Pushups: Limitations, Joint Stress, and Suitability for All

What are the disadvantages of pushups?

While pushups are a foundational and highly effective bodyweight exercise for building upper body strength and endurance, they possess inherent limitations concerning progressive overload, targeted muscle activation, and suitability for all individuals, potentially leading to plateaus or discomfort if not integrated thoughtfully into a comprehensive training plan.

Limitations in Progressive Overload

One of the primary disadvantages of pushups, particularly for more advanced individuals, lies in their inherent limitations for progressive overload. Progressive overload, the gradual increase in stress placed on the body during exercise, is crucial for continued muscle growth and strength gains.

• Fixed Bodyweight Resistance: For many, especially those who can perform numerous repetitions, bodyweight alone eventually ceases to provide sufficient resistance to stimulate further adaptation. While variations exist (e.g., decline pushups, one-arm pushups), the jump in difficulty can be significant, and adding external weight (e.g., weight vest, plates on back) is often cumbersome.
• Difficulty in Micro-Progression: Unlike weighted exercises where you can incrementally add small amounts of weight (e.g., 2.5 lbs), micro-progression in pushups is less straightforward. This can lead to plateaus in strength and hypertrophy.
• Endurance Focus Over Strength/Hypertrophy: Once an individual can perform 20-30+ repetitions with good form, the exercise shifts more towards muscular endurance rather than maximal strength or significant hypertrophy, unless very advanced variations are consistently employed.

Limited Muscle Activation and Specificity

While pushups engage a broad range of upper body muscles, they are not optimal for isolating or maximally activating every muscle group involved in pressing movements, nor do they address all aspects of upper body development.

• Primary Movers: Primarily target the pectoralis major (chest), anterior deltoids (front shoulders), and triceps brachii.
• Insufficient Range for Pec Stretch: Compared to exercises like dumbbell flyes or cable crossovers, the pushup's range of motion might not provide the deepest stretch for the pectorals, which some research suggests is beneficial for hypertrophy.
• Lack of Upper Back and Biceps Engagement: As a pushing exercise, pushups do not directly engage the pulling muscles of the upper back (e.g., latissimus dorsi, rhomboids) or the biceps. An imbalanced training program relying solely on pushups can lead to muscular imbalances.
• Limited Rotator Cuff Specificity: While stabilizing the shoulder, pushups don't specifically target or strengthen individual rotator cuff muscles in the same way dedicated external rotation or abduction exercises might.

Potential for Joint Stress and Discomfort

Improper form or pre-existing conditions can make pushups a source of discomfort or injury for various joints.

• Wrist Pain: The extended wrist position required for pushups can place significant stress on the wrist joint, especially for individuals with limited wrist mobility or those who put excessive weight into their hands. This can be mitigated with pushup bars or elevated surfaces, but it remains a common issue.
• Shoulder Impingement: Poor shoulder positioning (e.g., elbows flared too wide, excessive internal rotation) can lead to impingement of the rotator cuff tendons under the acromion, causing pain and potentially long-term injury.
• Elbow Hyperextension: Individuals with hypermobile elbows or those who lock out forcefully at the top of the movement can put undue stress on the elbow joint's ligaments and cartilage.
• Lower Back Strain: If the core is not adequately braced, the lower back can sag or arch excessively, placing compressive forces on the lumbar spine and potentially leading to discomfort or injury.

Not Suitable for All Individuals

Despite their accessibility, pushups are not universally suitable for everyone, especially in their standard form.

• Insufficient Baseline Strength: Beginners or individuals with very low baseline upper body strength may struggle to perform even a single proper pushup, leading to frustration or compensatory movements that increase injury risk.
• Pre-existing Injuries: Individuals with chronic wrist, shoulder, elbow, or lower back issues may find pushups exacerbate their conditions, requiring significant modifications or alternative exercises.
• High Body Mass Index (BMI): For individuals with a high BMI, performing a standard pushup can place an unmanageably high relative load on the upper body, making the exercise excessively difficult or dangerous.
• Limited Mobility: Restricted shoulder, wrist, or thoracic spine mobility can compromise form and increase the risk of injury during pushups.

Lack of Unilateral Training

Pushups are a bilateral exercise, meaning both sides of the body work simultaneously. This means they do not effectively address or correct unilateral strength imbalances.

• If one arm or shoulder is significantly weaker than the other, a standard pushup will often see the stronger side compensate, masking the imbalance rather than correcting it.
• To train unilaterally with pushups, highly advanced variations like single-arm pushups are required, which are beyond the capabilities of most individuals.

Inability to Directly Target Pulling Muscles

Pushups are fundamentally a pushing movement. Relying solely on pushups without incorporating pulling exercises will lead to muscular imbalances that can affect posture, joint health, and overall functional strength.

• Muscles like the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, and biceps are crucial for balanced upper body development and are not directly engaged during a pushup.
• An overemphasis on pushing without adequate pulling can contribute to rounded shoulders and poor posture.