Scapula Dip: How To Do, Muscles Worked & Benefits

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Scapula Dip, or Scap Dip is one of the best exercises for strengthening the upper back muscles and improving shoulder strength and mobility.

Incorporating retract scapula dips into your exercise routine can help to build additional strength, muscle mass and improve weak areas in your shoulders and upper back.

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about how to perform the scapula dips correctly.

You will also learn its benefits, how to avoid common mistakes, and what are the best variation of scapular retraction dips and how to do them.

Scapula dips
Table of Contents

Benefits Of Scapula Dips

The Scap dips exercises are a good choice for training: Benefits of regularly performing scapula retract dip include:

  • The scapula dip is a great exercise for strengthening scapular depression, which is important for shoulder health and stability.
  • The scapular dip calls on strength in the serratus anterior, helping to keep your shoulders working with both power and full range of motion.
  • Pulling the scapula downward and against the rib cage, which helps to keep the scapula stable. Scapular depression also prevents the shoulder blades from being rounded over and pulled forward.
  • They can help you improve your balance, coordination, stability and flexibility, it is an excellent choice if you want to get better at any sport or form of exercise.
  • You don’t need any special equipment to practice the scap dip workout. All you require is the right technique and some willpower.
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Scapula Dip Muscles Worked

The muscles involved in Scapula dips are:

  • Main muscles during scap dip:  Serratus Anterior, Pectoralis Minor
  • Secondary muscles:  Pectoralis major, Trapezius, Rhomboids, Levator Scapulae, Core muscles and Triceps.
Scapula-Dip-Muscles-Worked

How To Do Scapular Retraction Dip

  1. Place your hands on the side of a flat bench so that your body is perpendicular to the bench when you place your feet out in front of you. Your knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle.
  2. Keeping your torso upright and arms straight, allow your torso to move down towards the floor, letting your ears meet your shoulders.
  3. Push your torso back up to the starting position by driving your shoulder blades down.
  4. Repeat for the prescribed number of sets and repetitions.

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Make It Easier Or Harder (Regression & Progression)

If you want to make Scapular dip easier, place your hands on a floor. Just about anyone can do this beginner version because you’re not lifting a large percentage of your bodyweight, and it doesn’t require as much flexibility. 

To make the Scapula retraction dip harder, you can increase the number of sets and the number of times you do them. To make this exercise more challenging, put a weight plate on your lap.

1. Scapular Dips On Floor

The Scapular Floor Dip is the simple yet effective scap dips variation that you can do at home on the floor.

This is likely the best bodyweight exercise for a beginner at home, if you have no bench, no chairs, and nothing else to work with.

How To Scapular Floor Dip

  1. Position your hands shoulder width apart on the floor with your back facing down.
  2. Keeping your torso upright and arms straight, allow your torso to move down towards the floor, letting your ears meet your shoulders.
  3. Push your torso back up to the starting position by driving your shoulder blades down.
  4. All the movement should come from your scapula (shoulder girdle), the arms should be as stiff and as still as possible.

2. Scapular Dips On Parallel Bar

Parallel Bar triceps dips are one of the most effective compound movements for the upper body pushing muscles.

Your scapula should also always stay active. No matter the exercise, you are actively moving the scapula in both directions—your scapula is never relaxed.

How To Do Scapular Dips On Parallel Bar

  1. The dip bars should be positioned about shoulder width apart.
  2. Grasp the dip bars with your arms extended and locked. Keep your body as vertical as possible.
  3. Keeping your arms straight, lower your torso (try bringing your shoulders up to your ears)
  4. Push away from the ground and lift your body up, extending your shoulder blades apart
  5. Repeat for the required number of reps

Scapula Dips Proper Form And Mistakes

Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program.

  • Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
  • Keeping your back in a straight line and without bending your elbows.
  • Keep your chest tall and your shoulder blades pulled back throughout the exercise.
  • Ensure you maintain some tension in your abs and don’t allow your lower back to excessive arch.
  • To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program.
  • Ultimately, your results will depend on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. It is recommended that you allow at least 36 to 48 hours of rest before training the same muscle groups again, in order to allow for sufficient recovery.

Takeaways

Scapula Dips exercise is one of the most classic ones for strengthening the muscles in the upper back and shoulders.

If you’re looking for a way to mix up your upper body workout, try this move. It’s a move that can help improve shoulder mobility, too.

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