this may sound stupid but bear with me…
is it true that the bench press is more stressful to your CNS than dips? if so, y is it more stressful?
Yes. If all else is the same…(TUT,Speed of lifts etc.)The more muscle groups used the more taxing it will be on your nervous system.
if bench press uses more muscle mass than dips then how come i can dip more than bench press? also, my training history includes far more bench movements than dips.
They are two different exercises. They have no direct correlation to eachother. It uses a different type of lever system as well as being more of an isolation exercise. You also may have very weak pecs (which are the prime movers) as well as weak lats .
strength and muscle mass doesnt have a correlation with each other. You may have done a lot of bench press but maybe you arent performing them as well as your dips, therefore you see more improvement on it.
You can attach more weight to yourself and dip, than you bench? Or your bodyweight is more than you can bench? The fact that your lifting your bodyweight and not an external load means you can shift your body back and forth, and use your legs. Trust me if you can’t bench your bodyweight you will have trouble doing strict form dips. On the other question I think the can stress your system just as much as benching, by attaching a heavy enough weight, using bands over your traps, or doing them ballisticly (explosive concentric, release handles, fly, re-catch handles). They are a compound movement not isolation, think of them as equal to a VERY steep incline bench.
bench stresses CNS more than dips
Hmm, that sounds odd. Dips use many more postural and stabilizer muscles, the CNS has ‘more to do’ to keep the groove. Of course, there are many ways to perform dips, some involve direct involvment from more muscles than others. (upright for tricep vs wider and hunched to include chest)
CNS stress is not that hard to gauge. The mental ‘will’ and ‘effort’ you feel yourself putting out to complete an exercise ‘is’ your CNS. The CNS is your brain and upper spinal column. Chins for example, are ‘harder’ to do than pulldowns, they take more effort and control from the CNS, many more stabilizer muscles involved.
Ron
Im not so sure if dips use more postural and stabilizer muscles. And I think since the prime movers in the dips (triceps) are a smaller muscle group than the pecs that there is not as much motor unit recruitment in dips.
I’d like to hear what other members have to say.
I guess it depends a lot too on performance. I can say that when “I” do dips I use more muscle mass than in the bench press.
Dips- chin down, hunched body so the pecs are also very involved. The lats also have a strong role. I can feel my lower back and abs really flexing to stabilze my torso.
Bench- Feet on floor, lower body completely relaxed, pecs, tris and ant. delts are about all I feel a strong contraction in.
Ron
arm length could be the answer. if you wing span is longer than your height (im 5’8 and wingspan is 6’1) by to much, your bench will be a challenge. i can dumbell bench as much as i can barbell bench and although my flat bench has never been anything to write home about, i can dip like a monkey on crystal.
nightmare
Which exercise is better for sprinters (considering all factors, including c.n.s cost)
Of course the dip is far more conveniant. I can do them on my 2 wooden chairs in my garage. No emotional stress with dips becuase I don’t have to put differant plates on a bar etc., just have weights hanging from my allready made belt and the warm up is just bodyweight.
Man, your just like me. I’m 5’ 8 1/2 with an arm span of 6’1, small world! Guess were the same species of money eh? LOL 
Heavy dips are a hazardous exercise. Also, there aren’t that many variations available.
narked, why?
I agree check my other posts in the thread “Dropping Bench Press” to see why.
It takes the shoulder into maximal extension at the position of greatest load. Much like a cambered bar bench press. The human body is not optimal orthopedically speaking for any vertical plane exercise except vertical pulling. Also, many trainees bounce around like crazy doing dips (much like dynamic bench). Proper instruction and execution can limit the risks, but why bother when it is an unnecessary exercise for everyone except gymnasts. When looking for core exercises you’re looking for exercises that you can load up the weight on with little risk.
I agree too, when I do them now, I never go down all the way. I ‘used’ to go down to where my arms were parallel, then ‘rip’, there went my shoulder!
