Thoughts on Pressing, and should the pushup be the top of the pyramid?
In a tongue and cheek moment, an old high school coach said to me, "if you are lying on your back and pressing up, you are probably not that good at your sport." That always stuck with me. Recent research post from researcher Alex Natera's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfWMOaSFIId/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) page on push up loads got me thinking if the bench press should be the authority in upper body strength metrics for the athletes that i work with. I think that there is always value is using barbell strength exercises as amazing short term, around 6-12 weeks, tools for building athletic qualities. In response to the demand the barbell places on the body and the demands of the sport of rugby, managing orthopedic cost leads to me cycling out the fan favorite. Natera's post focused on the total load moved during a traditional pushup, and its progressions and regressions. They found that ~70% of total body weight is moved during a pushup. So, using the 100 kg ath...