pushups..........UGH!!!!

M

msbowman

Cathlete
I'm really hoping someone can help. I have been doing pushups forever(at least it feels that way). For the life of me, I never feel it in my chest the next day. It's always in my shoulders. I have tried various hand positions, toes, knees, it just doesn't seem to make any difference what I do. The only time I feel anything in that area is when I do chest fly's with different hand positions. I did p90x chest, shoulders & tri's yesterday and as you know they do a crapload of pushups. Today, NOTHING. I don't feel anything in my chest. Now, my shoulders and tri's are another story(ouch).

What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions would be great!!!

TIA,

Sally
 
Hi Sally.

I'm right there with you. I never feel pushups in my chest. Always my shoulders and biceps. Weird. I too am hoping for suggestions.

Also when I do chest fly work - nothing there either. I get that in my shoulders and biceps!!!
Again..weird.

Dianne
 
Form is very important when performing pushups. I would start with a standard pushup position before moving on to other variations to make sure that you are feeling it. You want to have your hands placed shoulder width apart. Make sure that in this plank position your chest is lowering just between where your hands rest. Check your body to make sure you are in a straight line without sagging or arching. As you lower to the ground, think about your body going down as a whole in one solid movement. I would concentrate on both the positive and negative movement to really feel this working. Go down for a slow 4 count and up for the same, really concentrating on isolating the chest. You do not have to touch nose to floor but you want to lower down as far as comfortably possible.

Once you have mastered the standard pushup and are sastisfied that you feel this, you can move on to all different types of variation: wide arms, diamond, narrow, one foot stacked on the other, one foot raised, etc.

HTH you some :)



Debbie


Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'
Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.
--Family Guy
 
IMO when I do an exercise to target a specific upper body part ie. chest and another muscle group feels like it has taken the hit. It could be shoulder and tri's are compensating for the weaker chest muscle.
 
I hate pushups too .. LOL ..

But always feel it in my chest . . to start out though when I would "cheat" the shoulders and tris would do all the work ..

My guess is that you are not going down deep enough . . your chest should be just above the floor on push ups . . if you stop 1/2 you work your arms and shoulders ..

Try what I call a split pushup .. do 4 reps all the way to the floor hovering to where your nose is right about to touch the floor .. then push all the way up and hold at the top .. then go 1/2 down and hold at the 1/2 part .. (you will immediately feel the different body parts kicking in - shoulders, bis, and tris) .. then go up and hold and all the way down and hold (feeling that horrible extension and contraction in the pecs) .. and up then 1/2 down and hold .. and so on ..

it is a good exercise to hit all the upper body muscles and really learn what muscles are doing what in the exercise!

Hope this helps!!:)
 
Thanks everyone!

I have checked my form and it's fine, I just think maybe I'm not focused enough because I HATE pusups. I will try all your suggestions though and see where that gets me............hopefully a more defined chest:).

Sally
 
Hi, I was doing push ups for a year and never getting any stronger. I could never do more than a few, and never felt it in my chest, jut my arms. Well one day my husband was walking by and very casually informed me that I wasn't going down far enough. I now make sure my nose or breasts skim the ground before I come up, and I feel it now! You have to create that stretch in the muscle at the bottom before you feel it, otherwise I guess your more focused on your arms. Just a thought...

Sally
 
When my gym has thier annual fitness challenge, push-ups and pullups are the killer for most of us.

I did 96 straight legged push-ups (I only wish I knew I was at 96 so that maybe I could have cranked out 4 more!). This part was separate from another pushup challenge which was a team challenge.

During the team challenge they placed a step on the floor and only those pushups where your chest touched the board counted. It might be a good way to try it and see if it lowers you further than you are going now.

Maybe you don't feel it in the chest because maybe it's stronger than the shoulders and triceps.
 
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