Push-ups???

Y

Young and Restless

Member
I have a hard time feeling push-ups in my chest. I feel them in my shoulders, but not the chest. My shoulders will be screaming from the burn. What am I doing wrong? I have no problem with tricep push-ups. Any tips?

Thanks!

Nikita
 
Me either! My arms give out LONG before my chest feels anything, and it's my arms that hurt the next day. Why is that?

Shari

I might add, too, that after 3 years of lifting weights, I can still only do 8 "girl" push-ups.
 
Before doing push-ups, do a set of chest flyes with elbows slightly bent and kept in the same position throughout (to isolate the chest and minimize tricep involvement) and concentrating on the chest squeeze sensation at the top of the move. This pre-exhausts the chest (the stronger muscle group) so when you do the push-ups, the triceps won't give out before the chest, and you'll feel it more in the chest.
 
What Kathryn said. :) The push-up works the entire upper body and not the chest exclusively like the pec fly does. Your chest muscles are bigger and stronger than your arms so your arms will fatigue first in a push-up.
 
I'm not sure if you're doing the push-ups on your toes or knees, but I have found that push-ups on my knees I feel way more in my chest. I think it is because I can go so much lower to the floor and get better range of motion.
 
Thanks for the suggestions!

I usually start on my toes and have to drop to my knees about half way thru. Push-ups are the last exercise I do, most of the time, for my chest. So, I've already prefatigued the chest muscles.
Hmmm...I think I may try them with my hands on the step to see if that makes a difference.

Bobbi, I have really long arms too. DH says I look like a gymnast, short body/legs and long arms. Now that I think of it kinda like an ape, LOL!
Thanks again everyone,

Nikita
 
Nikita, Maybe also try them with legs on the step and your hands on the floor. This may also work. I have the Firm Upper Body Sculpt, which I do not like by the way, where Janet does them with her shins on the Fanny Lifter. I actually like this exercise.
 
Push-ups are the last exercise I do, most of
>the time, for my chest. So, I've already prefatigued the chest
>muscles.

But you've also prefatigued the triceps, if those exercises include compound moves like barbell or dumbell presses, which I assume they would. The purpose of a preexhaust exercise is to work a stronger/larger muscle group (ie: chest) with an isolation move (ie: flyes) that spares the smaller/weaker group (triceps) that is involved in compound moves for the larger group (chest presses).
 
Maybe this is my problem with the bonus pushups in the timesaver workouts. You do chest flyes and barbell tricep extensions first. By the time I get to the pushups they very hard for me. Maybe until I get better at them I should do them first. It's wierd though, because I can do the pushups in S&H on my toes, and they don't seem nearly as hard. Although, you are getting the one minute rests there. I counted the other day; Cathe gives us 4 seconds! of rest between pushup sets in the timesaver. Oh and S&H is strength as opposed to endurance which could be another factor.
 
Kathryn,

I think it was Shari that has the problem with her arms giving out. My problem is I feel pain in my shoulders. I was wondering if there was a way to focus push-ups more on the chest muscles and take some of the strain off the shoulders. I have no problem with my triceps giving out on push-ups. I thought there might be a better way because when I do tricep push-ups my shoulders don't hurt.
Just wanted to clarify, maybe my first post wasn't detailed enough.


Nikita
 
Nikita --

I, too, have problems with feeling pushups in my shoulders more than in my chest. Here are a couple of things to try:

1. When doing pushups -- don't go down as far (maybe only halfway or 3/4 of the way) and think about the chest muscle. When doing barbell or dumbell bench press or flyes -- don't go down as far. It will take some time to get used to the shorter range of motion at first, but you should really start to feel it in the chest.

2. I noticed that I kept my elbows really high (like directly out from my shoulders) when I'd do a pushup. Try keeping your elbows slightly *below* the shoulders at the bottom of the pushup. Does that make sense? At the bottom of the pushup -- the elbows won't be directly in line with the shoulders, they will be slightly below. This helped me feel them more in my chest.

Hope these suggestions help,
Shonie
 
Shonie,

Your tips are something I certainly hadn't considered! I always try not to go too low on bench presses where my elbows go below parallel (usually just above bench level), cuz I've read it stresses the shoulders to go too low, but never considered that for push-ups.

Thank You,

Nikita
 
I've also heard that you should not go too low when doing pushups as you will start engaging the shoulders when you do that. Maybe you're lowering yourself too much and that's probably why you're feeling it it in your shoulders. I think if you follow Shonie's suggestion, you will feel it more in your chest.
 
RE: Push-ups??? nancy- shari

Hey Nancy and Shari!!! I sure am glad I'm not the only one that has problems with pushups- I'm a tall lady and I think that has a little to do with it- I was watching wwe wrestling the other week and saw BIG POPPA PUMP doing pushups so nicely- I was soooo jealous!!! I try to do the girly ones and I have gotten better....I pull my stomach in real tight and that seems to help...but still- I can do a gizillion crunches and only 10 or so pushups (the girl way!!)
 
I am experiencing different problems. I could do push-ups forever if it weren't for the pain in my lower back. I brace my core, keep my back flat, keep my arms close by my side, and still after 15 or so, my lower back is killing me. I will try them with my legs on the step though, because they are great for toning the back of your arms.
 
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