the classic push-up versus the iconic bench press both are effective horizontal pushing exercises
sharing similar movement biomechanics both train the major pressing muscles including the chest
shoulders and triceps what are the pros and cons of each and what does the latest science
tell us find out which one you should do for building muscle gaining strength and much more
let's kick things off discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the push-up a major advantage
of the push-up is the closed kinetic chain position the hands are fixed and the body moves
improvements pertain to relative strength gain if the goal is mastering one's own body control this
is a go-to resistance exercise calisthenics is a blessing because it's cost effective and efficient
intensity or difficulty can easily be adjusted by simply altering the body posture
doing so is a simple way to make the exercise harder especially for those without equipment
honestly this is the big pro of push-ups no fancy gear no training partners just the
desire to improve by adjusting relative loading for those getting more advanced with push-ups
training unilaterally provides a host of benefits you're now pressing a greater percentage of your
body weight through forcing one side to work harder at a time modifications will increase
muscle activation increase difficulty and serve to keep the push-up challenging and productive
the push-up is truly a holistic exercise thanks to what's happening at the scapula
the shoulder blades are free to move organically from retraction
to protraction the mission at fitness faqs is to make the weighted push-up a much more popular
exercise we get all of the aforementioned benefits plus the simplicity of overloading with weights
intensity is easily adjustable to suit your strength level and desired rep range
the technique can be kept consistent which is going to ensure reliable
repeatable objective and quantifiable calisthenics the key for safe weighted push-ups is having a dip
belt placed on the mid-back this is optimal for allowing that fluid unimpeded scapular motion
every single rep we can now train the push-up with sufficient intensity to yield a highly effective
training stimulus the common criticism of the push-up are negated when adding external load
otherwise pick any weighted push-up alternative which suits your equipment availability and
preference a disadvantage of push-ups is when using incorrect intensity and training parameters
it can really misalign with the goals that you're trying to achieve sets of 30 plus push-ups are
going to be ineffective for building strength and muscle failing to use harder progressions or add
external resistance is going to leave super high rep push-up people frustrated and lacking results
band push-ups in theory sound like a good idea but in reality they aren't ideal despite being low
cost and accessible band push-ups are ineffective for overloading the bottom range of motion
the setup is awkward intensity is unpredictable and the earlier options for increasing difficulty
are much preferred another push-up problem is the core can be a limiting factor if the ab muscles do
fatigue a set is going to have to be prematurely stopped robbing the upper body of those precious
gains this is just one of a few reasons why the bench press may be preferable it's time
to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the bench press and its variations the bench press is
an open kinetic chain exercise the body is fixed and the hands are moving improvements relate to
absolute strength gain if your goal is hoisting heavy stuff and improving the bench press for
its own sake keep benching every monday in all seriousness though straightforward progression
is a major benefit of the bench press there's no need to alter body leverage or cycle through
endless variations like the calisthenics push-up it's very realistic to keep the
bench press technique similar session to session and overload with heavier and heavier weights
dumbbell bench press is a great way to safely train the upper body the humeri are free to
move into a more tucked orientation this is much better for shoulder health additionally the range
of motion is increased at the shoulder this is arguably an important muscle building variation
a final pro of the bench press is that it can maximally stress the upper body
without being limited by core strength those purely looking to grow a thicker stronger
chest shoulders and triceps can overload these muscles without any restriction
here's a few considerations regarding potential weaknesses of the bench press the main con of
the bench press is the likelihood of increased injury risk due to the exercise setup the scapula
is blocked by the bench correct pressing involves keeping the scapula retracted
during every rep compared to the push-up we're not getting that full range of motion organic
scapular motion those who bench press quite frequently should definitely include full range of
motion scapular work elsewhere in their program to mitigate injury risk and the potential downsides
in addition to this as long as you're doing other exercises which work the antagonist muscle groups
if you are benching you should be fine don't be scared the downside of bench pressing is the risk
of a peck tear is a very real possibility going heavy is both a blessing and a curse
you need to be smart you need to listen to your body to avoid this from happening
the other potential downside of benching is concerning poor technique
flaring the elbows increases susceptibility to a host of rotator cuff pathologies
but with that said this same negative can also happen with incorrect push-ups as well
the final limitation by comparison with the push-up is that you need special equipment
generally requiring a gym additionally a safe bench press generally requires a spotter these
aspects of bench pressing aren't deal breakers but had to be mentioned in this video for our
consideration now that we've summarized from an in the trenches perspective what does the
science say a 2015 study showed that when volume and intensity is equal emg muscle activation in
prime movers and strength gain is comparable it's no surprise similar movement patterns produce
similar results a different study lasting eight weeks also supported the previous findings
plyometric push-ups combined with bench press training was superior for 1rm gains compared to
just benching by itself the theory is push-ups augment gains via the recruitment of high
threshold fast twitch motor units it's no surprise the plyometric push-up also
enhances the stretch shortening cycle and better expresses the demonstration of 1rm strength
so after all that information here's the important question which exercise is best for you if you
want to get better at benching aka lifting some heavy iron the bench press should be a priority
if you want to get better at calisthenics aka throwing yourself around the push-up should
be a primary focus personal preference can't be discounted if you enjoy benching bench if
you enjoy push-ups do push-ups don't worry about what the latest youtube video or science tells you
enjoying the process and having fulfillment is the only way you're going to train
hard progressively and stand the test of time required to truly transform your body
check out fitnessfaqs.com for all your kalsnax training needs and i'll see you in the next video