Why Do assisted Push-Ups?
An assisted push-up are done by using resistance bands to offset the load of an individual’s body, reducing the weight that is placed on the upper-body muscles while the push-up is being performed. The most common use of assisted push-ups is as an alternative to a bodyweight push-up for individuals that lack the upper body strength to perform the exercise. The resistance bands make the person’s body “lighter” and allows them to build strength in the range of motion which they otherwise could not perform. Eventually, the individual will become strong enough to perform push-ups at their full bodyweight. Assisted push-ups can also be used to help work through injuries or in a rehab setting. And for individuals that can perform push-ups with ease, doing assisted push-ups with resistance bands can allow them to do much more reps than normal.
What Equipment Do You Need?
For the setup shown in the video above, we used a Stroops VITL Kit. The components that you will need out of the VITL Kit are:
- 4 Medium Slastix
- 2 Cloth Anchors
- 1 Swivel Belt
Depending on your needs you may need more or less resistance, so its a good idea to make sure you have enough resistance for you or your client’s bodyweight and training goals. The Slastix that come in the VITL Kit are a medium resistance (20 lbs) which means there is 80 pounds of resistance available to you in your VITL Kit. You can always buy heavier Slastix if you do not want to use multiple mediums. Note: your set up for the assisted push-up will determine how many Slastix you need. You can see we only need two for the first set up and had to use four in the second.
SET UP OPTIONS
There are two ways you can set up for the assisted push-up. The first involves using the Cloth Anchors and Slastix with a j-hooks on a squat rack. The second option involves attaching the Cloth Anchor and Slastix to a pull-up bar. Both options utilize equipment that comes standard in most gyms and achieve the same training effect. Feel free to use a different setup method for your assisted push-ups if you lack the recommended equipment, or have another way in mind, the principles will remain the same.
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