Muscle Activation of Upper Body in Different-Angle Suspension Push-Ups: An Analysis of Angle-Specific Muscle Engagement

The aim of this study was to understand the effect on upper body muscle activation of bodily angle during push-ups performed with TRX suspension training. Nineteen men (age: 21.1 ± 1.2 years; height: 174.1 ± 4.9 cm; weight: 70.7 ± 7.2 kg) with resistance training experience participated in this study. The participants were required to perform five push-ups on a stable surface and with TRX at five angles (+30°, +15°, 0°, −15°, and −30°, where 0° indicates that the shoulder joints were at the same height as the ankle joints when the arms were extended). The recovery period between the sets at each angle was 3–5 minutes. Stable-surface and TRX push-ups were separated by at least 48 hours. During push-ups, electromyography (EMG) data from the pectoralis major (PM), anterior deltoids (AD), triceps brachii (TRI), upper trapezius (UT), and serratus anterior (SA) were recorded. Muscle activation was indicated by the percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC). The %MVIC of each muscle group was then categorized. Repeated-measured two-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences in the muscle group activation between the push-up surface types and five angles. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. The activation of the PM, AD, and TRI during TRX push-ups was categorized as medium to extremely high. Compared with that for stable-surface push-ups, the activation of the PM during TRX push-ups was significantly higher (p < .05). Furthermore, +30°, +15°, and 0° push-ups produced greater PM activation than push-ups at lower angles (p < .05). Both TRX and stable-surface push-ups resulted in greater anterior deltoids, TRI, UT, and SA activation during −30° push-ups. This study indicates the appropriate push-up practices for different muscle groups, as determined by quantifying the muscle activation.