Reverse push-ups are a special type of triceps workout. Few people have heard of it, but it is undoubtedly very effective. The exercise got its name because it is performed in a back position so that the arms are behind the body. You can perform it at home from the floor, but in this case the amplitude of execution is very small, so it is better to use a support, be it a chair, stool, sofa or bench.
This exercise can also be performed in the gym for additional stress on the back of your arms. It is great for both men and girls. Various execution methods allow you to effectively vary the load level.
Benefits of exercise
The target muscle group for this exercise is the triceps brachii. Additionally, the anterior deltoids and upper pectorals work. The chest, among other things, receives some stretching.
When performing push-ups, you work your triceps, front deltoids, and upper pectoral muscles.
Reverse push-ups have a number of benefits:
- The exercise engages all triceps heads at once. In general, the triceps are much larger in size than the same biceps, but this fact often eludes many athletes. That is, if the goal of a student is to increase the volume of his arms, training exclusively biceps is simply irrational.
- For women, triceps push-ups allow you to tone the back of your arms, which is traditionally considered a problem area.
- You can perform the exercise in the gym, at home or on vacation - it does not require any special equipment. Push-ups can be done while resting on a bench, chair or sofa, or even a bench in the park. There are also no problems with using weights. You can increase the load with a dumbbell, a barbell plate, or any other weighty object, even a water bottle.
- The triceps are under load in both the positive and negative phases of the movement.
Bench push-ups have a number of variations. So, a beginner can do them with his legs bent on the floor (with minimal load), and an advanced athlete can do them with his legs on the second bench and using weights.
Benefits of reverse push-ups
The back of the arm is represented by the triceps - the triceps muscle of the shoulder. It consists of 3 heads: long, lateral and medial. In this exercise, the load falls on the entire muscle group at once.
The reverse push-up technique helps increase the strength and volume of the triceps (when working with weights). In combination with basic exercises (close-grip barbell press or French press), it allows you to achieve the growth of high-quality muscle mass and increase the volume of your arms.
Reverse push-ups are isolated mass-building exercises and have the following benefits:
- simultaneously develop all three heads of the triceps;
- tension in the muscles remains throughout the entire exercise;
- involve small muscle groups that are difficult to use in other common exercises;
- develop arm strength, which allows you to increase the weight in the barbell press;
- enlarge the chest by stretching it (when working with weights).
For girls, this exercise will also be “Number 1” in the upper body training program. It will not at all affect the increase in arm volume (if performed with your own body weight). On the contrary, it will visually make them smaller and bring them into good tone.
Execution technique
Consider reverse push-ups with your feet on a bench:
- Place two benches parallel to each other at a distance slightly greater than the length of your legs. Turn your back to one of the benches and take a back support, placing your palms on the edge of the bench, fingers forward, with a shoulder-width grip. Place your feet with your heels on the second bench. The back should be straight. This is your starting position.
- As you inhale, slowly lower your pelvis, bending your elbows to a right angle. The forearms should be perpendicular to the floor throughout the entire movement, that is, the elbows should not diverge to the sides.
- As you exhale, forcefully push yourself back to the starting position. Do not jerk your body; push-ups from the bench are performed solely by contracting the triceps.
Performing the exercise with your feet on a bench.
A lighter version of this exercise that girls can use is the option when the feet are on the floor. If you bend your knees at the same time, it will be even easier.
And to increase the load, use additional weight. You can place a barbell plate or dumbbell on your pelvic area. Any other weight that you can attach to yourself will do.
If you place your feet on the floor, you can complicate the movement by placing one foot on top of the other.
Reverse push-ups are best done at the beginning of your triceps workout. This is a very energy-intensive exercise. Perform it 10–15 times in 3–4 approaches. If 10 times is still too much for you, do as many as you can, but with full adherence to technique. Performing movements at half amplitude or through jerks is pointless.
Bench push-up technique for men
The target muscle group for this exercise is the triceps brachii.
Additionally, the anterior deltoids and upper pectorals work. The chest, among other things, receives some stretching.
Place two benches in parallel. The distance should be such that you rest your hands on one and your heels on the other, as in the figure. Sit on a bench, put your legs on the other, rest your palms slightly wider than your shoulders on the edge of the bench and lift yourself up onto straight arms. Pull your shoulders back a little.
Inhale and slowly lower your body down, when the triceps are stretched as much as possible, hold your breath and push yourself up by straightening your elbows.
Try to keep your elbows near your body, do not spread them to the sides. Exhale when you overcome the most difficult part of the amplitude. Pause with straight arms to prolong the peak tension of the triceps.
What to pay attention to
To ensure that your triceps workouts are as effective as possible and do not lead to injury, pay attention to the following recommendations:
- When performing push-ups, do not spread your elbows to the sides and do not bend your arms at the elbow joints more than 90 degrees. This could result in serious injury.
