Horizontal push exercises are fundamental movements that concentrate on mostly the upper body, particularly the chest, front delts, and triceps (although seated leg press is technically a horizontal push).
These exercises are essential for developing upper body strength, putting on muscle, and enhancing overall athletic performance. For those who’re a beginner, understanding the mechanics and advantages of horizontal push exercises goes to aid you when programming your very won Push/Pull split. Experienced gym hounds, you may learn something, too!
In this text, we’ll dive into the importance of horizontal push exercises, explore different variations, and hopefully encourage you to try some recent movements.
What Are Horizontal Push Exercises?
Horizontal push exercises involve moving a weight away out of your body in a horizontal plane.
In a horizontal push exercise, equivalent to the bench press, the barbell moves in a direction that’s perpendicular to your body’s vertical axis:
As mentioned before, this mostly consists of using the chest, shoulder, and triceps.
It may well even be applied to the lower body with leg presses.
Essentially the most common example of a horizontal push exercise is the bench press, but there are several other variations that could be incorporated into your workout routine. I’ll provide the very best options below.
Advantages of Horizontal Push Exercises
Besides having the ability to answer the “How much do you bench?” query that inevitably comes up, there are a number of more the reason why you have to be doing horizontal push exercises:
- Upper Body Strength: Horizontal push exercises are key to constructing strength within the chest, front delts, and triceps.
- Muscle Hypertrophy: Together with strength, size goes to come back. A broad chest, rounded shoulders, and thick triceps could be a game-changer in terms of a strong-looking physique.
- Improved Posture: Strengthening the chest and shoulders may also help correct posture imbalances, particularly for individuals who spend long hours sitting, looking at a screen.
- Functional Strength: Horizontal push exercises mimic movements performed in lots of sports and day by day activities, making them highly functional for improving overall athletic performance.
- Versatility: These exercises could be performed with various equipment, including barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands, and even body weight, making them accessible to everyone.
5 Key Horizontal Push Exercises
There are dozens of horizontal push exercises, but most of them could be traced back to the five predominant movements below:
1. Bench Press
No surprise this one is on here because it’s already been mentioned twice in this text. On the subject of the benchmark (no pun intended) for strength, the bench press reigns supreme.
- Standard Bench Press: Deal with the flat bench press, targeting the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps.
- Variations:
- Incline Bench Press: Emphasizes the upper chest and shoulders.
- Decline Bench Press: Targets the lower a part of the pectorals.
- Close-Grip Bench Press: Focuses more on the triceps.
- Dumbbell Bench Press: Engages stabilizer muscles greater than a barbell version.
2. Chest Flys
Regardless that chances are you’ll consider it as a squeezing motion, it’s still considered a horizontal push. The deep stretch and tension placed on the pecs during this movement make it probably the greatest for exciting muscle growth.
- Bench Fly: Isolates the chest muscles.
- Variations:
- Incline Bench Fly: Emphasizes the upper chest.
- Decline Bench Fly: Targets the lower pectorals.
- Cable Fly: Offers constant tension throughout the range of motion.
- Single-Arm Fly: Helps in specializing in one side at a time for muscle imbalances.
3. Push-Ups
So, bench press is likely to be the MVP in terms of horizontal push exercises, but push-ups are the OG. It’s possible you’ll not construct a Mr. Olympia-level chest with push-ups, but they may also help establish a solid strength baseline.
- Standard Push-Ups: A body weight exercise targeting the chest, triceps, and shoulders.
- Variations:
- Incline Push-Ups: Easier variation, suitable for beginners.
- Decline Push-Ups: Tougher, emphasizes the upper chest.
- Diamond Push-Ups: Focuses on triceps.
- Wide-Grip Push-Ups: Puts more emphasis on the chest.
- Plyometric Push-Ups: Adds an explosive element, enhancing power.
4. Tricep Skull Crushers
Unlike, pushdowns or overhead extensions, Skull Crushers have your arms extend out in front of your body, slightly than down or up. The result’s all three triceps head getting hit, with the medial head getting hit a bit harder.
- Standard Skull Crushers: An isolation exercise for the triceps.
- Variations:
- Incline Skull Crushers: Increases the stretch on the triceps.
- Decline Skull Crushers: Changes the angle, offering a unique stimulus.
- Cable Skull Crushers: Offers constant tension throughout the movement.
- Dumbbell Skull Crushers: Engages stabilizer muscles.
5. Leg Press
Most lists of horizontal pushes aren’t going to have leg press on them, but we predict that may be a terrible mistake. When you almost at all times hear, “squats, squats, squats” for leg development, leg press could be a priceless addition to any lower body workout. There’s a reason why they’re popular with bodybuilders, old and recent.
- Standard Leg Press: Primarily targets the quads, with secondary activation of the glutes and hamstrings.
- Variations:
- Single-Leg Press: Helps address muscle imbalances.
- Wide-Stance Leg Press: Focuses more on the inner thighs and glutes.
- Narrow-Stance Leg Press: Places more emphasis on the quadriceps.
- High-Foot Position Leg Press: Targets the hamstrings and glutes more.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Arching the Lower Back: Excessive arching can result in lower back strain. Keep your core engaged and back flat on the bench. Let’s be real, you’re not entering a powerlifting competition anytime soon, so concentrate on keeping that low back glued to the bench.
- Flaring the Elbows: Keep your elbows at a 45º angle to your body to guard your shoulder joints. Flaring your elbows out to 90º goes to shift strain out of your chest to your shoulders, which is just asking for injury.
- Inadequate Range of Motion: Make sure you’re lowering the load fully to have interaction the muscles properly. Partial reps do have a spot in lifting, but when possible, you would like to hit your complete range of motion. Full ROM goes to offer you higher results, strength and size-wise.¹
- Lifting Too Heavy: Select a weight that lets you perform the exercise with proper form to forestall injury. Don’t sacrifice technique for bragging rights.
Wrap Up
Horizontal push exercises are crucial for constructing a powerful, muscular upper body and improving functional strength. By incorporating quite a lot of horizontal push movements into your workout routine, you possibly can goal different areas of your chest, shoulders, and triceps, resulting in balanced muscle development and higher functional strength. Remember to concentrate on form, progressively increase weight, and integrate these exercises right into a well-rounded fitness program for optimal results.
References:
- Schoenfeld, Brad J, and Jozo Grgic. “Effects of Range of Motion on Muscle Development during Resistance Training Interventions: A Systematic Review.” SAGE Open Medicine, vol. 8, no. 8, Jan. 2020, p. 205031212090155, https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312120901559
