One-Arm Push-Up
oec:one-arm-push-up
An advanced calisthenics variation where a push-up is performed on a single arm, placing immense unilateral demand on the chest, triceps, anterior shoulder, and core stabilizers.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: one armed push-ups, single-arm push-up, one-handed push-up
How to do it
Setup
- Begin in a high plank position with your feet set wide apart—at least shoulder-width or wider—to provide a stable base of support.
- Place your working hand beneath the center of your chest or slightly inside your shoulder line.
- Tuck your non-working arm securely behind your lower back or brace it tight against your thigh.
- Brace your core, squeeze your glutes, and square your hips and shoulders toward the floor.
Movement
- Inhale and lower your torso under control by bending the working elbow, keeping it tucked at roughly a 45-degree angle relative to your torso.
- Descend until your chest is just above the floor, actively resisting the rotational pull that tries to twist your hips.
- Exhale and press forcefully through your working palm, extending your elbow and driving back up to the starting plank position without excessive torso rotation.
Breathing
Inhale deeply as you lower yourself toward the floor, hold briefly at the bottom, and exhale forcefully as you press yourself back up.
Cues
- Screw your hand into the floor.
- Keep your shoulders and hips parallel to the ground.
- Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs hard against the twist.
Common faults
- Excessive hip twist or tilting open to the side.
- Widen your foot stance further and vigorously brace your obliques to keep your pelvis squared to the floor.
- Flaring the working elbow straight out to ninety degrees.
- Keep your elbow angled closer to your ribs (around 45 degrees) to protect the shoulder joint.
- Sagging through the lower back and hips.
- Maintain strong glute and abdominal tension throughout the entire range of motion.
Safety
- Requires significant shoulder and wrist stability; regress to an elevated surface or incline push-up if you cannot control the descent.
Muscles
Joints
- Shoulder: Flexion, Horizontal adduction
- Elbow: Extension
- Shoulder blade: Protraction, Retraction
- Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
- Thoracic spine: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Horizontal push, Anti-rotation, Anti-extension
- Modality
- Calisthenics, Strength
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- push
- Laterality
- unilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- advanced
- Equipment
- None
- Record
- Repetitions
- Load
- bodyweight
Related
- progression of Typewriter Push-Up
Sources
- wger: One armed push-ups, by clafal (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.