Are there push–ups for the shoulders, specifically targeting this part of the body? Push-ups are an essential part ofincreasing upper bodystrength .

They target the chest, shoulders and triceps, engage the core and require no equipment or spotter! And yes, push-ups are among thebest exercises for stability and shoulder health.

Why do shoulder push-ups?

Shoulder push-ups are good forthe muscles because, unlike the bench press, the push-up allows your shoulder blades to move freely, strengthening theserratus anterior. This is a vital muscle that keeps yourshoulder blade stableand helps it rotate upwards.

A strong serratus anterior reduces shoulder impingement when pressing overhead, and therefore lowers the risk of injury. Since the scapula is half ofyour shoulder joint, improving its stability can solve many other joint problems!

A push-up is a perfect exercise to do at home or on the go. In addition to the shoulders, this exercise will target your chest (pecs) and arms (triceps). But although push-ups are asimple and effective exercise, many people may struggle with push-ups and even experience shoulder pain during and after the exercise. This article therefore aims to guide you for complete sessions!

6 types of shoulder push-ups

The following sixshoulder push-up variations provide thebest effort-to-result ratiofor your workout: they build astrong upper body, promotehigh levels of activationin the serratus anterior, and developshoulder stability. You can also wear aweighted vestto make each variation more challenging!

Shoulder blade push-ups

This first type ofshoulder push– up offers the highest activation of the serratus anterior. It is best used as a warm-up exercise. Get into a push-up position.

Keep your elbows straight and push your shoulder blades down a few inches. Push your shoulder blades as high as possible to complete one repetition.

One leg push ups

This variation ofshoulder push-ups adds more load to the upper body, increasing the recruitment of importantshoulder stabilizers. A simple way to do this is to lift one leg off the ground.

During a normal push-up, you have four points of contact, two hands and two feet. By removing a contact point, you increase upper body loading and core activation! Get into a push-up position and lift one leg, then keep your leg lifted for the entire set.

T-pumps

By adding a rotational component,T-shoulder push-upsstrengthen theshoulder musculature byconstantly changing points of contact with the floor. They also improve shoulder health by stretching thethoracic spine(middle of the back).

To do this, perform a traditional push-up. Take one hand off the floor and reach up and to the side. Keep your eyes on your moving hand. Return to the starting position to complete one rep, and do an equal number ofrepson each side.

Elevated pumps

This variant has two fantastic advantages. First, it’s harder than a regular push-up, which helps youbuild more muscle in your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Second, research shows thatelevated shoulderpush-ups promote more muscle work in the serratus anterior than standard push-ups.

Andstrong, healthy serratus anterior musclesare essential for shoulder health! Also, some athletes who experience shoulder pain during pushing movements like the bench press, and this type of push-up can be donepainlessly.

Perform a push-up with your feet on a stable, elevated surface: start with a small box and gradually increase the height as you get stronger. Do you want to make things even more difficult? Do single-leg and overhead push-ups.

One-arm push-ups

In addition to increasing upper body loading and strengthening your shoulder stabilizers, one-arm pushupsare impressive on the outside. Can’t do them from the ground? Try doing them from a barbell in a Smith machine or rack.

As you get stronger, gradually lower the bar height. To perform thisshoulderpush-up, keep your feet wide and your elbow close to your body during the downswing.

One-arm medicine ball push-ups

Putting a hand on a medicineballactivates your shoulder stabilizers adding instability. This is a simple shoulder push-up exercise, which involves doing push-ups with one hand on a medicine ball. Do an equal number of repetitions on each side.

4 Mistakes to Avoid When Performing Shoulder Pushups

Moving at the wrong elbow angle

The most common mistake people make with theirshoulder push-ups is widening their elbows due to using too wide a hand position, thinking this will better target and develop their chest. But instead, it has the opposite effect by putting our shoulders at risk of injury.

During a pressing motion, our elbows should ideallyline up with our chest fibers, to stimulatemaximum muscle activation. A wide grip can limit our range of motion and also forces the elbows to the side at the lower end of the movement, reducing activation in the chest.

So, remember to tuck your elbows into your body instead of splaying them out, at an angle less than 60 degrees to the body.

Have improper hand orientation

Many people perform push-ups with their hands turned slightly inward, which can lead to the aforementioned elbow problem, while increasing therisk of shoulder impingement.Instead, keep your hands in a neutral, forward-facing position during yourshoulder push-ups .

Just as you would put your feet down when you squat, you should actively screw your hands into the floor to promote external shoulder rotation before your push-up motion. As you go, remember to distribute the weight between your hands more outside than inside.

Raise your shoulders

Even with the right hand and elbow placement, once you start to get tired, it can be very easy tolet the shoulders leantowards the ears. The latissimus dorsi ends up taking some of that pressure in the exercise, and just as importantly, it can compromise your stability.

Activate your lats, actively pull your shoulders down and away from your ears into astable, locked positionthat you want to maintain with each rep.

This simple change in yourshoulderpush-up will add much-needed stability to your push-ups, improve your push-up strength, and ensure that most of the tension goes to the target muscle.

go too fast

Doing reps as quickly as possible can be a good thing if you’re doing afitnesstest , but it’s not something you should be doing in your regular workouts.

Not only can apace that’s too fastincrease theshear forcein your elbow joints, aslower motionactually provides abetter workoutbecause it requires control and increases activation of the chest, triceps, and rear deltoids. !

If shoulder pushups are easy for you, slow down instead of trying to do more and more pushups at a faster pace. Take at least 2 seconds to perform each pump or even 4 or 5 seconds: you will feel the muscle burn!

Summary: Shoulder push-ups

Shoulder push-upsoffer the advantage of working the muscles effectively, while being gentler on your joints with a widerrange of motion .There are many variations ofshoulder push-up exercises, which allow you to adapt the difficulty according to your level and never get bored during your sessions!

Among the 6 variations of push-ups, we therefore find: scapular push-ups, single-leg push-ups, T push-ups, elevated push-ups, one-arm push-ups and push-ups with a medicine ball. If you include them regularly in your workouts and avoid the 4 mistakes mentioned in this article, you will be able to get the most out ofshoulder pump exercises!