Are you looking for an exercise that targets your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles all in one go? Look no further than the push up with shoulder tap! This compound exercise not only builds strength and endurance but also improves your stability and engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Strengthens Your Upper Body: The push up with shoulder tap primarily targets your chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor), shoulders (deltoids), and triceps. By consistently performing this exercise, you can significantly enhance upper body strength.
Improves Core Stability: Engaging your core while performing the push up with shoulder tap helps stabilize your body and maintain proper form. This exercise effectively works your rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis, leading to a stronger and more stable core.
Enhances Shoulder Stability: The shoulder tap component of this exercise helps improve shoulder stability by targeting the rotator cuff muscles. These small, deep muscles play a crucial role in stabilizing the shoulder joint, reducing the risk of injuries and promoting better overall shoulder health.
Boosts Functional Strength: The push up with shoulder tap mimics real-life movements, making it an excellent exercise for building functional strength. Functional strength refers to the ability to perform day-to-day activities with ease, such as lifting objects, pushing, pulling, and reaching.
Increases Explosive Power: This exercise demands a significant amount of upper body strength and power. By regularly performing push ups with shoulder taps, you'll develop explosive power, which is essential for activities such as sports, martial arts, and other dynamic movements.
Begin in a high plank position with your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, wrists aligned with your shoulders, and fingers pointing forward.
Ensure your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels. Engage your core muscles by pulling your navel towards your spine.
Lower your body towards the floor by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
Once in the lowered position (hovering just above the ground), push through your palms and extend your arms to return to the starting position.
After performing a regular push up, lift your right hand and tap your left shoulder. Place your right hand back on the ground.
Alternate and repeat the shoulder taps with your left hand tapping your right shoulder.
Maintain a controlled and steady pace throughout the exercise, focusing on maintaining proper form.
Maintain Proper Form: It's crucial to maintain a straight line from your head to your heels, ensuring your hips don't sag or rise too high. By maintaining proper form, you maximize the effectiveness of the exercise and minimize the risk of injury.
Engage Your Core: Keep your core muscles engaged throughout the exercise to stabilize your body and protect your lower back. Focus on pulling your navel towards your spine, rather than simply relying on your arms and shoulders.
Breathe Properly: Inhale as you lower your body towards the ground and exhale as you push yourself back up. Proper breathing helps maintain core stability and provides an optimal oxygen supply to your muscles.
Start Slowly and Progress Gradually: If you're new to push ups or this variation, start by performing modified push ups on your knees. As you build strength and confidence, gradually progress to full push ups with shoulder taps.
Challenge Yourself: To continue seeing progress, challenge yourself by increasing the number of repetitions, the duration, or by incorporating additional variations such as diamond push ups or plyometric push ups.
To reap the full benefits of the push up with shoulder tap, include it in your regular fitness routine at least two to three times per week. Here's an example of how you can incorporate this exercise into your workout:
Warm up: Begin your workout with a few minutes of light cardio, such as jogging or jumping jacks, to raise your heart rate and loosen up your muscles.
Main Workout: Perform three sets of the push up with shoulder tap, aiming for 10-15 repetitions per set. Take a short rest (about 30 seconds to a minute) between sets to recover.
Additional Exercises: Combine the push up with shoulder tap with other strength exercises targeting different muscle groups. For example, you can follow each set of push ups with exercises like squats, lunges, or planks.
Cool Down and Stretch: Finish your workout with a five to ten-minute cool-down, including stretching exercises for your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.
The push up with shoulder tap is an excellent exercise for building upper body strength, enhancing core stability, and improving overall functional fitness. By consistently incorporating this exercise into your fitness routine, you'll gradually become stronger, more stable, and better equipped to tackle physical challenges. Remember to start slowly, maintain proper form, and challenge yourself to progress over time. Happy pushing!
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