Can Pushups Improve Your Bench Press?

Bench press is among the most popular strength training exercise. It is used by professional athletes, as well as those interested in general fitness because it effectively develops the size and strength of the muscles in your upper body. Increasing the amount you can bench press requires that you increase the amount of force your upper body muscles can produce.

Strength

The amount of weight that you can lift during a bench press depends on the amount of force your upper body muscles can produce. If pushups are to be effective at improving bench press force, they must be effective at building strength in the same group of muscles. According to Bodybuilding.com, you can increase the amount you can lift on the bench press by also incorporating strength training exercises that target the same muscle groups involved in bench press.

Pushup Muscles

Pushups are completed by a coordinated effort between your pectoralis major muscle of your chest, which produces most of the force, your deltoid, or shoulder, and your triceps brachii muscle. The pectoralis major contracts to adduct your shoulder joint, or bring your arms toward each other while you push up from the floor. The deltoid assists with shoulder flexion and your triceps brachii muscles control movement at your elbows.

Bench Press Muscles

According to Georgia State University's Department of Kinesiology and Health, the prime muscle movers during the bench press includes the pectoralis major of the chest and the deltoids, or your shoulders. Your triceps brachii muscles also contract to extend your elbow joints as you raise the bar and to control the bending of your elbows as you bring the bar down. Therefore, pushups do develop all of the major muscles used during bench press and thus can be effective at improving bench press performance.

Considerations

It's important to recognize that while pushups develop the same muscle groups that are involved in the bench press you will also need to continue performing bench press on a regular basis to improve at that specific exercise. In addition, according to Dr. Jay R. Hoffman of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, to increase strength, complete three to five sets of six to eight repetitions of an exercise. It's likely that six to eight repetitions of pushups will not be adequate to overload your chest, shoulder and tricep muscles and thus stimulate your muscles to increase the amount of force they can produce. Therefore, in order to make your pushup workouts effective, increase the intensity of the pushup exercise by having a partner hold a weighted plate on your back so that you reach fatigue in between six to eight repetitions.