercise are the back and biceps.
And the way you perform them is what’s ultimately gonna determine what specific muscle groups are taking the majority of the load.
For instance, a wide grip pullup will be heavily back dominant, focusing on the lats more.
On the flip side, narrow grip chinups will place a lot more emphasis on the biceps. So it’s always best to change up your hand position regularly to hit each muscle group effectively.
Anyway…
When it comes to good form and muscle engagement, there are only two things you need to be concerned with…
The first thing you need to do (and this is really important) is to adopt a hollow body position throughout the entire repetition. (see image)
The core and the glutes should both be fully engaged and should be straight.
This removes any additional support you might have otherwise been getting from your lower body and places it on the muscles actually meant to be worked.
Is it harder?
In not so many words… Yes!
But this can be the difference between progressing quickly…
…Or not at all.
Now, the other thing you need to be aware of when performing pullups is the position of your scapula (shoulder blades).
Basically, you can break down your scapula position into 4 movements, including…
- Protraction
- Retraction
- Depression
- Elevation
Here’s what each one looks like…
Now, the main scapula positions you need to take note of here are scapula retraction and protraction.
This is basically the two positions your scapula will be working through during the pullup.
So when you initially grab the bar, you’ll want to hang from the bar with your scapula fully protracted (pulled forward)
Then during the initial phase of the movement (before you even pull yourself towards the bar). Slowly retract your scapula so that your shoulder blades begin to squeeze together.
As you do, begin to pull your chest towards the bar while continuing to retract your scapula. And maintain this retraction throughout the entire repetition.
When you perform pullups this way, you’ll quickly notice how effectively it engages all of the muscles in your back.
And you’ll also notice how quickly you’re able to progress to harder variations that require a lot more strength.
I know it sounds simple, but you’d be amazed at how many people fail to perform pullups this way.
And it probably the number one reason people most don’t progress any further in their training.
Quality beats quantity every time, and if you remember this simple fact, then you’ll never go far wrong with your training.
The Ultimate Dip And Pullup Workout For Getting Seriously Jacked
So after a lot of tweaking and testing, I’ve developed probably the most dangerously awesome dip and pullup workout known to man.
Now, there’s nothing really complex or inventive about these routines. But I promise that if you impliment each one into your workout consistently. You’ll look like a jacked ninja in no time.
The 25 Rep Method
So there are two specific workouts I like to implement that focus on weighted calisthenics.
The first is a simple superset workout that involves performing 25 reps of both dips and pullups.
It doesn’t matter how you reach these 25 reps, as long as you’re using a heavy load that takes multiple sets (5-6 minimum) to complete.
Studies have suggested that 25 reps of heavy training are all you need to simultaneously build strength and size.
And I can tell you from experience that performing dips and pullups this way will mold your upper body into the wrecking machine it was meant to be.
To do it, all you need to do is perform multiple supersets of dips and pullups with 3 minutes rest between sets.
Like this…
Superset:
- Weighted Pullups
- Weighed Parallel Bar Dips
Rest 3 minutes between sets and repeat until you’ve completed 25 reps of each exercise.
The 6×6 Workout
The second weighted workout is a simple 6×6 workout that works similarly.
Again, you’ll be performing supersets of each exercise. Only now, you need to lower the weight and reduce the rest periods for the ultimate fat torching workout.
Here’s what it looks like…
Superset:
- Pullups (6 reps)
- Weighted Parallel Bar Dips (6 reps)
Perform 6 sets with 45 seconds rest between each superset.
Now, the reason this works so well is that there is enough total volume in the workout to build a decent amount of size.
But the rest periods are also short enough to turn it into an intense workout that will torch fat from your oh-so-sexy frame.
To make it challenging, you’ll want to load your body up with a weight you can perform around 10-reps with on your first set.
You won’t actually perform 10-reps. But I’ve found this particular load to be great for pushing you to your limits on the last few sets.
The 10 Minute Finisher
Next up, I want to touch on a couple of high rep workouts that I use when I’m looking for a quick and efficient workout.
The first one is a quick 10-minute workout that focuses on hammering out as many dips and pullups as possible.
It’s important not to sacrifice form for reps here either.
Because it’s more about getting as many quality reps during the entire 10-minutes as possible. And aiming to improve on that number each time.
What I like to do is set a timer to go off at 1-minute intervals.
I’ll then complete a set of max pullups in the first minute…
…Rest
And then go straight into a set of dips as soon as the second minute rolls around.
I find it helps to have a target in mind to really try and push yourself here aswell.
For instance, I always aim for a minimum of 50 pullups and 100 dips within the time frame.
This way, you’ve got something to shoot for and improve on every time.
Here’s what the whole thing looks like…
- Pullups
- Parallel Bar Dips
Keep alternating between exercises and complete as many reps as possible in 10 minutes.
The 100/200 Workout
Another workout I want to briefly touch on before I wrap this post up is a similar routine that involves a lot more volume.
Basically, you just perform 5 sets of the following…
- Wide Grip Pullups (10 reps)
- Parallel Bar L-Sit/Leg Raises/Knee Tucks (10 seconds L-sit hold/10 reps of leg raises/10 reps of knee tucks. Performed one after the other on the parallel bars)
- Parallel Bar Dips (20 reps)
- Close Grip Chinups (10 reps)
- Parallel Bar Dips (20 reps)
Rest 1 minute between exercises and 3 minutes between sets
Now, this looks like a lot of training volume, and to be honest, it is…
But both the exercises and rest periods are structured so they allow for as much recovery as possible before you hit the same muscle group again.
If you’re not quite up to the challenge, don’t worry. Just regress the workout by reducing the number of reps or sets before working your way up to this level.
Taking Your Dips And Pullups To The Next Level
Depending on your level of experience with dips and pullups, these workouts might be a little more than you can handle at first…
…Especially if you’re a beginner.
However, I personally practice these workouts multiple times a week. And I can tell you first hand that if you do the same, you’ll be surprised at how much stronger and functionally fit you’ll feel by implementing these two simple moves consistently.
Now, this is just the beginning when it comes to dips and pullups.
And there are actually multiple ways you can build on these exercises to achieve some incredible feats of strength.
So if you want to up your game and get yourself to a level where you can learn advanced exercises like the muscle-up, front lever, and even the planche. Then I’d highly recommend checking out the Bar Brothers Program.
To give you a brief insight, Bar Brothers is a calisthenics program design to take you from where you’re at right now. And turn you into the ultimate calisthenics beast in the shortest time possible.
It’s a pretty hardcore program, and it isn’t for anyone looking for something quick and simple.
But I guarantee that if you buy the program, impliment its teaching, and work your ass off, then you’ll quickly build the strength and physique that most people can only dream of.
Anyway…
I don’t really want to overhype or oversell this program because I believe the results you’ll get will speak for themselves.
But if you’re just a little bit curious about how this program can turn you into the ultimate calisthenics warrior. Then I’d highly recommend hitting the video link below to check it out for yourself…
WATCH VIDEO: Discover How To QUICKLY Master Advanced Calisthenics Exercises Like The Muscle-Up, Front Lever, Pistol Squat And Other Epic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
(Video Will Open In A New Window)
That about wraps things up for today’s post, but if you have any questions or comments. Feel free to drop them in the comments section below…
