What are chaturangas?

[suebella]

Oddly enough, I find chats easier than traditional pushups, but I have shoulder issues that make the regular variety uncomfortable.

That said, I can’t do lots of them and feel NO SHAME WHATSOEVER about dropping to my knees and cranking out the last few.

[Soosan]

I find them easier than pushups too. I also think they were instrumental in improving my core strength.

[ScooterChick]

I can fairly easily crank out a number of "big boy" pushups (like, 2-3 sets of 15 or so). but it took me a long time to be able to do multiple "on my toes" chaturangas without really losing my farm, falling to the ground, etc. It really made classes more frustrating for me, since I always dreaded doing a lot of sun salutations. While it's still not my favorite pose, I enjoy them a lot more now! But it took a long time...like a few years!

I still can't go from a chat hover up to plank. I guess that'll have to wait another few years!

[ARTYGIRL]

Originally posted by suebella
Oddly enough, I find chats easier than traditional pushups, but

Suze, me too! I can do chats all night long, but can't do a "regular pushup" to save my life.

Chats are easier on my wrists, too.

Marie

[FitBoop]

I also find chats much easier that regular pushups. I am able to go down slowly and hover just off the ground, and I feel that the fact that the elbows are in helps me a lot. I can do full push-ups, but only to the point where my elbows are bent to 90 degrees and don't feel comfortable going lower to the ground, the way Cathe does. I have naturally strong triceps, which is probably what enables me to do these exercises. I think that strong triceps are the key to doing push-ups and chats. If your triceps are weak, then you risk injuring yourself (in the shoulders and elbows and chest). To strengthen yourself to get into chats or push-ups, start out doing push-ups/chats against a wall, then using a sturdy chair (placing your hands on the seat), then on a tall box, like the FL or a step. The higher your chest relative to your feet, the easier. Eventually, you will be able to do it on the floor.

While I think that it is somewhat helpful to do them on your knees, I don't think it is as much of a training method as keeping your body as one long lever and doing them as I described above. With the knees on the floor, many people stick their butts out. Also, you mainly work your arms that way as opposed to the chest, shoulders and arms plus core.

[Sophie]

I'm surprised at how many people find chaturangas easier than traditional pushups. In classes, I've frequently seen people start to come down into chat, and then when they're instructed to draw their elbows closer to the ribs, they can no longer hold it.

Also, just curious - when you say you find chats easier, are you just talking about the coming-down-and-holding phase, compared to the down and up motion of a full traditional pushup?
Because although I can do traditional pushups on my toes, I do still find it more difficult to come down into chat, hover, and then still push back up with good form (ie. with my elbows still drawn close to the ribs, and with elbows over wrists through the range of motion, not losing the hip alignment, etc)

[SharonNYC]

Originally posted by Sophie
Also, just curious - when you say you find chats easier, are you just talking about the coming-down-and-holding phase, compared to the down and up motion of a full traditional pushup?
Because although I can do traditional pushups on my toes, I do still find it more difficult to come down into chat, hover, and then still push back up with good form (ie. with my elbows still drawn close to the ribs, and with elbows over wrists through the range of motion)

I wondered that too Sophie. And I have really strong triceps -- it's my shoulders that wimp out. I find traditional push ups relatively easy -- but I would never go down as low as Cathe etc. -- I think it's asking for injury.

[Sophie]

Originally posted by Abbe G
With the knees on the floor, many people stick their butts out. Also, you mainly work your arms that way as opposed to the chest, shoulders and arms plus core.

Unless a teacher's watching them

I don't know about it shifting the emphasis to the arms, either. I feel that with enough awareness, you can still work on whole body involvement from a shorter lever motion prior to lengthening the lever.

[Loretta S.]

There actually is a classical pose in some styles of yoga where you are supposed to stick your butt out and then lower down as in chaturanga. I don't know the sanskrit name, but I have heard it called catepillar pose. So sticking your butt out isn't always wrong, it depends on what you are doing.

[ARTYGIRL]

Originally posted by Sophie


Also, just curious - when you say you find chats easier, are you just talking about the coming-down-and-holding phase, compared to the down and up motion of a full traditional pushup?

I can't even manage the lowering phase of a full push-up, but I can easily lower and hover in chat. I have strong triceps too, so I think that helps ... traditional pushups rely a lot more on chest, I think? (Sorry, my body mechanics suck) So no, it's not just about the down/hover versus down/up.

While we're speaking of up/down motion, I think it's the Rod who does a chat and then pushes back up into down-dog? That's difficult for me, but I have actually done it. Of course, directionally that's a different motion than a full push-up, but once I've begun a downward motion in a full-push up, I just wind up on the floor no matter what I do, and coming back up doesn't happen at all.

Marie