What is it about dips that seem to irritate my shoulder, and is there anything I can do besides avoiding the movement?  Other movements that involve the shoulder like bench press, shoulder press, and push-ups seem to be fine.  Any insights would be great.

Thanks! 

Well Dips does put stress on your shoulders so it is only natural if you are not used to the movement. However if you have been doing dips for quite a while now, there is either something wrong with your form or you simply have not warmed up your shoulders. I will be willing to bet on the last one. Try to warm up your shoulders more with some light dumbells and strechting bands. It should go away after a while, if it does not then check your form. And if everything is perfect then it is only two reasons left. Number one: There is an internal issue with your shoulders, you should check that out with a doctor. Or two: You are too weak in your shoulders and they cannot catch up to your triceps and chest

Hey Mike,

I have been doing a lot of dips lately and have very wide shoulders so quite a few things can irritate them if I'm not careful. That being said there are various things I've done to alleviate any kind of shoulder pain. But before I give any advice, could you answer a few questions: How are you doing your dips? How many sets, reps, and at what pace? Are you targeting your chest or your triceps more? In thinking about this, it may help to watch a bit of this video if you haven't seen it already...

Dips, and really any type of bodyweight resistance exercises, can be hugely beneficial to your body whether you are trying to put on weight or take it off so I hope you can find a way to enjoy them as much as I do!

Hey Mike,

I have been doing a lot of dips lately and have very wide shoulders so quite a few things can irritate them if I'm not careful. That being said there are various things I've done to alleviate any kind of shoulder pain. But before I give any advice, could you answer a few questions: How are you doing your dips? How many sets, reps, and at what pace? Are you targeting your chest or your triceps more? In thinking about this, it may help to watch a bit of this video if you haven't seen it already...

Dips, and really any type of bodyweight resistance exercises, can be hugely beneficial to your body whether you are trying to put on weight or take it off so I hope you can find a way to enjoy them as much as I do!

Thanks, guys!  That's very helpful.  My shoulders have been a weak point so that could just be what it is.

I agree with all the suggestions that have been given thus far. I used to have the same issue with dips years back. Whenever I'd do them it'd kill my shoulders. But once I got the form down and learned how to properly warm up before doing them I've had no issues ever since. If you're trying to do dips for triceps then stay as upright as possible, but if you are trying to target your chest then lean forward a bit as like you are doing a push up in mid air. For a shoulder warm up I alwas start with a few light stretches like hanging from the pull up bar etc. Then I will grab just a 5 lb dumbbell and do 3 sets of internal and external rotations 1 arm at a time. I do 3 sets of 12-15 reps. This helps loosen up the rotator cuffs and shoulder joints nicely. Then from there I always start with a few warm up sets of chest presses with either a machine or some light dumbbells just to get a little blood into the chest before starting those heavier working sets. For me my shoulders are definitely a strong point so I have to be real careful and pay lots of attention to my form when doing bench presses etc because if not my shoulders try to tend to take over the movement. I have really thick front delts and traps.

Another great exercise you can do if you are trying to do dips for your triceps are bench dips. Its pure isolation for your triceps and its a farily short range of motion so you can stack some 45 lb plates across your legs to make them more challenging.

Trying to bring up those shoulders eh? Here is a great routine to help you do that.

Barbell military press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Lateral dumbbell raise: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Barbell upright rows: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Reverse pec deck or bent dumbbell raise: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Front barbell or dumbbell raise: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

1 arm cable lateral raise: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Do a drop set of 2-3 drops on the last set of each of these exercises shooting for another 8-10 reps on each drop. Try to take no rest in between any of the drops. For sets 1-3 of each exercise be sure to rest no longer than 90 seconds in between sets.

Nathan hit right on the bullet. I would lie down vertically on a form roller and cross my arms and roll up and down. Really loosens up the rotator cuffs. The routine nathan gave you is perfect