Those movements in which a push or pressure is made using the strength of our arms or legs to overcome an external resistance are raised as a classic element in strength training programs. Traditionally, conventional exercises have always been used in free weights or machines to try to reach high muscle activation intensities. Even so, nowadays we have tried to use new means that manage to increase this activation to a greater extent, seeking to achieve higher intensities through alternative methods, such as suspension devices, elastic resistances, etc. Even so, the scientific evidence of these material resources and of the methods pursued has yet to be studied and we cannot really determine that these methods are more effective than the traditional ones (Calatayud Villalba J, 2016).
The push movement is one of the most required in many sports activities (Baechle & Earle, 2008), but not only that, but also during work and numerous tasks of our day to day, such as pushing the shopping cart when it is heavily loaded, or closing a heavy door (McGill, Cannon, & Andersen, 2014).
The most classic push exercises to look for improved strength in the upper extremities and trunk have always been bench press or push ups (Baechle & Earle, 2008; Ratamess, 2011). Both in their standard form, which in the case of the bench press would be horizontal and with bar, and in the push-ups would be performed on the floor.
It has been studied that the bench press is an optimal exercise to promote maximum strength gains. On the other hand, if we talk about the exercise of arm flexions, we cannot say that there is evidence studied about it. Even so, push-ups have been used over the years to improve muscle performance in shoulders, chest and arms (Youdas et al., 2010). They have usually been used as part of dynamic warm-up or as an alternative to exercises involving lifting or manipulation of external weights. In turn, it is an exercise widely used in battery tests such as those proposed by the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine, 2014), the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) (Baechle & Earle, 2008) or the Army Physical Fitness Test (Knapik et al., 2001). All of them considered as tests to evaluate muscular endurance.
Arm flexions are a closed kinetic chain exercise. The major pectoral and the brachial triceps are the main muscles involved in the action (Gouvali & Boudolos, 2005). In the concentric phase a movement of shoulder adduction and elbow extension is required. In addition to the above, which is an exercise that activates the muscles of the shoulders, arms and pectoralis major, it has also been demonstrated that it activates the muscles of the core (Beach, Howarth, & Callaghan, 2008; Freeman, Karpowicz, Gray, & McGill, 2006).
The popularity of push up is due to several factors. The main one is that no material is required for the realization n (Gouvali & Boudolos, 2005), as in the other exercise for example. Only the load of one's own body weight is required, and it can be executed anywhere with firm and stable ground. In addition, as another factor to bear in mind, it is the fact that they are exercises whose learning is very simple, so modifying it and adapting it to different levels of difficulty is also an easy element to achieve. Through simple manipulations, the difficulty of the exercise can be modified.
Alternative means and methods to the traditional ones have appeared, such as the use of devices in suspension, elastic resistances or the selective increase of the muscular action. But these methods need continuous research to prove their effectiveness in terms of muscle activation and promote possible increases in the level of strength (Andersen et al., 2010).
Why train by movement patterns?
The concept lies in functionality, i.e. that the training carried out is useful, practical and beneficial. Until recently, in the training rooms only the training by muscle groups in an analytical way prevailed. For this reason, it is important to highlight the benefits of training according to movement patterns, in terms of our muscular and articular system:
Greater muscle activation
Improved training quality
Better integration and sports transfer
The push movement is one of the most required in many sports activities (Baechle & Earle, 2008), but not only that, but also during work and numerous tasks of our day to day, such as pushing the shopping cart when it is heavily loaded, or closing a heavy door (McGill, Cannon, & Andersen, 2014).
The most classic push exercises to look for improved strength in the upper extremities and trunk have always been bench press or push ups (Baechle & Earle, 2008; Ratamess, 2011). Both in their standard form, which in the case of the bench press would be horizontal and with bar, and in the push-ups would be performed on the floor.
It has been studied that the bench press is an optimal exercise to promote maximum strength gains. On the other hand, if we talk about the exercise of arm flexions, we cannot say that there is evidence studied about it. Even so, push-ups have been used over the years to improve muscle performance in shoulders, chest and arms (Youdas et al., 2010). They have usually been used as part of dynamic warm-up or as an alternative to exercises involving lifting or manipulation of external weights. In turn, it is an exercise widely used in battery tests such as those proposed by the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine, 2014), the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) (Baechle & Earle, 2008) or the Army Physical Fitness Test (Knapik et al., 2001). All of them considered as tests to evaluate muscular endurance.
