Pullups and pushups are effective exercises that help tone and strengthen many muscles in your upper body including those in your shoulders, chest, back, abdomen and arms. However, there are also several muscles that these two exercises do not target. To get a full upper body workout, you need to include additional exercises to help strengthen all the muscles in your upper body.
Pullup
When you perform a pullup, you grab the pullup bar with your palms facing away from you and slowly pull your chin toward the bar by bending your elbows and lifting your body off the floor. You pull up until your chin is in level with the bar. You can cross your legs at your ankles to provide added stability throughout the exercise. You should also pause briefly before lowering yourself to the starting position.
Muscles Worked
The pullup works many muscles in your back, chest and arms. It targets the latissimus dorsi, but also works other back muscles including the rhomboids, levator scapulae, teres major and the lower trapezius. The muscles it works in your arms include the brachialis, brachioradialis, and biceps brachii. Pullups also work your pectoralis major sternal and pectoralis minor muscles in your chest.
Pushup
You don't need any special equipment to perform a pushup -- you use your body weight as resistance. To properly execute a pushup, you should place the palms of your hands and your tiptoes on the floor and raise your body off the floor by extending your arms. Your hands should be around shoulder-width apart. You should keep your body straight and aligned throughout the movement by bracing your core muscles. Lower your upper body toward the floor by bending your elbows outward. You should lower yourself until you almost touch the floor with your chest and then return to the starting position.
Muscles Worked
A pushup targets the pectoralis major sternal, but also works pectoralis major clavicular in your chest. Additionally, it works the anterior deltoids in your shoulders and triceps brachii in your upper arms. Because you need to contract your core muscles to keep your body stable throughout the movement, it also works your obliques and rectus abdominis in your abdomen, as well as the quadriceps in your thighs.
Muscles not Worked
Although pullups and pushups work several muscles in your upper body, there are some that are not worked. These include the middle and upper trapezius, erector spinae, teres minor, infraspinatus, subscapularis and supraspinatus in your back, lateral and posterior deltoids in your shoulders, serratus anterior on your sides, splenius and sternocleidomastoid in your neck, and the flexors and extensors in your wrist.
Additional Exercises
To get a full upper body workout, you'll need to add four exercises to your workout: The front raise targets the lateral deltoid, supraspinatus, middle and upper trapezius, serratus anterior and wrist extensors; the reverse fly targets the posterior deltoid, infraspinatus and teres minor; the neck extension targets the splenius, sternocleidomastoid and erector spinae; and the wrist curl targets the wrist flexors.
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