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Activity of shoulder girdle muscles during the perfect push-up and push-up bar exercises using different hand positions in young overhead athletes

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Abstract

Background

Push-up is considered as an excellent exercise for both assessment and training in athletes. However, the influence of its mode of application on activation of shoulder girdle musculature has been scantily studied by previous research in young overhead athletes.

Objectives

To investigate the activity of pectoralis major (PM) and triceps brachii (TB) muscle during push-up exercise performed on the push-up bar and perfect push-up using shoulder width (SW), narrow shoulder width (NSW) and wide shoulder width (WSW) hand positions in young overhead athletes.

Methods

24 young overhead athletes were recruited for the present study. Surface electromyography (EMG) was recorded for the PM and the TB muscles during the performance of push-up exercise on the push-up bar and perfect push-up using different hand positions (SW, NSW, and WSW). Root mean square (RMS) of the EMG signal was analyzed during each variation of push-up exercise for both muscles. Muscle activity was calculated as percentage maximum voluntary isometric contraction (% MVIC).

Results

EMG activity of PM muscle was significantly greater in WSW hand position as compared to SW (p < 0.01) and NSW (p < 0.01) hand position; whereas, the activity of TB was significantly greater in NSW hand position as compared to SW (p < 0.01) and WSW (p < 0.01) hand position. There were no significant differences in the EMG activity of PM (p = 0.54) and TB (p = 0.68) muscles between the push-up bar versus the perfect push-up.

Conclusion

WSW hand position may be used during a push-up when the goal is to strengthen PM; whereas, an NSW hand position may be utilized for the selective strengthening of TB muscle. Both perfect push-up and push-up bar may be utilized by overhead athletes for performing push-ups based on the availability of equipment.

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Abbreviations

PM:

Pectoralis major

TB:

Triceps brachii

NSW:

Narrow shoulder width

WSW:

Wide shoulder width

SW:

Shoulder width

EMG:

Electromyography

Ag–Cl:

Silver chloride

MVIC:

Maximum voluntary isometric contraction

RMS:

Root mean square

MIT:

Maximum isometric torque

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to admit a sincere thanks to Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University) for providing adequate financial and logistic help during the course of this study.

Funding

The present study was not funded by any external funding organization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India

    Fahis AdavamPurath, Shahid Raza, Jamal Ali Moiz, Aqsa Mujaddadi & Pooja Bhati

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  1. Fahis AdavamPurath
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  2. Shahid Raza
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  3. Jamal Ali Moiz
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  4. Aqsa Mujaddadi
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  5. Pooja Bhati
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Correspondence to Shahid Raza.

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Authors declare no conflict of interest pertaining to this manuscript.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional/or national research committee (Institutional Ethics Committee, Jamia Millia Islamia, Proposal No 16/9/122/JMI/IEC/2017) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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AdavamPurath, F., Raza, S., Moiz, J.A. et al. Activity of shoulder girdle muscles during the perfect push-up and push-up bar exercises using different hand positions in young overhead athletes. Sport Sci Health 16, 65–73 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-019-00574-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-019-00574-w

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