Dips
and Chins...Old school body building
Vince Gironda on Dips and Chins
by
Paul Becker
The concept of using dips and chin-ups to build a terrific body seems
to have fallen out of favor. Actually, dips and chin-ups are sometimes
thought of as "old school" body building exercises. Vince
Gironda was one of the greatest bodybuilding gurus ever. He was decades
ahead of his time and people today and still using his methods. Why?
Because if followed correctly they produced the fastest muscle building
results in the shortest period of time.
Wide Pec Dips
Vince felt that the bench press was a poor chest exercise and his students
were instructed on how to do dips to create a wide pec flare that gave
them a classic look.
You must use a parallel bar that is 33" wide, if it is not you
will not receive the intended benefit from this movement. Anything wider
or narrower will not work the pecs as desired. The most important execution
of the movement is in the elbows: They must be wide and straight out
from the shoulders. The head has to be in a down position with the chin
resting on the upper chest and the back should be rounded forward.
Cross your feet and make certain they are slightly in front of your
face, not back. Dip down as far as possible and return as high as you
can. Never change this position as it isolates the pectoral muscles
and limits the involvement of the triceps. Performing the movement with
the elbows in will emphasize more triceps than pecs.
Very few bodybuilders perform this movement as described. It is perhaps
one of the best movements for building and shaping the pecs there is.
But, it must be performed correctly in order to obtain the results it
is capable of providing. Do not rush the movement, which seems to be
a natural tendency.
Take your time and get a full stretch at the bottom and contact the
pecs forcefully at the top of the movement. Do not begin the movement
with the triceps, concentrate on the pecs and allow them to begin the
upward motion.
Gironda Sternum Chins
Many have dubbed this the single best lat exercise ever invented! Implementation:
This involves leaning back throughout the entire movement. In this variation,
the lower portion of the chest should touch the bar.
Begin by grasping the pull-up bar with an underhand grip, approximately
shoulder width apart. Now hang with your arms fully extended. As you
pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from
the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement.
At the upper end of the movement, your hips and legs will be at about
a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone
passes the bar and your lower chest or sternum area touches it. By the
time you've completed the concentric portion of the movement, your head
will be parallel to the floor.
This is the king of back exercises! It not only works the lats,
but the entire back, let's look at why:
1. The beginning of the movement is more like a classical chin.
2. The midrange resembles a pullover motion.
3. The end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing
movement.
You can now see how this is like three back exercises in one!