The Anatomy of a Push Up
A deep dive on the iconic exercise
Welcome to a movement dissection 101, today looking at a classic exercise that every teenage boy has pumped out on their bedroom floor (NO NOT THAT).
The push up.
Also known as a press up, the push up is synonymous with upper body strength. For many it’s where we started our fitness efforts, for others it might represent a goal to work towards. And for some it’s just a bro exercise that isn’t really considered relevant or appropriate.
Whether you think the pushup is your thing or not, it probably has a lot to offer. We’re primarily using our pectoral (chest) and tricep (back/side of arms) muscles to move our body through space, with a heavy dose of stabilisation from both the large and small muscles around the shoulders and shoulder blades.
This makes the movement valuable for everybody, whether or not you want to get big and strong. Developing strength around the shoulder girdle reaps long-lasting rewards for posture and injury prevention. It also gives you options when life throws those “oh shit" moments at you — you’ll have built a buffer and the capacity to safely react.
And for those that are interested in muscle building, well, the pushup is a classic for a reason. We’re essentially channeling a large chunk of…
