July 2011

Pushups and pull-ups are among the most popular exercises to perform because you can do them almost anywhere. While both of these exercises are beneficial, they tend to be overdone, thus creating imbalances and poor posture in the upper back and neck.

In a properly balanced program, pushups and pull-ups can be integrated without causing the shoulders to rotate inward and downward (predisposing you to injury).  In a home gym environment, many people purchase pull-up bars and push up equipment like “the perfect pushup”, for example.

The downside in working out at home with limited equipment is that it makes it difficult to have a balanced program without purchasing dumbbells, benches and other equipment needed to train the postural muscles of the upper quarter.  How do home gym exercisers (or those that have too many pull-ups and pushups in their program) protect themselves against developing a shoulder problem?

The first thing you need to understand is how excessive pushups and pull-ups can ruin your posture and create injury.  The numbered items below will show you how dysfunction can result from muscles pecoralis minor, pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi.

1. Anatomy of the latissimus dorsi muscle (see image below)

The above frontal image view shows the lat arising from the back and inserting into the humerus.  As you could imagine, if the lat muscle were to get over-tightened, it would rotate the humerus inward and downward.  If the muscles that externally rotate the shoulder girdle are not balanced out by the powerful lats, and chest muscles (pec major and minor) – rounded shoulders and forward head will result.

2.  Anatomy of the chest muscles  (see image below)

The above image shows the pec minor arising from the upper ribs and inserting into the coracoid process.  If excessive pushing exercises create strengthening and shortening of the pec minor, it will pull the shoulder girdle down and inward.  In the same above image, you can see the cut-out of the pec major, which arises from the clavicle and sternum and inserts in to the bicipital groove near the head of the humerus.

This article points out two common mistakes made in many exercise programs.  However, this does not have to be a mistake if your program incorporates the very muscles that counter the powerful lats and pectoral muscles.  There are numerous exercises you can perform to balance-out overworked muscles and improve your posture.  To give you an example of a great counter/posture corrective exercise – please consult my video by clicking here.

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