The importance of pushing and pulling...........

Hi readers, today I am going to explain how important it is to know what you are actually doing when you exercise, be it at the gym or at home.

We are all aware that nowadays our posture suffers due to most of us spending a large amount of time in front of a computer or at a desk or similar. To put it as simple as possible, this 'hunched over' position is perpetuating bad muscle alignment and encouraging poor movement patterns. To prevent back pain and other conditions associated with bad posture the best thing to do is to follow an exercise program which will counteract this problem and which brings me back nicely to the title of this post 'the importance of pushing and pulling'!

Pushing

When we push a weight away from us we are working the anterior muscular chain (front). Probably the most well-known movement to describe this is the push-up. In the picture I am performing push-ups using a TRX which introduces instability to the exercise and therefore makes it more challenging. An important aspect to remember is to challenge yourself constantly; if a certain exercise becomes too easy then you need to introduce progression which is why it is a good idea to source your program from a professional.

Pushing a weight above your head, squatting and lunging are in this category and are all functional movements that you probably perform on a daily basis without even realizing it!

Pulling

When we pull a weight towards us we are working the posterior chain or back muscles. In the picture I am performing a single arm row with a dumbell and when I have completed all the reps on one side I will then change hands to make sure all muscles are worked equally.

As common as push ups are to pushing, rowing is the equivalent to pulling. It will be the most common form of posterior chain training that you are familiar with and has been proven to be the most successful when strengthening the back.

Lifting heavy objects, climbing or pulling yourself up onto something are a few of the functional movements associated with pulling.

Conclusion

Having the basic knowledge of movement patterns can only enhance your training. Be conscious of why you are performing certain exercises and become aware of symmetry and how important it is to creating good posture and a functional body.

I hope the above information helps you with your future training and if you have any questions at all don't hesitate to contact me and I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Happy Training!