Chest press
Exercise is one of the ways to improve your physical wellbeing and it aids in great measure to get rid of ailments, aches and pains. Follow the exercise programme provided by the biokineticists at Anine van der Westhuizen Biokineticist in George and feel the difference. This week biokineticist Lana Laubscher provides another exercise for arm and chest muscles.
The name of this exercise pretty much gives it away. The chest muscles (pectoral muscles) also contribute to shoulder movement. The pectoral muscles attach to the shoulder joint anteriorly (in the front), thus the pectoral muscles are responsible for, and help stabilise any movement where the arm is elevated in front of the body. To perform this exercise:
1. Lie down on your back with your knees bent and a weight in each hand. The palms of your hands should be facing your feet and your elbows should be bent at 90º.
2. Lift the weights by pushing them up to the roof and keeping your palms facing your feet.
3. Your hands should end right above your chest with the weights almost touching one another.
4. Lower your arms again to the starting position and repeat the motion.
5. As you breathe out, push the weights up and as you inhale, lower the weights down to your chest. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
Caution: When you are done, do not drop the weights next to you, as this could injure the rotator cuff muscles in your shoulders.
Just twist your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing each other and place the weights on top of your thighs.
When both weights are touching your thighs, push your upper torso up while pressing the weights on your thighs.
Variations: A variation of this exercise is to perform it with the palms of the hands facing each other.
You can also perform the exercise with the palms facing each other and then twisting the wrist as you lift the dumbbells so that at the top of the movement the palms are facing away from the body.