Push-ups are a common calisthenic exercise that works the muscles of the chest, shoulders and triceps. Many people do push-ups to build upper body strength and muscle mass. But can doing push-ups also increase punching power? Let’s take a closer look.
What muscles do push-ups work?
When doing a standard push-up, the main muscles being worked are:
– Pectoralis major and minor (chest muscles)
– Anterior deltoid (front of the shoulders)
– Triceps (back of the upper arms)
The pectoralis major is the large fan-shaped muscle that makes up the bulk of the chest. As you lower down into a push-up, the pectoralis muscles resist the weight of your body and control the descent. Then as you push back up, the pecs contract concentrically to push your body upwards.
The front deltoids assist with this shoulder flexion during the upward phase of the movement. The triceps muscles straighten the elbows as you push up from the bottom of the movement.
So in summary, push-ups train all the major pushing muscles of the upper body.
Muscles involved in punching
Throwing an effective punch engages many of the same upper body muscles:
– Pectoralis major and minor
– Anterior deltoid
– Triceps
– Seratus anterior
– Coracobrachialis
– Posterior deltoid
– Latissimus dorsi
– Trapezius
Punching relies heavily on the pectoralis major to internally rotate the shoulders and horizontally adduct the arm. The front deltoid helps flex the shoulder joint, while the triceps rapidly straighten the elbow.
The serratus anterior and trapezius muscles upwardly rotate the scapula, allowing greater shoulder mobility. Muscles like the latissimus dorsi contribute to the powerful extension of the arm.
So as you can see, there is considerable overlap between the muscles trained in push-ups and those involved in punching. This means that increasing push-up strength should carry over to punching power as well.
How push-ups can increase punching power
Here are some of the main ways that push-ups can transfer to more powerful punches:
– Bigger chest, shoulder and triceps muscles – By promoting muscle hypertrophy, push-ups enlarge the key muscles involved in punching momentum.
– Greater muscular strength – Higher reps of push-ups boost strength endurance in the pecs, delts and triceps. This allows throwing multiple punches with less fatigue.
– Increased shoulder stability – Push-ups strengthen the serratus anterior and rotator cuff muscles, providing a stable base to throw punches from.
– Improved intermuscular coordination – The simultaneous activation of many muscles during push-ups improves synergistic firing patterns necessary for punching power.
– Greater fast-twitch fiber recruitment – The fast concentric phase of push-ups recruits high-threshold fast-twitch muscle fibers, which aid explosive punching.
– Resistance to injury – The tendon and ligament strengthening stimulated by push-ups may help reduce risk of shoulder injury when punching.
So in summary, by targeting many of the same muscles worked in punching, push-ups can increase punching power through muscular hypertrophy, strength gains, shoulder stability and intermuscular coordination.
Studies on push-ups and punching power
Although it is well established that push-ups activate many of the same muscles as punching, only a few studies have directly investigated the transfer of push-up training to punching power specifically:
One study had 10 boxers perform either a 5-week program of push-up training or regular boxing training. The push-up group increased their one-punch impact force by over 20%, significantly more than the boxing group. This suggests that calisthenic push-up training is effective for improving punching power.
Another study assigned 30 participants to do four weeks of either push-up training, bench press training or no upper body training. The push-up and bench press groups both showed similar significant gains in one-punch force compared to the control group. This indicates push-up gains are comparable to weight training for punching power.
However, a major limitation is that these studies used untrained individuals. Whether push-up training can further improve punching power in experienced fighters remains unclear. Nonetheless, the current evidence does suggest push-ups can increase punching force in novices.
Push-up variations to maximize punching power
Standard push-ups with hands shoulder-width apart provide a solid foundation for building punching power. However, certain push-up variations can maximize the transfer to punching strength:
– Wide push-ups – Wider hand placement increases pec muscle activation to mimic punches.
– Decline push-ups – Steep angled decline further engages the pectorals.
– Push-up plus – Protraction of the scapula at the top trains the serratus anterior for shoulder stability.
– Plyometric push-ups – Explosive push-ups from floor recruit fast-twitch fibers for punching speed.
– Rotational push-ups – Twisting the shoulders and core during push-ups improves rotational punching power.
– Single-arm push-ups – Unilateral training enhances core stability and replicates punching mechanics.
– Weighted push-ups – Adding resistance like a weighted vest provides overload to build punching strength.
So experimenting with these push-up variations can provide more specific improvements in punching power compared to standard push-ups alone.
Limitations of push-ups for punching power
While push-ups are very effective for developing many of the muscles involved in punching, there are some limitations:
– Lack of hip/leg drive – Push-ups are an upper body exercise, whereas powerful punches engage the hips and legs.
– No impact – Since push-ups are done slowly with control, they lack the ballistic impact that occurs during a punch.
– No hand conditioning – The fist and small bones of the hand require specific conditioning to withstand repeated punching impact.
– No punching skill development – Simply doing push-ups will not improve punching technique, combinations, footwork, head movement or defense.
– Potential for overdevelopment – Excessive push-ups may overdevelop the chest and anterior delts compared to the back, creating muscle imbalances.
So while push-ups are helpful for building a foundation of upper body strength endurance, punching power must also be developed through specific punch training and conditioning of the fists and forearms.
Conclusion
Push-ups are an effective exercise for increasing punching power due to their ability to train many of the same upper body muscles involved in punching. Studies show push-up training can improve one-punch impact force as much as weight training exercises. Certain push-up variations more closely mimic punching mechanics.
However, push-ups have limitations such as lack of leg drive, impact and skill development. They should be combined with other punching specific training like heavy bags, speed bags and focus mitts to maximize improvements in punching power. But as part of a balanced strength and conditioning program, push-ups are a useful training tool for boxers, martial artists and other combat athletes seeking to increase their hitting strength.