What Part of the Body Do Push-Ups Help?

Push-ups are a great exercise to improve the strength and endurance of your upper body. Push-ups directly work your chest, front of your shoulder and the back of your arm. Push-ups also work your lower back and abs as you stabilize yourself while exercising. Consult your physician before you begin any diet or exercise program.

Chest

While there are a few muscles in the chest, the large, visible muscle is the pectoralis major, often referred to as "the pecs." The function of this muscle is to adduct the humerus, or bring your upper arm in to the midline of your body. It does this by pulling against your upper arm; this is called contraction. To generate power, a muscle must contract, and this occurs in the chest as you push yourself up.

Shoulder

The front of the shoulder is called the anterior deltoid. This muscle has many functions, including elevating the upper arm. It is in this mode that the front of the shoulder is most taxed while performing a push-up. The middle of the shoulder works slightly to stabilize your shoulder joint while exercising, and the back of the shoulder, or the posterior deltoid, stretches as the anterior deltoid contracts.

Triceps

The triceps is the large muscle on the back of your upper arm. It functions to extend the forearm, or straighten out your arm when it is bent. As your arm is extending throughout the entire range of motion in the push-up, the triceps is the most active muscle in the exercise. The triceps must stretch as you lower yourself and contract as you push yourself up. The biceps, located on the front of the arm, is required to stretch while the triceps is contracting.

Core

Your abdominals and lower back contract isometrically, or without movement while performing a push-up. If they do not, you are going to sag in the middle and your back will round. This makes it impossible for you to execute a full range of motion while exercising. While these muscles contract, because they are not working through a large range of motion, the push-up is not a good exercise for these muscles.

References

• "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Eight Weeks of Resistance Training Can Significantly Alter Body Composition in Children Who Are Overweight or Obese. Mike R. McGuigan, et al.; January 2009.
• "International Journal of Shoulder Surgery"; An Electromyographic Analysis of Shoulder Muscle Activation During Push-up Variations on Stable and Labile Surfaces; Jaspal S. Sandhu, et al.; Apr--Jun. 2008.
• "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Quantifying Muscle Patterns and Spine Load During Various Forms of the Push-up; Stanley Freeman, et al.; Mar 2006.