Suspended Push-ups
Suspended push-ups have a very special place in training. Not because they are safe, easy or they can replace other exercises like bench press.
Suspension training by design brings an additional element of instability to your workouts which mean one more thing that could wrong. It also requires to continuously be aware of your core to keep your lower back safe. There is not chance that you can increase your load to even come close to what you can do in a bench press.
And these are exact reasons why suspended pushups are special.
Ask someone to walk on a two feet wide board six inches off the ground and they have no problems. Move the same board up a hundred feet and you’ll find the same people crawling if not shaking with terror. What happened? Perceived or real danger entered their mind and because of it they became more careful.
In a suspended pushup, a part of your brain that is fully aware of the weakness in your stabilizer shoulder and scapula tells you to be careful and stabilize to move. This helps you to be open in learning motions in a safe path. Without this perceived danger, most people do not reach inside for the patience required to learn safe paths.
In suspension training, you feel loss of control over your control very quickly. In most cases, to gain control and keep it throughout the motion you’ll have to engage your core. In other exercises, you can get away with loose core.
You can put on weighted vests and put chains around your body. It doesn’t matter. You can always lift more weight in a bench press than in a suspended push-up. You’ll also find out that it is possible to get intense muscle activation and build strength without loading up the bar. After you experience this first hand, hopefully, you incorporate a more complete exercise of suspended pushups into your chest workouts.
Electromyographic Comparison of Traditional and Suspension Push-Ups
[embedyt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4fUS7yITAw[/embedyt]
