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 athlete as an example, the load moved would be about 70 kg. The same athlete doing a weighted pushup with a 30 kg load, plus the ~70 kg bodyweight moved, would be equate to a body weight press. This example lets me know that I can continue to push the higher ends of strength training without subjecting my athletes to the potential long term orthopedic costs of traditional barbell bench pressing.

I definitely have to acknowledge that the bench press is a different exercise, but we have to acknowledge the influence this one exercise has on many peoples views on athletic performance. I am simply looking at the bench press as horizontal upper body bilateral pressing movement, and trying to see if the NFL combine staple is a worth the attention as long term training tool. Or is it a great stepping stone to a more challenging option.

When I work with collision sport athletes in season one of my go to activities to cycle in for bench press is a loaded, rotational handle (i.e Perfect Pushup), pushup (https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgwp-_nFRnB/). The pushup has the extra benefit of being a closed chain activity, which means that there is a connection between the person and the ground. Because there is not a bench, and gravity, supporting the back the pushup demands that the athlete have more total body coordination to stabilize their core. This aspect of functional core training could be argued as more appropriate for sports performance.

The pushup with rotational handles allows similar flexibility in movement as dumbbells. The handles help the athlete find their optimal pressing pattern. 



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