8.2 Basic Upper Body Exercises: Free Body

The following section will highlight several upper-body exercises and convey information, including the purpose of the exercise, proper form, common mistakes, and modifications. When performing any of the following exercises, the following guidelines will help improve efficiency and reduce the risk of injury.

• Always maintain a neutral spine from the crown of your head to the base of your tailbone (think about stacking each vertebrae/disc of your spine in its anatomical position).
  • The head and neck should never be flexed forward or extended backward.
  • Shoulders should never be rounded or elevated.
  • The lower back should never be overly flexed, extended, or rounded.
• All movement should be conducted in a controlled manner: While some activity specifically uses explosive movement, basic physical activity is most beneficial, practical, and safe when conducted in a smooth, consistent, and completely controlled manner.
• Core or abdominal engagement should always be maintained to protect the spine and trunk from injury. This will also create rigidity and structure in your entire body, increasing stability and allowing other muscles to produce force more efficiently.
• The following exercises have several variations that involve changes in body positioning/biomechanics, the type of force (barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, cables/pulleys, resistance bands) and the direction of the force relative to the body’s position.

Plank

Agonist muscles include the rectus abdominis and external obliques. Many synergist and stabilizer muscles are found throughout the body during an isometric plank.

Form and movement:

• The movement is held in the prone position with the hands or forearms contacting the ground directly below the shoulders.
• The plank is a unique exercise given that, if executed correctly, there is very little (if any) movement, given the many isometric contractions being held in unison.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them):

• Midsection (abdominal and gluteal region) “sagging” towards the ground (ensure musculature in this region is contracted to maintain a neutral spine/posture).

Modification:

• The second point of contact with the ground can be manipulated to alter the body’s lever arm and increase or decrease movement difficulty. By having the feet or knees act as the second point of contact, one can increase or decrease the lever arm/difficulty, respectively.
• External load can be used to increase difficulty (i.e., a plate positioned on the upper, mid, or low back).
• A side plank can emphasize the external obliques, forcing these muscles to isometrically contract to avoid the body moving towards the ground.

Push-up

Agonist muscles include the pectoralis major and triceps brachii. The deltoids act as synergist muscles for the movement, and many muscles (including core musculature and the hip flexor group) are recruited as stabilizers.

Form and movement:

• Movement begins in the prone plank position with hands contacting the ground directly under the shoulder joint.
• The body moves downwards through controlled eccentric contraction, causing extension of the shoulder and flexion of the elbow.
• Once the desired depth has been achieved, controlled concentric contraction causes shoulder flexion and elbow extension, returning the body to its starting position.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them):

• Hands placed too wide, causing the shoulder joint angle to be ≥90°, increasing risk of injury (position hands narrow enough to achieve a shoulder joint angle of <90°).
• A person standing in different poses.
• Midsection (abdominal and gluteal region) “sagging” towards the ground (ensure musculature in this region is contracted to maintain a neutral spine/posture).

Modification:

• The second point of contact with the ground can be manipulated to alter the body’s lever and increase or decrease movement difficulty. By having the feet or knees act as the second point of contact, one can increase or decrease the lever arm and difficulty, respectively.
• External load or resistance bands can be used to increase difficulty. (i.e., a plate positioned on the upper back; or a resistance band looped under the hands and around the upper back).
• Hand position can be narrower to increase activation of the triceps brachii.