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Push muscles are part of the anterior chain, the group of muscles that run up the front of your body. In the upper body, push muscles include the pectoralis (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps. In the lower body, the quadriceps are the primary push muscles. Push exercises entail any movement that forces your body to push weight away from your body. Training these movements in your strength routine can be a great way to work out with longevity in mind and keep your body moving well.
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What You'll Learn
Push muscles are part of the anterior chain
Push muscles are indeed part of the anterior chain, which is the group of muscles that run up the front of the body. These include the pectoralis (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps. The pectoralis major is the larger, lower portion of the chest muscles, while the pectoralis minor is a smaller, triangular muscle that stabilises the scapula. The deltoids, or shoulder muscles, consist of three distinct sets of muscle fibres: front, lateral, and rear deltoids.
The chest muscles are used to push loads away from the body, as in a chest fly variation. The front deltoids are involved in flexing the shoulder, bringing the arm forward in a pushing movement. The lateral deltoids abduct the shoulder, lifting the arm out to the side, and they also help to keep the arm in place when carrying or lifting things.
Push day workouts focus on these muscle groups and typically include a mix of compound and isolation exercises. For example, a chest press is a compound exercise that targets the chest and triceps, while a lateral raise is an isolation exercise for the deltoids. The bench press is a classic barbell exercise that works the chest, front deltoids, and triceps. Dumbbell presses are also effective, as they require each side of the body to work independently, preventing the stronger side from compensating for the weaker side.
The push/pull/legs split is a popular and effective workout routine, which can be adapted for different fitness levels. It involves training the upper body pushing muscles (chest, shoulders, and triceps) on one day, the upper body pulling muscles (such as the biceps and back) on another day, and the legs on a third day. This routine provides an overall benefit to the muscle groups, as there is a maximum overlap of movements within the same workout.
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Upper body push muscles include the pectoralis, deltoids, and triceps
The upper body's primary pushing muscles are the pectoralis, deltoids, and triceps. These muscles are targeted in exercises that involve pushing or pressing an object away from the body or pushing the body away from an object, such as in a push-up.
The pectoralis major, or "pecs," is a large fan-shaped muscle on each side of the chest. It originates from the sternum, upper abdominal sheath, ribs, and clavicle and inserts on the front of the upper arm (humerus). The pectoralis major works in conjunction with the anterior deltoids to flex the arm during walking or running motions.
The deltoids are thick, triangular shoulder muscles that provide stability and motion to the shoulder joint. They consist of three distinct sets of muscle fibers: front deltoids, lateral deltoids, and rear deltoids. The front deltoids originate from the outer third of the clavicles and are responsible for flexing the shoulder, as in pushing movements or front raises. The lateral deltoids originate from the acromion, the bony process of the shoulder blade, and their main function is to abduct the shoulder, lifting the arm out to the side. The rear deltoids originate from the spine of the shoulder blade and contribute to shoulder extension.
The triceps, located at the back of the upper arm, consist of three heads: the long, lateral, and medial. The long and lateral heads are the largest, while the medial head is the smallest and lies beneath them. Different exercises activate the different heads of the triceps, depending on the position of the upper arm and the load applied.
These three muscle groups—the pectoralis, deltoids, and triceps—work together in exercises such as the bench press, which is highly effective for developing the chest and triceps while also secondarily targeting the deltoids.
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Lower body push muscles are the quadriceps
The lower body push muscles are the quadriceps. Quadriceps, or quads, are a group of four muscles on the front of the thigh. They are some of the largest and strongest muscles in the human body. The four muscles that comprise the quadriceps are the rectus femoris and the three vastus muscles. The quadriceps muscle group is essential for everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and getting up from a chair. They also help stabilise the knee by holding the patella inside a groove in the femur, or thigh bone.
The function of the quadriceps is to extend the leg at the knee joint and flex the thigh at the hip joint. They are primarily active in jumping, running, and kicking movements. In sports, the quadriceps are extraordinarily important, but due to the stress they receive, they are often subject to trauma. Strains, tears, and contusions of the quadriceps are common in various sports, including athletics, rugby, and football.
To strengthen the quadriceps, exercises such as lunges, seated leg presses, and seated leg extensions can be performed. Lunges can be done using body weight or additional weights. For a seated leg press, an appropriate weight is selected, and the feet are placed against the resistance plate. The quadriceps muscles are then contracted to push the plate away, and the movement is controlled back to the starting position. A seated leg extension is performed similarly, with the extension of the quad muscles to straighten the leg and hold this position before returning to the starting position.
