push ups vs the bench press

[muayThaiPerson]

ive been ttrying to notice the difference in th epushup an dthe bench press for a while now. push ups are said to work out the triceps while bench press works out the pects. i remembered when i started benching that i felt it in my triceps. when i told the instructor, he said the benchpress does work the triceps and works the chest if you bring it all the way down.

i dont see the difference in movements between the two. so i just want to ask if push ups(going all the way down) is equal to bench pressing.

bench pressing to me isnt all that safe, because your muscles might be able to handle the weight but the weight might be to much stress for the back

 

[chufeng]

You are right in thinking that the bench press and push-up works similar muscle groups...

However, the bench press allows for increased resistance and, when done correctly, does isolate the muscles of the upper trunk (primarily the triceps and pectoralis muscles but also the deltoids, trapezius muscles to a lesser extent). The bench press should NOT affect your back unless you're doing the press wrong and/or you've overloaded the bar.

The push up limits your resistance to about 60% of your own body weight...but, it provides for a more balanced exercise because the muscles of the lower back, gluteus, and legs are also brought into play to hold the body in the proper allignment.
Both exercises can cause injury or yield poor results if done incorrectly.

:asian:
chufeng

 

[jfarnsworth]

Look at your hand positioning during the bench press. There's close grip, shoulder width, and wide grip. Each in it's own right works the muscles differently. Close - works tri's more. Shoulder width does both with more emphasis on the chest. Wide grip works more chest than tri's. On my tricep day I use close grip bench presses only. On chest day I use hands in line with shoulder width apart also on that day I decline, incline, and flat bench press. This really trashes the pec. muscle from all angles. When practicing push ups does the same put your feet on something and get different angles to work the muscles in variuos ways.

 

[muayThaiPerson]

so wahts being said is that push ups does work out the pecs, just at a lesser degree than tthe bench. correct?

 

[jfarnsworth]

That's my take but maybe try varying the hand position width. Maybe try a little farther apart but definately try to put your feet on various heigt things.

 

[KennethKu]

You should use both bench press and pushup.

Pushup alone, will plateau very fast (you are limited to pushing a % of your bodyweight). But you can use plyometric pushup to continue improving explosive strength.

Research shows that by combining bodybuilding routines and plyometric workouts, you achieve the best gains in performance.

 

[TLH3rdDan]

yes you are correct in thinking that the push up and the bench press work the same muscle groups... however you are not limited as much as you think with a push up... you can elevate your feet to increase resistance the higher your feet the more of your body weight is transfered to your shoulders chest and arms... you can do diamond push ups which will work your triceps and biceps more... and iron crosses will work your shoulders and chest more... there are many different variations... check out this web site it has alot of good information http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html

 

[white belt]

Pushups are as good as weights for MA conditioning, in my experience. A weighted vest can travel with you on vacation for pushups and other excercises. Want power, range of motion and shoulder girdle flexibility FROM a pushup? Try the following. Get 3 chairs. Choose a floor that will not allow the chairs to slip or slide. Put one where the feet go. Put the other two just outside of your shoulders. Place your hands on the chairs seats with the fingers pointing AWAY from your body to each side. The hands are in this position to allow the wrist joint to act as a proper hinge and not limit your range of motion. Now put your feet on the seat of the third chair. Lower yourself until your nose touches the floor and come up to your beginning position. I have been accused of being the devil, by some of my more macho fitness club buddys, just for this one excercise. Especially the day AFTER. If you can't do 50 regular pushups, DON'T try it yet. Torn pecs, etc. could result if this excercise is not practiced carefully by even an experienced athlete. A weighted vest won't be needed, trust me. At my peak bench press condition, I was pressing twice my bodyweight and I could not rep out more than 22 of the elevated chair pushups. But then again, not everyone will be limited with my results. 2-3 weeks of these, 2-3 times a week, and you will start feeling absolute control over every fibre in your pecs at a very full range of motion. If you are already fairly lean, you will develop striations (cuts) in your pecs at a new level too. Weights are fine, but these are pretty darn good too!

Safe training to you,
white belt

p.s.
Your shoulders, triceps, biceps and more will also be possibly challenged by this.

 

[Zujitsuka]

As someone mentioned earlier, yoy can try different type of push-ups like handstand push-ups and reverse push-ups. Also, you can add resistance by using resistance bands like Lifeline USA's 'Power Push-up 2'.

Here is their site, http://www.lifeline-usa.com

Peace & blessings,

 

[MartialArtist]

Originally posted by muayThaiPerson
ive been ttrying to notice the difference in th epushup an dthe bench press for a while now. push ups are said to work out the triceps while bench press works out the pects. i remembered when i started benching that i felt it in my triceps. when i told the instructor, he said the benchpress does work the triceps and works the chest if you bring it all the way down.

i dont see the difference in movements between the two. so i just want to ask if push ups(going all the way down) is equal to bench pressing.

bench pressing to me isnt all that safe, because your muscles might be able to handle the weight but the weight might be to much stress for the back

There are many ways to do the bench-press.

