Hand Weightlifting - Structure, Benefits, Execution Technique

During the execution of push-ups, the main muscles involved are: the chest muscles, specifically the pectoralis major, which is the primary goal of most exercisers. This area of the body is crucial in exercises, as it allows the exerciser to maintain the correct structural balance in the upper body (back-chest). Other muscles participating in this movement are the deltoid muscles, particularly their anterior section, which often works in conjunction with the pectoralis major during various pressing exercises. The triceps brachii muscles are also involved due to their function as extensors of the elbow and shoulder joints, which allows for the maintenance of the correct balance between the triceps and the biceps, which is often trained more intensely. Furthermore, the entire group of muscles responsible for stabilization is also involved, which is often an overlooked aspect. This group includes the abdominal muscles, back muscles, gluteal muscles, and muscles surrounding the scapula.

A remarkably advantageous aspect of pumps is that they can be executed in any location one wishes. They require no advanced equipment, making them an ideal component of training for individuals lacking the necessary means to train in a gym. Another significant strength lies in the numerous variations of this exercise that work exceptionally well for both those needing to work on the fundamentals and those wishing to elevate the degree of difficulty.

Now that we've got a little bit of anatomy behind us, and we know what the benefits of doing a pump are, let's talk about the right technique. Let's start with the elbow position. Most people overdo it either one way or the other, put it too close or too far away from the pelvis. None of the options is good for shoulder health. With the elbows too far from the body, sometimes it goes up to 90 degrees, the armpit of the lower limbs is huge. From a biomechanical perspective, this is also a weak position, so we limit our power potential in this way. If the elbows are placed as close as possible to the body, this is also not an optimal position. This position would cause excessive pressure of the upper arm bone on the shoulder joint. Instead, we should set the elbows in the most optimal and healthy position for the shoulder joints, which is between 45 and about 15 degrees. Let's move on to the lower body. Here, the matter is simple - we maintain tension in the glutes and legs. The most difficult task will be to ensure proper stabilization of the torso. We should be able to maintain the neutral curve of the spine along its entire length, from the lumbar to the thoracic spine. The head should be an extension of this. The position to perform a pump is essentially a plank. Without mastering the technique of forward support, we should not venture into performing pumps. In addition, we must not forget the retraction and depression of the shoulder blades (pulling back and lowering). When we have the position behind us, let's take a step further, namely the movement downwards. This is a relatively simple matter, but many people relax instead of holding the position and go from a neutral pelvic position to an excessive forward tilt, the upper back rounds, and the head falls in an uncontrolled manner. Remember that the position remains unchanged throughout the movement, therefore pumps are such a great stabilizing exercise. A well-executed pump is a full-range pump, during which the body stops literally millimeters from the ground. This is of course more difficult than half movements, but it engages many more motor units, and this is what we should focus on primarily when we want to stimulate muscles to grow. We end the movement with a full extension of the elbow joint (extension, not hyperextension).

For many individuals who don't struggle with creating classic pumps, this information may seem apparent. However, as previously stated, pumps have a limitless number of variations. We can attempt a pump using rubber, chains, weighted vests. However, if the classic version is too challenging for us, we can try the bench variant. It is significantly better than the knee variant because it doesn't permit us to work on stabilization, thus we lose many of the provided benefits. Another, somewhat more taxing variation, are pumps performed on an unstable surface, for instance, by holding the legs using TRX. This engages our muscles responsible for stabilization to a greater extent. An even more taxing variation are pumps performed on rings.

This exercise requires significant progress in terms of stability, but it's an excellent choice when it comes to strengthening the shoulder joint. The advancements made in stability training using various pump variations will translate into a healthy and resilient body. Check how many pumps you can perform on a gymnastic ring. If less than 80 percent are classical, there may be something wrong with the mechanics of the classic version. The beauty of the rings is that they don't tolerate poor technique, but they reward good technique.