Push ups and shoulder fatigue

[Lollie61]

Hi Cathe,

Yesterday, I did HC Extreme's circuit workout. When I got to the pushups my shoulders started to fatigue. This always happens, so I went to my knees. I never feel the burn in my chest I always feel it in my shoulders. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,

Lollie

 

[Dutchie42]

It happens to me too. Love to hear if my form is off or something.

Dutchie

 

[feelin_good]

Me too! I just don't feel the burn in my chest either!

 

[karate_chick]

...and me.

Was wondering only the other day, what I was doing wrong!

Andrea

 

[Shaz]

I always feel pushups in my triceps, not my chest.
Sharon

 

[kathryn]

Push-ups and chest presses do work the anterior shoulder and triceps as well, as synergists (helping muscles). If you want to feel these more in the chest, you can try pre-exhausting the chest muscle by doing a set of chest flyes (an isolation move) right before doing the push-ups/presses.

Also, you can experiment with hand placement when doing push-ups. Sometimes just a little modification in hand width or how far forward or back the hands are can put more emphasis on the chest. Also, think of keeping your chest out and relaxing the shoulders back and down as much as you can.

 

[Rose11]

You will always feel fatigue in your arms when doing push ups. The key to feel it in your chest is hand placement. If you want to feel it more in your chest when you go down you have to form a 90 degree angle with your upper arm and forearm and remember when you go up not to lock your joints. Try a couple of sets experimenting with hand placement (a little bit forward, a little bit back) until you find a hand position that is comfortable and that makes you feel a little bit of fatigue in the chest area, of course always remember to keep that 90 degree angle when you're down. If you still can't feel it do what Kathryn suggested. Add a couple of pre-exhausting chest exercises before push ups, but try to practice the form pointers I told you when you actually do push ups. Another suggestion is to to them on an incline position(or decline if you're strong enough), you can use a step to do these.

If your hands are closer to the body therefore forming an angle that's less than 90 degrees you will be doing a tricep push up and you will feel it more in your triceps than in your chest. I hope this helps.