Army combat fitness test is incomplete without hand-release push-ups (HRPU). Military use this move to test endurance and mobility. They evaluate how many hand-release push-ups a person can do in two minutes. There is no way of cheating in hand-release push-ups.
You have to complete the movement in proper form. If it is difficult for a person, he can drop his knees to the floor. This push-up involves each muscle of your upper body to lift your back each time. It is vital to learn the proper form of these push-ups.
Tips to Do Hand Release Push-ups Appropriately
- Get into starting position with flat hands on the ground directly under your shoulders and feet together.
- Now push-up, flattening your arms and as you elevate your lower and upper body simultaneously. Your body must stay in one straight line during this exercise.
- Once your elbows are completely extended, return to a preliminary position with flat hands on the floor under your shoulders.
- Lift your hands to almost an inch from the ground for a hand-release portion of the push-up without moving your legs, body or head.
- It is time to return hands to a preliminary position to finish the push-up.
Why are Hand Release Push-Ups Necessary?
The HRPU evaluates endurance of body muscles. It can be challenging to manage these push-ups. These are difficult for these reasons:
Clear Standard and Easy Enforcement
The push-ups performer should start in the downward position of his/her front inclined rest with his/her chest on the floor and adjust index fingers in the frame of both shoulders. Similar to traditional push-up, the performer should reach full extension at the top of the movement and return to the starting position.
To complete the first repetition, it is essential to extend both arms fully laterally to form a T and return hands to a starting position. Similar to conventional push-up, you have to manage your body in a straight line for repetitions.
It may not look like a difference; the arms are extended at the base of every repetition, and you have to execute the movement with full motion range. You may notice a decrease in the speed of exercise to a tempo at which graders become easy to identify and rectify deficiencies. No doubt, it is difficult to slide sub-par repetitions after committed graders.
Close Grip
The index finger of both hands should be close to the midline of your body. It is known as a close-grip or triceps-push-up. Some people call it a push-up worth training. The position of hand during this push-up must help the performer to use triceps put in closer to his/her body to push in a biomechanically solid movement pattern.
It may be efficient and decrease stress on the joints of the shoulders. The customary push-up is performed with wider hands and winged triceps. Numerous soldiers may find a close grip challenging because of the variation in muscle recruitment and motor pattern.
Trunk and Upper Back Stability
After each repetition, the hands lift at the base; however slightly, and become the reason of extra fatigue in the upper back muscles. It creates an extra training need for the muscle of the upper back.
Peeling off from the ground is not acceptable. Several soldiers may have to spend considerable efforts to increase their capability to steady the trunk and move their body in one straight line. Remember, peeling may be characterized by shoulder and chest movement with the butt lagging and midsection behind.
Muscular Endurance Training
For better muscular endurance, it will be great to perform HRPU in the proper form. Make sure to train your muscles for endurance with 4 – 5 sets and 12 or even more repetition. With the use of external loads, the load must not exceed 75% of the 1-repetition maximum of the performer.
Exercises for Training
The HRPU allows you to push your upper-body while focusing on the triceps and chest but preparing your upper-back. You have to improve the stability of the trunk. Here are some essential exercises to enhance the performance of HRPU:
Triceps and Chest
- Bench presses close-grip
- Bench presses dumbbell
- Plyo push-ups
- Pushdowns and tricep extensions
- Push-ups and ring dips
- Dips
Upper Back
- Ring row
- Pull-up
- Dumbbell row single arm
- Kelso Shrugs
For Stability of Trunk
- Pillar/Plank Hold
- Deadbug
- Pillar Hold with interchanging hand reach
- Evil wheels
Exclusive Benefits of Hand Release Push-ups
No doubt, hand release push-up is an excellent exercise. These push-ups will give you strong pectoral contraction as compared to regular-push-ups. Every repetition begins from a dead posture where there is no chance of contraction in prime movers. It forces a strong initial contraction for movement of your body.
During regular push-ups, the stretch pre-activation and reflex muscles may contribute to force production. It may give you 10% extra range of movement as compared to regular push-ups. It is essential to build muscles.
When appropriately done, HRPU primarily needs the pecs and teach you how to use the chest in a better way during pressing movements. They prove helpful with the mechanism of bench presses. If you can do them perfectly, they train you to adjust back and retract the scapula. Moreover, you can keep back tight and elevate chest before pressing.
They are useful to build power to push-up your body as much as possible. You have to cock both arms back quickly and immediately reverse this movement to strike the ground.
Perfectly Adjust to Normal Lifestyle
HRPU can adjust perfectly in your modern lifestyle. Several people are anterior dominant as they frequently use muscles of their front body as compared to the back. For this reason, they may suffer from performance and postural issues.
Several athletes lack the strength to pull muscles because they sit on their desk with extended arms. They use muscles of front hands to drive a car or flat hem out during bench presses. For this reason, it will be good to do two pulls for each push to engage the muscles of your upper body.
However, the HRPU may not include a complete pull exercise, but pulling back of hands and pressing upper back may balance out your push-ups. Every person can get advantage of the upper-back workout. Everyone may be pulled forward, and it hits rear delts and low traps.
Make sure to pull your hands back instead of pushing them in your front. During this exercise, squeeze your shoulder blades together. You have to reset after every repetition. Perform these repetitions with a solid form.
Final Verdict
Hand release push-ups are famous because of their versatility and range of motion. It can be an essential part of the CrossFit competitions. To get its benefits, you have to focus on the perfect form of push-ups. Avoid any kind of cheating during this exercise.
It offers a better motion range as compared to traditional push-ups. To perform stops between repetitions, you have to regenerate momentum for every push-up. HRPU offers a built-in pull among each push. Several athletes lack strength in pulling muscles because they sit at their desks with extended arms.
Performing push-ups actively can recruit your core, but you have to keep your body in one straight line. It can be challenging to manage movement. Make sure to focus on each aspect of HRPU to enjoy its maximum benefits.
