Selective activation of shoulder, trunk, and arm muscles: A comparative analysis of different push-up variants

Context The push-up is a widely used exercise for upper limb strengthening that can be performed with many variants. A comprehensive analysis of muscle activation during the ascendant phase (AP) and descendant phase (DP) in different variants could be useful for trainers and rehabilitators. Objective To obtain information on the effect of different push-up variants on the electromyography (EMG) of a large sample of upper limb muscles and to investigate the role of the trunk and abdomen muscles during the AP and DP. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting University laboratory. Patients or Other Participants Eight healthy, young volunteers without a history of upper extremity or spine injury.…