More Power to the Push Up

By Scott Quill



Guys tend to abandon the pushup for the bench press sometime around puberty. Which is why you usually have to wait in line at the gym for a bench, but there’s always plenty of floor space for the taking. Call it a natural rite of passage. After all, doesn’t everybody agree that pressing a plate-loaded bar off your chest is far more manly—and effective—than pushing your body away from the floor?

“Think again,” says Alwyn Cosgrove, CSCS, owner of Results Fitness, in Santa Clarita, California. “The pushup and the bench press both work your chest, shoulders, and triceps, but the pushup also trains your abdominals, lower back, upper back, and glutes.” Read: Work more muscle, build more muscle. “You might say it’s the ultimate multitasking exercise,” says Cosgrove.

Besides the classic pushup, we’ve found six variations that will help you reach almost any goal—whether you want a stronger core, a leaner midsection, or, yes, a bigger chest. And the best part? No gym–or spotter–is required.

Rock-Solid Core
Medicine-ball archbishop

The secret to perfect pushup technique is keeping your body rigid. “Your abs and lower back usually fatigue first,” says Mike Robertson, MS, CSCS, a strength coach in Indianapolis. That’s when your hips sag, which increases strain on your back instead of building your chest and abs.

When you place your hands on a medicine ball or Swiss ball, the instability causes your core muscles to work 20 percent harder than when you do pushups on the floor, report New Zealand researchers. So you’ll train the muscles of your midsection and hips to remain stable longer. As a result, you’ll be able to do more pushups and work more muscle.

How to do it

A Place three to five medicine balls in a semicircle and assume the pushup position with both hands on the ball to the far left. Your chest should be over the ball and your feet should remain in place throughout the exercise.

B Move your right hand to the ball at right and do a pushup. Bring your left hand to that ball.

C Continue moving right and doing pushups until you reach the farthest ball. Then work your way back. That’s one repetition.

A Bigger Chest
Triple-stop pushup

Depending on where your weakness lies, pushups may challenge you most at the top, middle, or bottom position. “Pausing briefly at each point increases strength at your joint angle and 10 degrees in either direction,” says Mejia. Bonus: Holding each position increases the time your muscles are under tension, stimulating growth.

How to do it

A Assume the starting position of a regular pushup.

B Bend your arms to lower yourself halfway, then pause for two seconds.

C Continue until your chest is just off the floor and hold again for two seconds. As you push yourself up, pause again for two seconds at the halfway point. Finally, when you straighten your arms, hold them that way–with your elbows unlocked–for two seconds. That’s one repetition.

Bolder Shoulders
Swiss-ball pushup plus

On the side of your shoulder blade and upper ribs lies a small, neglected muscle called the serratus anterior. When it’s weak, you can’t move as much weight in the bench press and military press. And since your rotator-cuff muscles must then pick up the slack to stabilize your shoulder joint, shoulder pain and injury often result.

Avoid pain and boost your bench press with the “Swiss-ball pushup plus.” The “plus” portion is when your shoulder blades glide away from each other at the top of the movement. When performed on the floor, the pushup plus activates your serratus anterior 38 percent harder than a standard pushup does, report researchers at the University of Minnesota. The Swiss-ball version works even better.

How to do it

A Assume a pushup position with your hands placed directly under your shoulders and on the sides of a Swiss ball. Spread your fingers, with your thumbs pointing forward.

B Keeping your core tight, lower yourself until your chest grazes the ball, then push back up. At the top of the move, push yourself as far away from the ball as you can so your shoulder blades move away from each other.



Beach Muscles
Dumbbell underhand pushup



In the classic pushup, your chest and shoulders move approximately 75 percent of your body weight; your biceps just keep your arms stable. But when you turn your palms forward, a large portion of your body weight falls directly on your biceps, says Carter Hays, CSCS. So you’ll build all your mirror muscles–your abs, chest, and biceps–with just one movement.

How to do it

A Grab a dumbbell in each hand and get in pushup position with your palms facing forward. The dumbbells should align with the middle of your sternum, and your arms should be spaced about shoulder-width apart.

B Without allowing your elbows to flare to the sides, lower your chest to the floor. (Your hands should touch the sides of your chest at the bottom of the movement.) Then push yourself back up.

A Leaner Body
Explosive crossover pushup

Explosive pushups, such as this one, allow you to generate maximum force by pushing your body off the floor. “The harder you push, the more muscle fibers you activate,” says Cosgrove. And that means you’ll burn more calories, both during and after your workout. What’s more, the crossover portion of this movement forces your upper arms toward the center of your body, which is the main function of the pectoralis major, your largest chest muscle. The result: You work as many chest muscle fibers as possible.

How to do it

A Place your right hand on the floor and your left hand on the smooth side of a weight plate.

B Lower your body.

C Explosively push up and to the left so your hands leave the floor. Land with your right hand on the plate and your left hand on the floor. Reverse the move.

Total-Body Muscle
Dumbbell pushup row

“When most men perform rowing movements, they pull more with their arms than with their middle and upper back, which defeats the purpose,” says Mejia. But in this pushup, your arms, abs, and shoulders are forced to work together to keep you steady while your back muscles draw the weight to your rib cage—so you can’t cheat. The benefit? You’ll simultaneously build your back and chest, which not only saves you time, but also helps prevent muscle imbalances of your upper body.

How to do it

A Get into pushup position with your arms straight and your hands resting on light dumbbells.

B Squeeze your abs and glutes as you perform a pushup.

C At the top, pull one dumbbell off the floor and toward you until your elbow is above your back. Slowly return the weight to the floor and repeat with the other arm.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

ShareThis

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Share/Bookmark

RECOMMENDED