Part 31 - Perfect Pectorals
Following on from last month's article - I'm going to describe some more effective, on the road exercises - applicable in a wide range of training programmes. This month we're going to tackle the humble press up.
Story Highlights
- The Press Up
- Breaking It Down
- Version One
- Version Two
- Lower Back Work
The Press Up
It's possible that the mention of this exercise brings up mental images - associated with military drills. I think it's necessary to throw in a: drop and give me fifty here, just to add a little colour to these visions! But what are press ups actually for? Think for a little while and you may reach the sensible conclusion that they are used to develop your upper body strength. This is indeed true - but the upper body is a large collection of muscle groups and they can be targeted in a number of ways. Furthermore pounding press ups out by the million - is by no means the most effective approach.
Breaking It Down
I mentioned in the last article that biceps and lats are rather difficult to target without special equipment. Press-ups however focus on the chest, the back of the arms and the front of the shoulders - so the pectorals, triceps and anterior deltoids. The first version of this move will provide a balanced and targeted workout for all of these muscles.
Version One
Lying flat on your front with the feet together, place your palms down on the floor, about two hand spans away from your shoulders. Make sure your hands are in line with your nipples. Rise up onto your knees (or your toes) and keep the body as straight as possible from this point up. Core stability is essential so keep your body as still as you can throughout this and remember to rise onto the hands - not the elbows.
Now for the hard bit. Slowly lower your chest to floor, as low as possible, without touching it and then bring yourself back up again - never losing the straight spine. Always stay in control, count to two in each direction and don't take any breaks at the top! See how many you can do without a rest. I bet it's less than 50!
Version Two
Now for an important variation the tricep press up. The triceps can be isolated in this move by bringing the hands directly under the shoulders, pointing the fingers forward and aiming your elbows straight behind you - as you drop. This is noticeably harder than the previous version because the amount or muscle being used is significantly reduced. This exercise is great for toning up those bingo wings! It is however best only to do tricep press-ups after normal press-ups - in any training programme. The reverse order would result in the backs of the arms, becoming prematurely fatigued and so, the chest would lose out. We don't want that.
Lower Back Work
A little lower back work can be achieved without equipment and works nicely in tandem with dynamic abdominal exercises. You will find this out for yourself by tuning into next month's edition of Backpacker Bites. Alas my detailed description of the press-up means this will have to wait until next month. I hope that my advice so far has prompted you to try some resistance training and also, be aware of your whole body during any workout.
- David Haw
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