In a push/pull workout routine, the lower body and core are typically trained after the push and pull days. This style of training targets muscle groups based on whether they involve a pushing or pulling action. Push muscles are part of the anterior chain, while pull muscles are part of the posterior chain. In the upper body, push muscles include the pectoralis (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps. The bench press is a classic exercise that works these upper body push muscles.
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Push muscles are trained on 'push days'
Push muscles are those that are used when you push or press an object away from your body or your body away from an object. The main upper-body push muscles are the pectoralis (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps. The quadriceps are the primary push muscles in the lower body.
Push days are training days dedicated to working out the muscles that push weight away from the body. They are typically programmed together with "pull" days, which involve rowing exercises that train the latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, trapezius, and lower back muscles. Push and pull days are often planned consecutively, giving the trainee the chance to focus on and exhaust a smaller number of muscles on the same day, while allowing them to rest and recover on the following day.
The push/pull/legs split is one of the simplest, most enduring, and popular workout routines. It involves splitting the body into three parts, with each part trained on a separate day. The "push" workout trains all the upper-body pushing muscles, including the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The "pull" workout trains the upper-body pulling muscles, and the "legs" workout focuses on the lower body. This routine allows for maximum overlap of movements within the same workout, providing an overall benefit to the muscle groups being trained. For example, when training the chest with a bench press, the anterior deltoids and triceps are also activated.
A push day routine should include a variety of exercises that specifically target the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Some effective exercises include the barbell bench press, overhead press, dumbbell flye, dumbbell lateral raise, and overhead triceps extension. The flat dumbbell bench press is an excellent compound exercise to start with as it targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The dumbbell press is preferred over the bench press because it requires each side of the body to work unilaterally, preventing the stronger side from compensating for the weaker side. The close grip bench press is another excellent push movement that activates multiple muscle groups while emphasizing the triceps.
The frequency of push days can vary depending on the trainee's fitness goals and schedule. A common approach is to train three days per week, which can be increased to four days per week for intermediate trainees. Advanced trainees may benefit from a rotating five-day cycle, where each workout is done over a five-day period, resulting in two training days followed by one day of rest. This ensures that each body part is trained once every five days, which is ideal for more experienced individuals.
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Push days focus on chest, shoulders, and triceps
Push days are an integral part of a push/pull/legs split routine, a popular and effective workout regimen. Push days focus on the upper body pushing muscles, specifically the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Training these muscle groups together makes sense as they often work synergistically. For example, when you train your chest, you are also engaging your shoulders and triceps.
The chest muscles, also known as the pectoralis or pecs, are made up of two parts: the sternocostal and the clavicular. The sternocostal is the larger, lower portion, originating from the sternum, upper abdominal sheath, and ribs. The clavicular part is the smaller, upper portion, originating from the first half of the clavicle.
The shoulder muscles, or deltoids, consist of three distinct sets of muscle fibres: the front, lateral, and rear delts. The front delts originate from the outer third of the clavicle, and their main function is to flex the shoulder, bringing the arm forward in pushing movements. The lateral delts originate from the acromion, the bony process of the shoulder blade, and their main function is to abduct the shoulder, lifting the arm out to the side. The rear delts, meanwhile, originate from the spine of the shoulder blade and are involved in pulling movements.
The triceps, on the other hand, have three heads: the long, lateral, and medial. The long and lateral heads are the largest, while the medial head is the smallest and lies hidden beneath the other two. Different exercises will activate these different heads of the triceps, depending on the position of the upper arm and how the load is applied.
A typical push day workout might include exercises such as the bench press, which targets the chest, front delts, and triceps. Other exercises could include the incline cable fly, which integrates the pec muscle along with the shoulders and triceps, and the standing dumbbell press, which targets the shoulders and activates the deltoids, especially the front delt. Tricep press-downs are also important for isolating the triceps, and dumbbell lateral shoulder raises can target the side deltoids.
By focusing on these muscle groups during push days, individuals can effectively train the upper body pushing muscles, maximising the synergy and effectiveness of their workouts and promoting muscle growth and strength gains.
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Frequently asked questions
Push muscles are part of the anterior chain, the group of muscles that run up the front of your body.
The chest, shoulders, and triceps are the primary muscles used during a push workout. The chest muscles are made up of one large muscle on each side: pectoralis major. The shoulder muscles, or deltoids, consist of three distinct sets of muscle fibres: front delts, lateral delts, and rear delts. The triceps have three heads: the long, the lateral, and the medial.
Examples of exercises that involve pushing motions include the bench press, barbell bench press, overhead press, dumbbell flye, dumbbell lateral raise, and triceps skull crushers.
Push exercises can help develop strength and size throughout the upper body. Additionally, combining push and pull exercises can help create a balanced workout routine that targets muscle groups on both the front and back of the body.