- Place your palms with a shoulder-width grip, that is, near your hips.
- If you place your feet on the floor, do not fully extend your arms at the top. A small angle remains.
- Increase the load gradually. Start with the feet on the floor variation, then move on to the feet on the bench variation, and then start using weights.
- Do not bend your back - keep your spine straight throughout the entire movement.
- Before performing the exercise, rotate your shoulders, stretch your hands and elbow joints.
You can supplement your triceps training with close-grip push-ups, arm extensions with dumbbells and other exercises. Listen to your sensations, concentrate on the work of the target muscles and you will see that your arms will become much stronger and more voluminous.
Important points
- Do the exercise on one bench without weights for a light workout, or on two benches with weights for maximum gains in muscle size and size.
- If you are doing reverse push-ups on two benches, find the distance between them that makes it most comfortable for you to perform this exercise.
- Keep your body upright throughout the entire approach, without moving your pelvis forward.
- To effectively work your triceps, maintain a constant angle in your knee joints; you do not need to bend and straighten your knees when doing push-ups.
- To avoid injuring your shoulders, don't go too low. If you have problems with your shoulder joints, you should not include this exercise in your training program - you can replace it with regular push-ups with a narrow grip or on parallel bars.
Instructions for performing exercises for women
For women, triceps push-ups allow you to tone the back of your arms, which is traditionally considered a problem area.
A lighter version of this exercise that girls can use is the option when the feet are on the floor. If you bend your knees at the same time, it will be even easier. This is an easier version of push-ups, but it can be performed as a warm-up even in the office at your main place of work or at home, resting your hands on the edge of the table, for example. Push-ups can be done while resting on a bench, chair, sofa, or even a park bench.
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| Stand with your back to a chair or bench. Be sure that the object is strong enough to easily support your weight. Bend your legs and place your palms on the front edge of the bench next to your hips, with your fingers pointing forward (shoulder-width grip). Slowly move your feet forward some distance from the bench and stand up from it, remaining in support on your hands behind you. | |
| As you inhale, begin to slowly pull yourself down, bending your elbows. Lower your heel until your shoulders are parallel to the floor (90 degree angle). Keep your elbows straight and do not spread them too far to the sides. Hold for a second, then using only the strength of your triceps, push your torso powerfully upward, lifting yourself (as you exhale) to the starting position. You've completed your first reverse push-up exercise! |
If you inhale when lowering and exhale when going up, it will be much easier for you. It is believed that with intense exhalation during peak tension, the lungs seem to help overcome the resistance of the body weight.
The exercise may seem simple to perform, and to some extent it is, but make no mistake - your triceps may not be prepared for it at all.
Reverse push-ups for beginners:
Be careful not to lean forward from the bench (don't arch your back - keep your spine straight throughout the entire movement), as this will put too much stress on your shoulders and could lead to injury.
It is very important to work evenly during the training process and avoid impulses - spasmodic movements to move the body. Concentrate on your natural and rhythmic breathing and continue with the exercises.
If you want to give more load to the triceps, then bring your hips closer to the support - a bench or chair and straighten your legs as much as possible.
Here's how it's done:
If this position is uncomfortable for you, then move your feet closer to you.
Ways to place your feet. In the first case, the legs are straightened and stand on the floor on the heels. In the second, the legs are bent at the knees and the entire surface of the feet is on the floor. The racks differ in that in the first case the hips and abdominal press receive some tension, in the second this does not happen.
You can make the movement more difficult by placing one foot on top of the other:
The variability of the exercise allows you to use different grip widths and foot positions. The exercise can be made more difficult by changing the position of your legs or even raising your legs on another bench, placing it opposite.
Content
- 1 Benefits of doing the exercise
- 2 Technique
- 3 Tips for proper execution
- 4 Who wants to increase the load
Push-ups with your back to the bench
Push-ups with your back to the bench
The back-to-bench push-up is a basic mass-building exercise that involves movement in two joints (shoulder and elbow). It will be useful for working the pectoral muscles, triceps and anterior deltoids.
Muscles that are responsible for the balanced position of body parts when performing an exercise:
- Shoulder joints: rotator cuff muscles, pectoralis major and deltoids.
- Shoulders: Lower trapezius, rhomboids, and serratus anterior.
- Forearms: muscles that flex the wrists.
Tips for proper execution
- inhale as you go down, exhale as you move up;
- Make sure your torso is straight;
- don’t slouch, straighten your shoulders;
- control your movements, perform the exercise slowly and smoothly;
- do not try to lower yourself as much as possible, as there is a danger of damaging your shoulder joints. It is enough to ensure that the upper parts of the arms are parallel to the floor;
- Elbows should be pressed to the body. Don't let them move apart.
