Quickies:

[Mr Punch]

Which muscles do press-ups exercise?

Hindu press-ups? And should I have the feet flat or be on the toes?

Sometimes I do press-ups with my back to the floor. Is there any point? (Does it exercise different muscles?)

Sometimes I do press-ups with my back to the floor, but my body twisted, so I'm still facing the floor... I thought this may help with the muscles for wing chun's pak sau... am I wrong?

How little do I know about arm muscles?!!?

When I do sit-ups breathing in, it feels like different muscles are being exercised than breathing out... is this true? Which ones?

[fa_jing]

Originally posted by Mat


When I do sit-ups breathing in, it feels like different muscles are being exercised than breathing out... is this true? Which ones?


Breathe out as you come up, makes more room so you can bend at the abdomen. Breathe in while you are paused or for the first part of the lay-down, once you get about halfway down the muscles tighten up and it is difficult to inhale. I usually use shallow breaths, especially for crunches, but every so often I need to pause in either the up or down position to breathe completely in and out.

Above based soley on personal experience.

-FJ

[IronFist]

Is a press up the same thing as a pushup?

IronFist

[Mr Punch]

Yes.

[Mr Punch]

... they are.

[Braden]

Mat - Pectorals and triceps, mostly.

Most of the muscles work in antagonistic sets.

Your upper arms are moved by the antagonistic sets of pectorals(chest)-upper back and delts(shoulders)-lats(the flaps down the sides of your torso/back). If you were standing up, making a T with your body and arms, pecs would bring your upper arms so they point forwards; upper back would bring them back. Delts would make it so the upper arms point straight up, lats would pull them so they're pointing down.

Your forearms are moved by the antagonistic set of your biceps-triceps. Triceps pull your forearm to the 'locked out'/straight position, biceps bend it.

So if you look at the pushup, consider most of the work being done against gravity, you can see the major working muscles are the pecs and the triceps.

Probably simplistic, and the gurus here will correct me; but hope it helps anyway. :)

In my experience, hindu pushups are much lighter on the triceps, but work the delts a bit and warm up the lower back and abdomen.

I'm not sure which version of the reverse pushups you're doing. Are your arms going up over your shoulders, with the hands by your ears?