Ball Push-ups, one of my all-time favorite PUSH exercises. Tremendously effective, and scale-able from beginner to advanced levels.
Your Chest Muscles Are Your Hugging Muscles
Knowing that you are pushing from the chest muscles is a profound, embodied pleasure, and I assure you. . .
IT FEELS GREAT!
Most people are pretty unaware of the fact that they even have chest muscles.
The great majority of us have never really experienced the strength one can feel when truly pushing from the chest.
It is a large muscle group, that on most of us, is not.
We feel very strong when we develop our chest and related “push muscles”.
We actually develop a different feeling in the way we push. . .
and perhaps in how we push forward in life… hold boundaries… hug. . .
And many people don’t know how to do it. I’ve been into push-ups and calisthenics since I was about eight, and yet I did push-ups wrong (not from the chest) until I was about 45 years old! That’s why I could never develop my chest muscles as a kid!
It is also why I love teaching people how to push correctly.
Check out this great image of the Pectoralis Major muscles from the classic book, Strength Training Anatomy by Frédéric Delavier.
Note how the chest muscles fortify the room around your heart with healthy, living tissue. These are your hugging muscles!
The Chest is a Large Muscle Group, that on most of us is NOT…. Check out this great image from “Strength Training Anatomy” by Frédéric Delavier.
Real Gains Come From Consistency and Balance
You could benefit HUGELY from 20 or 50 push-ups ~ every day, from the chest-not the shoulders!
Additionally, it is important for your posture and muscle balance to keep these muscles long (by stretching) and healthy, and to balance your upper-body strength with back (pull) exercises as well!
Here are 5 Benefits of Functionally Training your Push Muscles
- Reduce your chance of injury
- Stabilize your shoulders, reduce shoulder pain (note though; as much as ye push, so much should ye pull)
- Increase your functional core strength
- Burn off fat and increase lean muscle mass
- Look and feel better (a few millimeters of additional muscle here looks great on men and women)
September is here!
Time to push into the school year, and press on forward toward completing this year’s projects and fitness goals. . .
What are you pushing for in your life?
Do you need a little extra heart-filled power in your push for this fall?