The popularity of push up is due to several factors. The main one is that no material is required for the realization n (Gouvali & Boudolos, 2005), as in the other exercise for example. Only the load of one's own body weight is required, and it can be executed anywhere with firm and stable ground. In addition, as another factor to bear in mind, it is the fact that they are exercises whose learning is very simple, so modifying it and adapting it to different levels of difficulty is also an easy element to achieve. Through simple manipulations, the difficulty of the exercise can be modified.
Alternative means and methods to the traditional ones have appeared, such as the use of devices in suspension, elastic resistances or the selective increase of the muscular action. But these methods need continuous research to prove their effectiveness in terms of muscle activation and promote possible increases in the level of strength (Andersen et al., 2010).
 |
| Kate & Jan Bench Press by ucniss in Flickr (CC BY 2.0) |
Why train by movement patterns?
The concept lies in functionality, i.e. that the training carried out is useful, practical and beneficial. Until recently, in the training rooms only the training by muscle groups in an analytical way prevailed. For this reason, it is important to highlight the benefits of training according to movement patterns, in terms of our muscular and articular system:
Greater muscle activation
Improved training quality
Better integration and sports transfer
BASIC MOVEMENT PATTERNS
These are classifications of the main movements performed by the musculoskeletal system. All of them have three characteristic factors: direction and sense of movement, articulation involved and the articulation that supports more force. The main factors of movement (Kapandji, I.A., 2006), of which we already saw some in the previous publication, are:
Vertical thrust
Horizontal thrust
Vertical Drive
Horizontal traction
Quadriceps dominant or knee dominant
Ischiotibial dominant or hip hinge
Rotational or diagonal
PUSH EXERCISES ACCORDING TO MOVEMENTS
Vertical thrust
It consists of moving the load vertically in relation to the torso. As for the biomechanical chain, they are usually composed of an abduction or shoulder flexion, together with an elbow extension. The main exercises of this vertical thrust are the military press or the push press.
The main muscles involved in this type of exercise are the middle portion of the deltoid, the upper part of the pectoral and the triceps.
Horizontal thrust
Horizontal push exercises are those in which the weight is moved away from the torso in a horizontal direction. The main patterns of movement in these actions are shoulder flexion, shoulder adduction and elbow extension. The best known exercises in this category are push-ups, bench presses or machine exercises that meet the condition mentioned above.
The main muscles involved in these exercises are the pectoral, triceps and the anterior portion of the deltoid.
Lastly, here is an example of training based on push exercises:
Lastly, here is an example of training based on push exercises:
We hope that the information has helped you and now you know more about this type of exercises, the push exercises.
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Andersen, L. L., Andersen, C. H., Mortensen, O. S., Poulsen, O. M.,
Bjørnlund, I. B. T., & Zebis, M. K. (2010). Muscle activation and perceived
loading during rehabilitation exercises: comparison of dumbbells and elastic resistance.
Physical Therapy, 90(4), 538–549. http://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20090167
Baechle, T.
R., & Earle, R. W. (Eds.). (2008). Essentials of strength training and
conditioning (3rd ed). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Beach, T.
A. C., Howarth, S. J., & Callaghan, J. P. (2008). Muscular contribution to
lowback loading and stiffness during standard and suspended push-ups. Human
Movement Science, 27(3), 457–472. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2007.12.002
Calatayud Villalba J. (2016). Métodos de
entrenamiento de fuerza alternativos para incrementar la activación muscular en
ejercicios de empuje. Retrieved
from
https://www.educacion.gob.es/teseo/imprimirFicheroTesis.do?idFichero=jG8lmjIxYdI%3D
Gouvali, M.
K., & Boudolos, K. (2005). Dynamic and electromyographical analysis in
variants of push-up exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,
19(1), 146–151. http://doi.org/10.1519/14733.1
Kapandji, I.A. (2006). Fisiología Articular. Tomo 1. Madrid:
Panamericana. 6ª Edición.
Knapik, J.
J., Sharp, M. A., Canham-Chervak, M., Hauret, K., Patton, J. F., & Jones,
B. H. (2001). Risk factors for training-related injuries among men and women in
basic combat training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(6),
946–954
McGill, S.
M., Cannon, J., & Andersen, J. T. (2014). Analysis of pushing exercises:
muscle activity and spine load while contrasting techniques on stable surfaces
with a labile suspension strap training system. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research, 28(1), 105–116. http://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182a99459
Ratamess,
N. A. (2011). ACSM’s foundations of strength training and conditioning. Philadelphia:
Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Youdas, J.
W., Budach, B. D., Ellerbusch, J. V., Stucky, C. M., Wait, K. R., &
Hollman, J. H. (2010). Comparison of muscle-activation patterns during the
conventional push-up and perfect· pushupTM exercises. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research, 24(12), 3352–3362.
http://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181cc23b0
Comments
Post a Comment