Why should your shoulder blades be still while performing chest press and push ups?

Shoulders – When performing a push-up we want to have our shoulder blades retract behind us as we lower down to the ground. This will put your shoulder into the correct position and will shift more of the tension into your chest muscles as opposed to the front of your shoulders.

Why should you retract the shoulders when benching?

A key factor of being able to bench effectively and efficiently is retracting the scapula or pinching the shoulder blades together. This will increase shoulder stability and decrease the range of motion since the active retraction of the shoulders puts them back in the socket.

What are shoulder blades for?

The scapula, better known as the shoulder blade, is a triangular bone that serves as a joining force between the clavicle and the humerus. This bone is located posteriorly (on the back half of the body). The scapula plays an important role in stabilizing the other bones involved in the rhythm of shoulder motion.

What are the benefits of push ups daily?

What are the benefits of doing pushups every day? Traditional pushups are beneficial for building upper body strength. They work the triceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders. When done with proper form, they can also strengthen the lower back and core by engaging (pulling in) the abdominal muscles.

Should you protract at top of push up?

Protract your shoulder blades at the top. At the top of the push-up, your shoulder blades should be fully protracted—moving your shoulder blades away from the spine. This ensures full range of motion (and, again, healthy shoulders).

Should shoulder blades move during bench press?

The shoulders and elbows are primary joints used in the bench press, so by keeping the shoulder blades retracted, these joints are not stressed as much and are able to move the weight more effectively. So, by keeping the shoulder blades in, not only is it safer but also more effective.

Should shoulder blades be together when benching?

Squeezing your shoulder blades together tightly keeps your shoulders on the bench and reduces the range of motion of the press. If a movement does not add to the power of your lift, or does not make you bigger or stronger it should be eliminated.

Should your shoulder blades touch when benching?

Your Takeaway: pinching your shoulder blades together as hard as possible is NOT necessary for optimal bench performance and may inhibit your strength. Instead, focus on scapular depression (put your shoulder blades in your back pockets) with slight scapular retraction.

What muscles are around the shoulder blade?

The rhomboid muscles are a large group of muscles in your upper back. They’re made up of the rhomboid major and the rhomboid minor. These and other muscles form the shoulder girdle that holds your shoulder blade and shoulder stable.

Why is the humerus important?

The humerus is a long bone located in the upper arm, between the shoulder joint and elbow joint. The humerus provides structural support to the arm and is an insertion point for many important muscles in the upper body, such as pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, rotator cuff muscles, and more.

How should your shoulders move when you do push-ups?

At the top of the push-up, your shoulder blades should be fully protracted—moving your shoulder blades away from the spine. As you descend, they will retract—moving your shoulders blades closer to the spine, or “packed in” against the spine. This ensures full range of motion (and, again, healthy shoulders).

Why do my shoulder blades pop out when I do pushups?

It often happens in the bottom of the push up when a collapse of the shoulder blades occurs. This is normally due to not having the control/strength in our shoulder blades to maintain a good position.

What is the best way to work my shoulder blade muscles?

Scapular (shoulder blade) movement should work synergistically with our arm movement to ensure our rotator cuff (supraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis and infraspinatus) does not become over worked (Larsen 2014). When we perform a push up this is sometimes not always the case, therefore, this needs to be addressed.

How do I perform a proper push-up?

Lower yourself to the ground, touching your chest to it. Push yourself back up, squeezing your pectoral muscles and completing the full range of motion. At the top, continue until your elbows are completely locked and your shoulder blades are fully protracted. Repeat.