Push ups | Physical fitness

Push-Ups: Why You Need Them

Push-ups are a very important exercise and one that you should include in your programs. A lot of people overlook them because they think that they are too easy, or that they are not very important. The fact is that this exercise can not only get you strong and looking great, but it can also help your shoulder in more ways than you can imagine.

The push-up will give you a lot of benefits.

• It is a compound exercise which means that it is targeting the chest, the shoulders and the triceps all at once.
• There are many different variations and progressions that you can do.
• If you are getting stuck on bench press you can use the push-up to help break through to the next level.
• It gets your abs and your core going, much like doing a prone hold.
• It will help prevent a lot of shoulder injuries and you will get a lot more shoulder stability.

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The reason we talk so much about the importance of the pushup is because of shoulder stability. As a general rule the shoulder is a very mobile joint, and in order to keep them healthy and free from injury, you need to keep them very stable. The most important bone in this movement pattern is the scapula. If you have control over the scapula, then you will surely have control over your shoulder. The key muscle here is the serratus anterior. As you well know muscles imbalances are the prime cause of injuries, and this is a big one. Just doing bench press and pull exercises will mean that you are working only downward rotation, and your serratus anterior will get weak. Working with a push-up will mean that you are working upward rotation, and getting your serratus anterior strong and healthy. It is a muscle that moves the scapula and that is why it is so important that you are able to control it.