2 BOM Exercise Questions

[wannabebuff]

Hi Everyone,

Recently picked up the Book of Muscle and have started doing the beginners program. I like it so far but have a question about 2 of the exercises which seem somewhat unclear to me.

The first is the "pushup hold". The description says:

"Lie facedown on the floor, with your legs straight and together. Set your hands beneath your chest, with your forearms parallel to each other and your hands a few inches apart.

Raise your body onto your elbows and knees, with your body forming a straight line from ankles to shoulders. Hold for the prescribed duration, lower to the start position, and repeat."

Is this basically a pushup done on the elbows? I assume this is not meant for the chest then, right? Something just doesn't feel right about this exercise. Can anyone comment on its usefulness or provide a bit more direction?

The other one is the "dumbell lying pullover". It basically looks like a lying tricep extension, except you move your entire arms. This exercise is pretty difficult and I had to start with very light weights. But again, something doesn't feel right. What muscles is this meant to work?

Thanks for the help!

~W

[Bulking Up]

Wannabe,
You are right about the pushup hold not being for your chest. It is actually an abdominal exercise. It is specifically intended to work the tranverse abdominalis, which lies under the "6 pack" muscles. Developing this muscle helps greatly to improve core stability, protect your lower back, and improve posture. For the exercise, you simply hold yourself up in the pushup position with forarms on the floor for a specific time limit (given in BOM). It also helps to suck your belly button in towards your spine (just remember to keep breathing).
The dumbell pullover works the upper back (lats), and the chest a little. Make sure to go through the entire range of motion, and if you have to start out with lighter weights, that is just fine. Hope this helps.

Bulking Up

[ernie]

Bulking Up is right. This is a core group exercise and although it doesn't seem like much, it can be very taxing, especially on your low back if you are not careful. It is a great ab exercise. Also be very careful with the pullovers, your form can be very deadly to the shoulder joint if not followed precisely....