NO, BENCH PRESS IS NOT MOSTLY PECS! Your pecs play a role, but your triceps, delts, and your LATS play a MUCH BIGGER ROLE!!! You can't do chest flies and expect to up your bench. Most programs to increase your bench are mainly composed of exercises that train the triceps, delts, and back.

But, wider grips take a lot of the stress off the triceps and a little more to the pecs while the close-grip benchpress puts more stress on the triceps.

Bench beats push-ups for strength, but with push-ups, you can train for explosiveness (plyometric push-ups) a little more safely.

Also, try using dumbells for your bench. It helps with your stabilizers and makes your stronger and bigger.

 

[MartialArtist]

Originally posted by KennethKu
You should use both bench press and pushup.

Pushup alone, will plateau very fast (you are limited to pushing a % of your bodyweight). But you can use plyometric pushup to continue improving explosive strength.

Research shows that by combining bodybuilding routines and plyometric workouts, you achieve the best gains in performance.

Exactly right, but for MA, I would suggest powerlifting and Olympic lifting routines because you get strength and speed-strength more so than bodybuilding which is basically for anesthetics (mass, cuts, etc.) with not as much strength or explosiveness gained as p-lifting and o-lifting

 

[Nyoongar]

The fittest and strongest I've ever felt was from doing body weight exercises like dips, chin/pull ups, pushups and squats, crunches etc.

 

[KennethKu]

Originally posted by MartialArtist
Exactly right, but for MA, I would suggest powerlifting and Olympic lifting routines because you get strength and speed-strength more so than bodybuilding which is basically for anesthetics (mass, cuts, etc.) with not as much strength or explosiveness gained as p-lifting and o-lifting

Good points indeed!

 

[Cain]

I am no expert here but I feel that the obvious difference between the two is that u can increase the weight in a bench press....

|Cain|

 

[MountainSage]

Strength is not what MA are trying to build, it's force. Physics 101 is force equals speed X mass X distance( I think that correct equation). The ability to move a mass (fist, leg,etc) quickly over a distance creates force. Lifting strength is minor, but show muscles do look impressive. MA also need endurance both aerobic and anaerobic. My point being that high rep body weight exercises are far more effective than any weight program. Most former Soviet block athletes never lifted a singles weight, but did insane numbers of body weight exercises. Only Power lifters used weights. The body must function as a unit, not isolated parts, so train the body as a unit. Check out Matt furey.com; I've used his training logic for several months now and there is a huge jump in conditioning and strength.

Mountain Sage
:soapbox:

 

[Zujitsuka]

Originally posted by MountainSage
Strength is not what MA are trying to build, it's force. Physics 101 is force equals speed X mass X distance( I think that correct equation). The ability to move a mass (fist, leg,etc) quickly over a distance creates force. Lifting strength is minor, but show muscles do look impressive. MA also need endurance both aerobic and anaerobic. My point being that high rep body weight exercises are far more effective than any weight program. Most former Soviet block athletes never lifted a singles weight, but did insane numbers of body weight exercises. Only Power lifters used weights. The body must function as a unit, not isolated parts, so train the body as a unit. Check out Matt furey.com; I've used his training logic for several months now and there is a huge jump in conditioning and strength.

Mountain Sage
:soapbox:

I too am a big fan of bodyweight routines, but weight training is definitely beneficial - when you're doing the right kind of weight training. Check out what an acclaimed expert Coach Staley has to say about weight training for martial artists and combat athletes by clicking on this link,

http://www.myodynamics.com/articles/ma_articles.html

By the way, MartialArtist, you had some great points. Thanks for sharing.

All the best to you all in 2003.

 

[MartialArtist]

I would suggest a bodybuilding lifting routine for people who are at like 6' and weigh less than 120 pounds. You should at least have SOME muscle mass on you, not just skin and bones.

But you don't want to become too big, that's not your goal. It might be some people's goals, and that's all right. But your goal is to become better at MA and self-defense, not winning the Olympia title.

 

[MartialArtist]

http://www.drsquat.com/index.cfm?action=viewarticle&articleID=40 - Good article on telling the different types of strength such as speed-strength there are

http://www.drsquat.com/index.cfm?action=viewarticle&articleID=8 - Olympic Lifting

Now, it says that the Olympic lifters beat the world class sprinters. That was 1964, before improved training regimes for sprinters because they didn't know what a weight was, or what plyometrics really were

The kinds of lifts like the snatch won't make you punch 4 more times in a second, but it will help with your overall explosiveness.

 

[JDenz]

weight training is good. The bigger and stronger you are the better you will do in a real life situation. I mean look at Bob Sapp. He kicks big Time *** lol and he is nothing but muscle.

 

[muayThaiPerson]

O-Lifting and P-lifting build to much mass. Wat is important is the amount weight gained in the certain region, because as someone posted earlier, its not just strenght, its a combo of speed. momenturm is speed times the weight.