For this month we want to focus on a movement that is a fairly common gymnastics movement, the ring dip. The full range of motion starts with arms fully extended and ends when the shoulders dips below the top of the elbow, the elbow needs to be at least a 90-degree angle. The instability of the rings makes this much more challenging than a standard dip on a fixed object. This means all stabilizers in shoulders and core must be strong in order maintain good posture and technique. One important side note is to make sure you are not treating the ring dip as a crunch, this means your hips need to be moving with the arms to ensure you are getting the strength benefit the movement provides.
Time to move on to the key points of the movement, in 2017 there was a total of 36 pec tears during the regional event or days leading up to the workout submission date. We want to make sure we do this movement properly to ensure shoulder and chest safety so here are a few tips to get you going in the right direction.
- Ring height is set so your feet do not make contact with the floor when you are at the bottom of the dip.
- Make sure you always start in the extended position, with shoulders externally rotated (palms forward) this will start you off in the strongest and safest position.
- Focus on your posture! You aren’t a turtle so try to separate your neck from your shoulders allowing a big chest, as well as a solid hollow body position.
- As you begin your descent, keep the core tight and the positions stated above in place. Your shoulders will begin to fall forward which is inevitable to KEEP THE CORE TIGHT!
- The movement ends when your shoulder breaks parallel which should be right when your shoulders descend below your elbows. Keep the hollow body position!
- As you begin your press focus on leading with your head up to keep your spine and posture elongated, with your core still tight in the hollow body position. You should be externally rotating the arms as you make your way up to help ensure your finishing position is the same as your starting position.
Keeping your shoulders and chest healthy is everything in this movement, posture means everything! With that being said, the ring dip is a very hard movement and progression is the safest way to approach them if you are not able to do them without assistance! Ask any of the coaches for the best approach to develop strength as well as the technique! Good luck bears!!