Which is better for chest dips or push-ups?
There are two ways to answer this question, the first is theoretical and the other one is practical!
From a theoretical point of view, dips would be a better exercise to achieve muscle growth.
That being said, my reasoning is based on the fact that intensity, technical proficiency and training volume are equal.
So, why do I say that dips are better than push-ups? Range of motion is the answer.
Stretch-mediated hypertrophy is currently being studied extensively and the results are clear, it is an important variable for muscle growth:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33977835/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37556026/
Dips allow a bigger stretch because you can go very low and there is a lot of tension in that part of the range of motion.
This is the theoretical answer, but practically, some people might benefit more from push-ups!
Firstly, dips can be uncomfortable for some people’s shoulders or even create pain.
Elbows are another area of discomfort or pain for certain people when doing dips.
Also, some trainees might feel dips working their delts more than anything for instance, which might not be the case with push-ups.
In fitness, there is a need for individualization and giving an absolute answer is often a wrong thing.
This is the reason why I recommend you do both of those exercises, you might favour one but do not exclude the other.
Exercise variation is great on top of that to prevent overuse injuries so that is a win-win situation!
