“Dogs are forever in the push-up position” -Mitch Hedberg

 

It seems like over the years body weight exercises, like the push-up and inverted row, have lost some of the fervor they once had.  A decrease in popularity doesn’t mean a decrease in relevance though. In fact, those two exercises are a staple in most BSP NOVA members programs, and for good reason.

 

So, why do we have 99% of our members learn the push-up and inverted row from the get go?

Bodyweight exercises like the push-up and inverted row can not only build plenty of strength, but they help build core strength/stability and reinforce our tall and tight position.

It’s not an absolute but sometimes people aren’t limited by upper body strength when performing push-ups, but by their capacity to maintain a tall and tight position. To put it simply, push-ups and inverted rows are moving planks (emphasized in video below). By owning a tall and tight position during these exercises, there is a good chance it will carry over to other exercises like squats and deadlifts.

 

Beyond Tall & Tight

In addition to maintaining a tall and tight position though, there are other important points to consider when looking at push-ups (upper body push), rows (upper body pull), and other exercises.

• Important points regarding upper body pushes and pulls are:
• Elbows are angled at 45 degrees from the body and joints stay stacked
• Maintain a neutral spine (unless you are benching)
• Shoulder blades should move freely (unless you are benching)
• Stopping the elbow beside the body, not behind the body

Let’s break down each of these points one at a time.

 

Elbows are angled at 45 degrees from the body and joints stay stacked

Whether pushing or pulling, when our arms are bent, we want our elbows angled at 45 degrees from the body (in general). Having our elbows flare out wide puts stress on the front of our shoulder, as well as being a less stable position.

A technique tip when dumbbell (DB) bench pressing (as shown in the video below) is that hand position dictates elbow position. If I simply turn my hands in at a 45 degree angle, then my elbows will naturally track that way too.

We also want our joints stacked during pushes and pulls as well. When our arms are straight, then our hands are over our shoulders. When our arms are bent, then our hands will stay stacked over our elbows (which can be seen in the same video above).

 

Maintain a neutral spine (unless you are benching)

When we are in a tall and tight position our spine is neutral. Sometimes though, such as when we perform barbell bench presses, DB Chest Presses, etc., we want to be in a macho man position (as shown in picture below).

When we bench we want our shoulder blades pinched together (think of tucking them in your back pocket) because it gives us a more stable base to press from. If we tried to force a tall and tight position while benching, then it would not put us in an optimal position for the exercise.

 

Shoulder blades should move freely (unless you are benching)

Our shoulder blades are designed to move and rotate around our rib cage as our arms move. As we reach our arms out in front of us our shoulder blades will glide forward and apart from each other (protract). When we pull our elbows beside our body we want the shoulder blades to glide backwards and towards each other (retract).

Once again, the exception is that our shoulder blades will stay retracted when benching and not moving freely.

As an example, in the video below I show two reps of a landmine press with my shoulder blades retracted, then reps with my shoulder blade moving freely. You’ll notice that the first few reps seem “restricted” while the next few move freely.

 

Stopping the elbow beside the body, not behind the body

Anterior Humeral Glide is sciencey mumbo jumbo for when the elbow goes too far behind the body and causes the front of the shoulder to dip forward. This is a less stable position and stresses the tissue at the front of the shoulder, which is no Bueno.

An easy way to think of this is to stop the elbow when it’s beside the body, not behind the body. The first two reps in the video below show the elbow going too far, with anterior humeral glide occurring, while the second two are solid reps. Now, everyone is different and some people have the range of motion to safely go further, but it’s a good rule of thumb (or rule of elbow if you will 😉 ).

 

 

Let’s See These in Action

To give you a way to visualize a lot of these points, the three videos below show them being used in different upper body pushes and pulls.

 

Modified Push-Up:

Modified push-ups are performed at an elevated height to make the push-up easier. The same rules apply in that tall and tight is maintained, shoulder blades move freely, elbows at 45 degrees, etc.

 

Bench Press:

As stated you will be in a macho man position when pressing, and since your back is on a bench, your shoulder blades won’t move during this.

 

3-Point Dumbbell Row:

 

Let’s Close with Some Dad Jokes (from a non-Dad)

Hopefully I made a “point” by “pointing” out these technique “points” to you, and you were able to “pull” yourself through this article and “push” to the end (yes, that was bad). But seriously, although there will always be exceptions, the points discussed in this article will benefit every upper body push and pull you do. The exercises you do might change but the principles behind will not.