Push Exercises

Push workouts are those workouts in which we train all the pushing muscles of the body like the chest, shoulders, and triceps of the upper body.

On the contrary pull, exercises train the muscles of the body that perform the action of pulling. The back the biceps and the forearms are the pull muscles and glutes, hamstrings, and calves of the lower body.

Push exercises are discussed below for the following muscles

The shoulders

The overhead press

Also sometimes known as the military press, is easily the hardest exercise for vertical pressing.

Start by standing straight with a barbell in your hands.
Place your feet apart from each other.
Grip the barbell at the level of your neck with your palm facing forward and your elbows downwards.
Push the barbell above your head.
Hold the position for a second.
Slowly lower it without using gravity.
Repeat.

Another useful variation of this exercise is to press the barbell behind the neck.

Seated Dumbell shoulder press

This exercise is quite similar to the barbell overhead press but this exercise challenges your shoulders more, stabilizing them and causing more activation of the anterior deltoids.

Sit down with a straight back and neck.
Hold weights in your hands at the level of your ears.
Make sure your arms are in line with your shoulders.
Press the weights above your head, and hold the position.
Retreat and repeat.

You engage the anterior deltoids more if you bring the dumbbells together when pressed. It is important to not neglect the form as this exercise might cause unwanted tears in the muscles. This exercise can also be performed while standing but preferably done sitting as it gives a better posture giving more out of the exercise.

The Arnold press

This exercise was named after Arnold Schwarzenegger and is a great workout for engaging all the heads of the deltoid muscle as it includes a complex motion during the press but can appear similar to the dumbbell shoulder press.

Hold dumbbells in your hands in the sitting position.
The plans must face you and the back of your hand facing forwards.
As you maintain a straight back press the dumbbells over your head as you rotate your hands causing the inside of your arms to face outwards.
Hold as you make sure the dumbbells are touching.
Rotate your arms back to the same position as your lower arms.
Repeat.

This motion is similar to the motion of cap opening and it is crucial to turn the dumbbells while you raise and lower them.

Bottom-up kettlebell press

This exercise helps train your delts along with the rotator cuff which is a really important muscle to train as weakness in your rotator cuff muscle can cause frequent shoulder injury. training helps prevent and treat shoulder injuries.

Do not use a heavy kettlebell that you just can not lift, like using heavy weights in dumbbell presses. This exercise should be performed seated on the ground.

Sit down on the floor with your feet extended in front of you and slightly spread away from each other.
Keep your back straight.
Hold a kettlebell upside down in one hand as you place the other on the floor.
Raise the weight above your head making sure your arm comes close to the ear when you lift, Hold.
Retreat to the position and repeat.

Landmine presses

Another exercise that helps build the anterior deltoids. It is also known as the angled barbell press. Most gyms provide the landmine that helps attach one end of the barbell to it.

If your gym does not provide a landmine, you can push the barbell against the concern of a room to give the same effect. It actually is a great exercise for not only the shoulders but also the chest and the triceps. It is also slightly easier as an added bonus.

How to do the landmine press

After you have attached the barbell to the device, stand holding the end of the barbell.
Place both hands directly in front of your chest.
The feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Press the barbell up with both your hands until both your arms are completely straight.
Lower and repeat.

This exercise can be done single-handedly as well and you can add weights to the side you lift to make it more challenging.

The triceps

These muscles include 3 heads and heads there are a variety of exercises that need to be performed to increase arm strength and especially for more definition of the triceps. Training the triceps is quite unique as these exercises specifically isolate the triceps and not any other muscle groups.

Diamond pushups

Probably the hardest and the best exercise for the triceps.

Place your hands on the ground directly underneath the chest.
Make a diamond shape with your fingers.
Get into a plank position, making sure your back is fully straight and the abs are engaged.
Lower your body similar to a normal push up bringing your chest almost to the floor.
Muster up enough strength to push yourself back up.

Perform this exercise with your knees on the floor if it appears too hard in the plank position and makes sure your elbows are tucked closer to your body when you push up.

Tricep kickbacks

Place one of your feet on a platform.
Place the arm of the same side on your thigh for support.
Hold a dumbbell in the other hand.
Pull the arm backward and focus on contracting the triceps.

Tricep dips

This is among one of the most effective exercises when it comes to training the triceps.

Place your hands on a bench or a chain behind you.
Bend your knees.
Lower your body to the ground making sure the tension is on the tricep muscles.
Make sure your elbows are pointed upwards and make a 90-degree angle.
Raise your body.

Staying straight and tucking your elbows engages your chest more, other tips you could use to engage your chest are to lean forward, Keep your head straight as it might go forward while descending.

Close grip bench press

Unlike the conventional bench press that focuses mostly on your chest, the transition in the grip from a wider to a closer grip helps transfer load from the chest to the triceps.

Lay down on a bench with your feet firmly flat on the ground.
Space your hands at shoulder width.
Lower the barbell slowly as your brace your core.
Press the weight back again.

Avoid arching your body and lifting your feet off the floor.

The tricep extensions

You can do this exercise either by sitting on a chair or standing up.
Place your arms close to the face and your elbows facing forwards.
Lower the weight behind while contracting the triceps.

The chest

The chest is made up of the following muscles, The pectoralis major the pectoralis minor, the serratus anterior, and an accessory muscle the subclavius.

Inclined bench press

Bench presses are known as the king of chest exercises, this is a variation of the normal bench press but it engages the triceps too.

Use a bench that is inclined at an angle.
Lay down and hold the bar with your arms wide apart.
Lift the bar and lower it making sure it does not touch the best.
Press again.

Make sure the feet are firmly glued to the ground and your palms are facing outwards.

Push-ups

Pushups are a really beneficial workout as they not only target the chest but also the core and the shoulder muscles, they also help strengthen the lower back.

Put your palms on the floor.
Make a plank position.
Make sure your legs and straight and your hands are directly beneath your chest.
Lower your body making sure you are just above the floor.
Push back up without losing any form.

Inclined push-ups are another challenging variant that can be performed.

Chest dips

Place your hands on bars at the sides.
Lift your legs folding and make your knees right-angled.
Lower your body as you keep your core engaged and elbows tucked.
Raise your body back up.
Repeat.

No matter what your goal might be it is really important to work the chest as it tends to increase the quality of life also making you more appealing physically similar to the arms.

Conclusion

Nonetheless, there are benefits to performing the push-pull exercises, this routine allows one of the muscle groups to rest while the other muscle group is working which helps immensely in muscle growth and repair.

In general, it has been suggested that a person should work the pull muscles twice as compared to the push muscles. You will find an immense gain in strength and athletic performance.

Push exercises or vertical press exercises are really good workouts but are not complete and you are required to add more pushing and even more, pulling exercises do not rule out training your legs and the core.

You might want to visit our other articles in which we have discussed each muscle separately and in-depth thus giving you adequate knowledge on the science of training them, what to avoid, who should avoid them, and the function of those muscles.

Push exercises