Comment faire des pompes : Guide Hinge Health

Les pompes : que vous les aimiez, les tolériez ou les redoutiez, il s'agit d'un exercice bien connu que de nombreuses personnes pensent ne pas pouvoir faire. Si c'est votre cas, il est peut-être temps de reconsidérer la question. Les pompes sont un exercice polyvalent qui consiste à soulever et à abaisser le corps à l'aide des bras tout en maintenant le corps en ligne droite, parallèlement au sol. 

Bien qu'ils puissent sembler difficiles, il existe de nombreuses façons de modifier cet exercice pour l'adapter à vos besoins, afin que vous puissiez profiter de ses avantages. Les pompes renforcent le tronc, la poitrine, les épaules et les triceps, et facilitent les tâches quotidiennes telles que soulever des charges. Ils ne nécessitent pas non plus d'équipement ou d'espace, ce qui en fait un moyen pratique d'améliorer la santé cardiovasculaire, l'endurance musculaire et même de soulager les douleurs articulaires et musculaires. 

Lisez la suite pour apprendre à faire des pompes et découvrir des modifications adaptées à votre niveau de forme physique.

Vous souhaitez bénéficier d'un programme personnalisé de thérapie par l'exercice? Renseignez-vous sur le programme de thérapie numérique par l'exercice de Hinge Healthet voyez si vous pouvez en bénéficier.

Quels sont les muscles que les pompes font travailler? 

Les pompes sont un exercice composé, ce qui signifie qu'elles engagent plusieurs groupes musculaires à la fois. Voici les principaux muscles que les pompes font travailler :

• Le grand pectoral. C'est le principal muscle de la poitrine. Il est fortement sollicité lorsque tu fais des pompes. 

• Triceps. Situés à l'arrière de votre bras, les triceps vous aident à étendre votre coude.

• Le deltoïde antérieur, ou la partie avant du muscle de l'épaule. Il s'active lorsque tu pousses ton corps vers le haut et t'aide à fléchir ton épaule.

• Serratus anterior, parfois appelé muscle du boxeur "." Il est situé le long des côtes, sous les aisselles. Il aide à stabiliser votre omoplate contre votre cage thoracique.

• Rectus abdominis. Souvent connu sous le nom de muscle "six-pack", il aide à stabiliser ton tronc et à maintenir ton corps droit pendant les pompes. 

• Les obliques, qui courent sur les côtés de l'abdomen et t'aident à faire pivoter ton tronc. Ils t'aident à stabiliser ton tronc pendant les pompes.

• Erector spinae, qui sont les muscles qui courent le long de la colonne vertébrale et qui aident à maintenir le dos droit pendant les pompes.

Variations et exercices de pompes

How to Do a Push-Up for Beginners 

• Start on your hands and toes, lifting your knees off the ground while keeping your legs straight. 

• Your hands should be under your shoulders, located a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Your hips should be raised to about the same height as your shoulders.

• Bend your elbows and move your chest toward the floor, stopping at a height that is comfortable yet challenging for you. 

• Focus on keeping your hips from dipping toward the floor. 

• Push your hands into the floor as you straighten your arms to return to your starting position.

To make a push-up easier:  

• Push-up from knees: Drop your knees to the floor and then perform the push-up. This decreases the total load on your upper body. 

• Wall push-up: Stand facing a wall and perform push-ups by pushing your body away from it. This takes most of your body weight out of the equation, making it easier for beginners. 

• Incline push-up: Place your hands on an elevated surface like a bench, table, or wall. This reduces the angle and decreases the resistance, making the push-up easier. 

• Modified range of motion: Limit how far you move your chest toward the floor. 

To make a push-up harder: 

• Diamond push-up: Position your hands close together in a diamond shape under your chest. This places more emphasis on your triceps and increases the challenge.

• Decline push-up: Elevate your feet on a bench, chair, or box. This shifts more of your body weight onto your upper body.

• Plyometric push-up: Add an explosive movement by pushing off the ground with enough force to lift your hands off the floor between reps, improving power and intensity.

• One-arm push-up: In this advanced variation, you perform push-ups with one hand behind your back or placed at your side. This significantly increases the demand on your core, shoulders, and chest.

The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.

Benefits of Push-Ups

Push-ups are a foundational exercise that help improve overall upper body strength, core stability, and endurance. This translates to enhanced performance and increased efficiency in many daily activities, such as:

• Lifting objects, such as groceries, kids, or boxes. 

• Pushing motions (e.g., a heavy door, a lawn mower, or a stroller). 

• Carrying loads, like heavy bags.

• Getting up from a lying position. The motion of pushing yourself up from a bed or the ground might become more effortless with regular push-up practice.

• Activities requiring balance, whether it’s a sport or even simple tasks like standing on one foot to put on a shoe. 

• Repetitive tasks. Jobs or chores that require repetitive upper-body movements, such as scrubbing, painting, or hammering, can become easier due to increased endurance from regular push-up practice.

Why Are Push-Ups So Hard? 

Push-ups are a challenging exercise for many people because they require significant upper-body strength, as well as coordination. The movement engages multiple muscle groups, including your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core, all of which must work together to lift and lower your body. 

If you don’t have enough upper body strength or core stability, maintaining a straight body line while pushing through your arms can be difficult, especially if you're not used to supporting your body weight. The mechanics of a push-up also demand good shoulder and wrist mobility, which can add to the challenge.

However, push-up variations like incline push-ups or knee push-ups can make the exercise more manageable. By decreasing the amount of body weight you need to lift, these modifications allow you to build strength gradually. As your upper body and core become stronger, you can progress to more challenging variations, eventually working up to a standard push-up.

Push-Ups Common Mistakes 

The idea of "perfect form" in exercise is a common myth, as there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to movement. Everyone’s body is different, so variations in how to do a push-up are natural and often necessary to suit your individual strength, mobility, and comfort levels. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to get the most benefit from push-ups. Here are some common modifications people make to push-ups without intending to that may affect how much benefit they get from the exercise. 

• Sagging hips. Letting your hips drop toward the ground can take pressure off your core and focus it on your low back. This means you don’t get as much core engagement and may feel some strain in your back. Try to remain in a straight line from head to heels. 

• Flaring elbows. Allowing your elbows to flare out too wide (at 90 degrees) may not feel great for your shoulders. Aim to keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle from your body.

• Changing hand placement. Placing your hands too far forward or too wide makes the push-up less challenging for your muscles and can cause wrist discomfort. Try to keep your hands just slightly wider than shoulder-width and aligned under your shoulders.

How Hinge Health Can Help You 

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program. 

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you.  

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you. 

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References

1. Azeem, K. (2015, February). The Push–Up. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275023773_The_Push_-up

2. Lillis, C. (2019, August 23). Pushups every day: Benefits and risks. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326149#muscle-tone-and-strength

3. Solan, M. (2019, February 18). The rise of push-ups: A classic exercise that can help you get stronger. Harvard Health Blog. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/rise-push-ups-classic-exercise-can-motivate-get-stronger-2019021810165

4. Yang, J., Christophi, C. A., Farioli, A., Baur, D. M., Moffatt, S., Zollinger, T. W., & Kales, S. N. (2019). Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men. JAMA Network Open, 2(2), e188341. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8341