This exercise is by no means sexy (sorry Mike Robertson, I had to steal that one from ya ;-)), but you can bet they will add a lot more quality to your program. Just don't count on "The Situation" to ever be performing these while gettin' his swell on. You can find him on the pec deck machine. That's how real mofo's get jacked and strong (please note sarcasm).
Exercise: Push Up Hold with 3 Point Touch
My apologies on the video not being directly on the blog page. I can't figure out how to get this mac to upload my videos.
What's the Point?:
There are a number of benefits that can be taken from this exercise. First, we can look at the core stability component. Specifically we are working on the shear forces that many find it difficult to overcome. A lot of times people do not have the proper stability patterns and core strength to perform this exercise properly. You will see rotation at the hips, lumbar spine, and thoracic spine to compensate for weakness/faulty stabilization patterns as well as inability to use the correct musculature to stabilize in the sagittal plane and in this you will see the hips pop up and rounded upper back.
Second, the arm that is in the closed kinetic chain (arm touching the surface) is getting the benefit of scapular stabilization. If you are in proper position (think big chest, avoid rounding the t-spine, and push through the ground as hard as you can), this will have huge benefits for serratus anterior activation, and you can turn your hand out to involve the external rotators of the GH joint as well.
Lastly, in the dynamic portion of the exercise we are getting some scapular mobility with the limb that is in the open kinetic chain (free moving). It may be minimal, but its still another benefit of this exercise.
How To Do It:
Start in the top position of a push-up. Push through the floor as if you were performing a scap-push up. This is where the scapular stabilization will come into play. Think big chest, abs braced (do not draw or "suck" in, think fill the belly with air and push out), and glutes tight. Once starting position is established reach out with one arm and make three touches. Think of it as a compass. So we will touch N, W (left arm), E (right arm), and S. You can reverse the pattern or start in the E or W. Each time you make three touches, that counts as one rep. Aim for at least 5 on each side.
Regress/Progress:
Progressions for this exercise go in this order:
1. Narrow base of support (bring feet closer together)
2. With OKC upper limb, increase the distance that you reach out for your three touches
3. Feet Elevated
Regressions for this exercise include:
1. Widen base of support (move feet further away from one another)
2. No reach. Just a hand lift.
3. Push Up Iso Hold
4. Cut the exercise out. Not everyone is ready to perform this exercise. The are a number of training effects that can be obtained from this exercise, and generally the more training effects we attack in a certain exercise then the more qualified you need to be to perform it. What constitutes qualified? Inability to perform a proper plank, not fully able to achieve scapular "flush"(I'm pretty sure I just made that up, but it sounds cool) in a scapular push-up, and lack of shoulder mobility would be a few red flags that I would say makes you ineligible to perform this exercise. Then again, I am by no means an expert so go ahead and try it hot shot.
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