Electromyographic Activation of the Pectoralis Major and Triceps Brachii Muscles During Standard, Diamond, and Wide Hand Position Push-Ups

Studies examining the electromyographic activation of pectoralis major (PM) and triceps brachii (TB) muscles during push-ups of varied hand positions are limited, and findings are inconsistent. The aim was to investigate the electromyographic activation of PM and TB during standard, diamond, and wide hand position push-ups. Twenty young males performed six repetitions of each push-up variation while the electrical activity of PM and TB was recorded, averaged, and normalized to the peak root mean square (RMS) across repetitions for each push-up. RMS (mV) and normalized RMS (%) were calculated for each muscle, push-up variation, and contraction phase (eccentric/concentric). Two separate three-way ANOVAs with Bonferroni post hoc correction were used (<i>α</i> = 0.05). TB demonstrated statistically significantly higher RMS (mV) and normalized RMS (%) than PM (<i>p</i> < 0.05), in diamond, followed by standard and wide push-ups. A statistically significant higher activation of RMS (mV) was observed in concentric compared to eccentric (<i>p</i> < 0.05); however, after normalizing RMS (%), contraction phase had no effect (<i>p</i> > 0.05) and there was no significant three-way interaction (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Diamond push-ups elicited the highest relative activation for both the PM and TB. Normalized RMS revealed the consistency of muscle effort in both contraction phases, sustaining near-maximal activation regardless of hand position. These findings support adaptable training strategies, with potential applications in rehabilitation and strength training contexts.