quick noob question about compound lifts

[JDid23]

ok so after about 5-6 weeks of lifting, i think everything is starting to make sense to me.

Progressive overload proves that you're gaining strength workout by workout, and is pretty much a foolproof way of getting stronger.

Now here is the part that i am not completely sure about.. Do the compound lifts go hand in hand with each other? For example; when i do dips, it helps my bench press... when i do bench press it helps my dips. I know this is a pretty damn stupid question, but this is what i've gotten out of lifting so far.. Is this true to any extent?

 

[oso0960]

Of course! But some exercises have better carryover to other exercises..

Also, say if you could bench 95lbs and do 1 bw dip. Then you worked up to dipping 5 45lb plates for reps without ever benching. Once you go back to benching you will put up much more weight. And whatever weight you get up to, expect steady progression for a while since your body needs to become efficient at the exercise again.

 

[thebigoz]

All lifts increase strength - if you're training right.

Therefore, any exercise for a certain body part will theoretically carry over in strength gains to other exercies for the same body part. In short, yes - you should see a direct correlation in strength gains between exercises for the same body part (I.e. Bench/Dips)

 

[JDid23]

alright thanks guys... just wanted some clarification.

I think that my lifts will even out in time, but for now my dips/bench seem kind of disproportional. I can do 8 or 9 dips with a 10 pound weight between my thighs on my first set (get about 5 on the next 2), but i only bench up to around 125 or 130 for 5 reps. That is kind of why i was curious as to weather my thought process was completely off or not. Thanks!

 

[timtim]

alright thanks guys... just wanted some clarification.

I think that my lifts will even out in time, but for now my dips/bench seem kind of disproportional. I can do 8 or 9 dips with a 10 pound weight between my thighs on my first set (get about 5 on the next 2), but i only bench up to around 125 or 130 for 5 reps. That is kind of why i was curious as to weather my thought process was completely off or not. Thanks!

you shouldnt be doing weighted dips yet in that case. weighted dips are not for people just getting started in the gym. alot of tendons/ligaments you can damage in your shoulders while trying to stabilize. i would focus more on getting core and joint stability before moving toward more advanced lifting techniques.

 

[chucktown04]

you shouldnt be doing weighted dips yet in that case. weighted dips are not for people just getting started in the gym. alot of tendons/ligaments you can damage in your shoulders while trying to stabilize. i would focus more on getting core and joint stability before moving toward more advanced lifting techniques.

This is true you should be able to do 20-25 dips just body weight before adding weight. You want to make sure your using good form when doing dips as well.

 

[JDid23]

you shouldnt be doing weighted dips yet in that case. weighted dips are not for people just getting started in the gym. alot of tendons/ligaments you can damage in your shoulders while trying to stabilize. i would focus more on getting core and joint stability before moving toward more advanced lifting techniques.

ah really? I actually heard on here that i could start adding weight once i was able to do my bodyweight about 10-15 times (which i can).. Today i did 9, 7, 4 with a 10 pound weight. Do you recommend going back to bodyweight and just doing around 15 unweighted?

 

[Scotsman]

In actuallity there is no specific correlation between any two lifts or lifters. Saying that if your dips are X your bench should be Y is completely wrong. Now since you are utilizing many of the same muscles then yes making one stronger should increase the other but not in a linear fashion. Many factors are included in strength on certain lifts. Depending on your joing structure and muscular attachment one lift may be easier for you to perform than the other. Also in order to make a direct correlation you'd have to make sure you are doing a comparative range of motion. Most people truncate their dips so it's a shorter motion than bench press. Also it's easier to recruit the lats into dips than it is on bench and the dip is a free motion exercise instead of a fixed placement one.

Again each person being different you can't make rigid rules about when to change an exercise or weight. Some people operate better in the lower rep range and poorly in the high rep range and vice versa. Saying a technique is too advanced is a blanket statement falsehood. If someone can learn the technique and perform it properly then by all means do it.

The best advice I have is stick mostly to the basic compound movements as the core of your workout. If as you change your focus or goals you wish to add variations and other lifts then certainly do it. Just remember that the big compound lifts make everything stronger. Squatting will help your bench and deadlift, just as deads will help your squat and bench.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[timtim]

ah really? I actually heard on here that i could start adding weight once i was able to do my bodyweight about 10-15 times (which i can).. Today i did 9, 7, 4 with a 10 pound weight. Do you recommend going back to bodyweight and just doing around 15 unweighted?

i would avoid rushing too quickly, thats all really. dips are not what i would consider a lift for newer trainers. i would focus on lifts that emphasize joint and core stability and then when that is effective, move forward with the more integrated lifts.

 

[chucktown04]

I don't think a set of dips of only four is worth much. Ten reps without weight is better than 4 weighted dips generally. I think its a great exercise for your chest and tris in addition to your abs since you use those to create stability. If anything use weight for your first set of dips then do bodyweight only. Even better would be to use an assisted dip machine if you have one in your gym to really get your dips up. If you've only been lifting for 6 weeks basic compound exercises (bench, dumbell sholder presses, squats, etc) with a few isolation exercises (preacher curls, cable flys, lateral raises, etc) should give you very nice progress when combined with a proper diet.