How to Perform Feet-Elevated Band-Resisted Pushups
The Feet-Elevated Band-Resisted Pushup is a strength and hypertrophy exercise that involves attaching bands to the middle of a pushup bar and elevating the feet on a platform. The elevation enables an increased range of motion while the band resistance provides an extra challenge for further muscle mass gains. This combination makes it one of the more effective variations of pushups for overall strength development.
Instructions:
- Imagine you're doing a pushup on the most luxurious and exquisite Persian rug ever made: You don't want to crush it with your body weight! Lower yourself slowly, ensuring that your shoulder blades stay connected at the bottom of the exercise.
- As you lower, keep your abs tight and imagine you have an invisible thread through your ears and down to the ground. This will help you keep those pesky shoulder blades from popping up.
- Every rep should be like dipping the pen in an inkwell when signing an important document: Concentrate on the quality of the movement, not just its quantity!
- As you reach the top of each rep, spread your shoulder blades apart. Imagine you're signing off on the document with a flourish. Now that's how you finish!
- Lastly, enjoy the process – this isn't meant to be a chore! As you do each rep thinks of something you love; it could be a song, an activity, or a person. You'll be far more likely to feel the burn if you do.
Muscles used: The Feet-Elevated Band-Resisted Pushup primarily works the chest, shoulders, and triceps. However, due to the elevated foot position and band resistance, other muscle groups such as core stabilizers also need to be engaged for optimal performance of this exercise.
Benefits: This exercise offers numerous benefits to the athlete, most notably an increased range of motion and extra tension from the bands. The extended range of motion places greater stress on the chest and shoulder muscles, which facilitates increased hypertrophy and strength gains. In addition, the band resistance provides an additional challenge for further muscle mass growth.
Sports It Carries Over To: The Feet-Elevated Band-Resisted Pushup is an excellent exercise for athletes involved in sports that require overhead pressing such as weightlifting, strongman, and CrossFit. It also has great carryover to sports that involve pushing away opponents, such as martial arts and wrestling. Additionally, this exercise is useful for any athlete looking to increase strength and hypertrophy in their upper body.
What are the distinctions between this and other pushups? The unique combination of elevated foot position and band resistance makes the Feet-Elevated Band-Resisted Pushup more effective than regular pushups for overall strength development. The extra tension from the bands and increased range of motion makes it one of the most effective variations for building muscle mass in the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Tips And Modifications: Beginners should start with bodyweight pushups before attempting this exercise. Once comfortable with that movement pattern, they can begin to add band resistance or increase elevation to increase the difficulty. Also, it is important to maintain proper form and keep the core engaged throughout the exercise. Lastly, athletes should listen to their bodies and adjust the intensity of the exercise depending on their own individual needs and goals.
For more advanced athletes looking for an extra challenge, they can increase band tension or elevate their feet higher to further increase the difficulty of this exercise. It is also important to mix up the angle or position of the bands for added variation and further gains in strength and hypertrophy. Finally, athletes should always practice with caution, especially when performing a challenging or unfamiliar movement pattern. Proper form and safety should be a priority for any athlete looking to maximize their results.