{"id":2722202,"date":"2022-03-02T13:43:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T02:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthyman.com.au\/?p=2722202"},"modified":"2022-03-02T13:43:42","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T02:43:42","slug":"cant-do-push-up-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthyman.com.au\/cant-do-push-up-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Struggling to do a push-up? We have the answers why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pull-ups are one of those universal tests of strength, but they’re also a move that even the most formidable man can struggle with. Most men who can’t do a pull-up think the answer lies in adding more weights. During this move, your lats, biceps, and trapezius muscles are doing lots of work.<\/p>\n

We’re here to help explain why you can’t do a pull-up and the things you can do to help you do a pull-up.<\/p>\n

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The Problem – You can\u2019t do a pull-up<\/h2>\n

The honest answer to why you can’t pull off a pull-up lies in your serratus anterior (SA). This is the muscle that holds your shoulder blade against your rib cage. When the scapula is out of position, you put yourself at a mechanical disadvantage. If it’s not working correctly, you’re setting up to fail all the other 17 muscles attached to your scapula.<\/p>\n

In other words, it’s not strength. It’s positioning.<\/p>\n

Putting your scapula in the correct position will mean that your lower trapezius, biceps, and lats will work much better. With the scapula out of position, you’re asking your teres major and minor muscles and only a portion of your lat to lift your entire body. No wonder you can’t get your chin up to the bar.<\/p>\n

This is especially true for the strength and balance required to do a pull-up.<\/p>\n

The Solution – Work the muscles you need to do a pull-up<\/h2>\n

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Modern life is about texting, working on the computer, and stuffing yourself into seats built for 12-year-old kids on things like planes and trains. All these factors of modern life cause your head to lean forward and rounded shoulders. This positioning causes the shoulder blade to constantly drift forward and up. Gravity exacerbates the situation, pulling you down and further out of position. You need to start releasing muscles that attach to your shoulder, which will relieve stress and help you do a pull-up.<\/p>\n

To really help your body get into the right state to do a pull-up, you need to do a few simple moves. These exercises will all massage and work on the muscles necessary to successfully do a pull-up.<\/p>\n

We’ll start with the muscles that support your shoulder blades. You’ll need a hard, small, dense ball similar to that used for lacrosse. If you can get a lacrosse ball, that will be perfect.<\/p>\n