Tutorial: Inverted Push Up

19th July 2018

The inverted push up is a functional exercise performed on the natural movement pillars of pushing and pulling.

It is a demanding exercise performed with suspended bar support, increasing the difficulty level of a regular push-up. This is a push exercise that strengthens your chest and arms and mobilizes the trunk with great stabilization at the same time. The controlled descending and rising motion demands contracting chest and arms structure, but also glutes and core, similarly to a plank.

Executing an inverted push up you can activate all the muscles of chest and arms, creating more coordination on your whole body. In this exercise you can associate upper-body strength and scapular stabilization, to trunk power strength that occurs when you extend your arms. This total combination generates a great functional movement training of pushing-pulling.

Pushing involves basic reflexes such as those we use to move away from a threat and/or the principle of a throwing movement. We can use this action daily to put something on a higher shelve, to push the supermarket trolley, to pass a baseball ball.

By extending the arms and moving your trunk away from the floor, you generate a push pattern that involves chest strength and arms strength (anterior deltoid and triceps).

WHAT

  • Inverted push up is a functional exercise performed on pushing and pulling pillar combined with scapular stabilization.
  • Strengthens your chest and arms and stabilizes the trunk.
  • Generates great core strength.

HOW

  • With the bar suspended by the strips, on the fourth level, counting from the bottom, put both feet over the bar.
  • Lay down on the floor, with the face down with your hands at the width of your shoulders and your elbows extended.
  • Try to maintain your trunk as a plank, with scapular stabilization.
  • Activate your abs and glutes to stabilize the hip.
  • Bent your arms with the elbows pointed out side, until your head gets closer to the floor.
  • Turn to starting position, extending the arms and stabilizing the scapula and hip.

WHY

  • Increases functional strength and mobility in a full body activation mode.
  • Activates the core.
  • Improves coordination.
  • Stabilizes joints.

Did you like the inverted push up tutorial? Here are more exercises:

 

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