If you ever want to impress your friends, one-arm pushups are a pretty good way to do it. Cranking out a set of these will certainly earn you some respect among your buddies at the gym! Although not a necessary exercise by any means, it feels good to be able to do them. When I think of one-arm pushups, my mind thinks back to Rocky Balboa performing them in a couple of those famous training montages. So, if you want to be a showboat and learn to perform this movement, what’s the way to go about it? What’s the easiest way to do a one-arm pushup?
The easiest way to do a one-arm pushup is to, first, get into the following position: a) spread legs wide, probably 90°. b) place the hand of the working arm directly below the chest, fingers pointed toward the center of your body (inward). c) non-used arm placed behind back, bent at elbow.
As you lower your body to the ground, tilt your non-active shoulder away from the ground and bring your active hand to that side of your chest. Push up with a slight rotation to extend your arm, keeping your elbow close to your body. The position of your body is of utmost importance, as you want your weight to be centered as much as possible. If your weight is spread wider near your torso, by the unused arm being to the side, or the elbow of the working arm moving too far away from the torso, you will negatively incur the effects of leverage, making this movement much more difficult.
Is this technique the only way to do single arm pushups? Is this an effective exercise? Why would you do this exercise? Let’s discuss this a little further.
Are there other techniques for one-arm pushups?
There are a number of techniques for performing one-armed pushups. All are a great way to demonstrate a superior strength-to-bodyweight ratio (SBR). Another method worth mentioning is considerably more difficult. This involves lowering your torso with your elbow out to the side. This focuses the effort almost exclusively on the triceps. This method is very difficult and is not a good technique for beginners or for very heavy people.
It is important not to move too fast when attempting any type of one-arm pushups. Bouncing up at the bottom of the movement is a great recipe for shoulder, elbow, or wrist injuries and should be avoided. It is imperative that you perform your one-arm pushups at a controlled, steady pace. If you can’t do this, you should go back to regular push-ups and other exercises, lose some weight, and come back to it later after improving your condition.
Are one-arm pushups a good exercise?
Although traditionally popular among martial arts practitioners, one-arm push ups do not offer much in the way of results as an exercise. They are more of a show-exercise, demonstrating a superior strength to bodyweight ratio (SBR). SBR is a way to describe how strong an individual is in proportion to their weight. For instance, a 250 lb bodybuilder may be able to row 300lbs for 10 reps, but probably can’t do a muscle-up. However, someone with a high SBR will probably be able to do a high number of muscle-ups or other bodyweight exercises such as pull-ups, pushups, or squats. A good example of someone with a very high SBR would be a high-level gymnast.
Just because the one-arm pushups won’t really help your physique too much, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dedicate a few minutes, several times per week, to perfecting your one-arm pushup technique. Even if it’s just for bragging rights. It looks cool, even if it is sort of a dud exercise from a training standpoint.
Is it worth doing one-arm pushups?
If you are already in good condition and you just want to take your pushups to the next level, or if you have seen them done in movies and want to be able to do them yourself, it doesn’t hurt to give one-arm pushups a try.
Are one-armed push ups worth it for the average guy (that works out)? From a muscle-building standpoint, this exercise is fairly useless, and all the muscles involved can be better trained doing other exercises. However, there are a few benefits in the form of muscle control and balance. Holding your body rigid, in a pushup position, with just one arm on the ground is a good way to challenge the stabilizing muscles of the arm, shoulder, legs, and core.
While this exercise may not build much muscle, it will result in improvements in balance, stability, and muscle control. Your body will be primed to get more output from the muscle that you already have.
What muscles do one-arm pushups work?
One-armed push-ups will seriously work your triceps, front and side deltoids, and instead of really taxing the pectoral muscles, this movement will work the lats, and the serratus, intercostals and other muscles of the core to a greater extent than regular pushups.
Does this mean that you should rely on this exercise to train these muscle groups? Absolutely not. This is more of a notification that these are the muscles that will be under the most strain if you decide to start practicing the one-arm pushup, and that it doesn’t simply train the same muscles as a traditional pushup. So don’t start doing one-arm pushups with the goal of getting twice the chest workout out of them.
Should I do one-arm pushups?
What is your primary goal for wanting to do one-armed push-ups? Sometimes people have misconceptions about what this exercise will actually do for them. Despite what somebody might initially think, one-armed push-ups are not twice as effective as regular push-ups for strengthening the chest, arms and shoulders. The movement is somewhat unnatural, and it’s just not really an effective muscle building exercise.
If you just want to master exercising perfect control over your body by improving your balance and coordination, then you may want to do a few sets each week. But this is not an exercise that you’ll want to overdo. For one it’s fairly pointless, and your gym time could be better spent doing something else.
Although it may seem obvious, I should mention that one-arm push-ups are not for beginners. You’ll need to have a solid base of muscle and experience with push-ups and other calisthenics. The strain that this exercise will put on your shoulder and elbow also make it a riskier choice when it comes to your joints.
If you’re overweight, or are coming off of a long break since working out regularly, don’t underestimate how difficult this exercise is. One-armed push-ups should be worked up to gradually, and should be viewed as an elite-level exercise.
It’s important to check with your doctor before starting a new workout program or adding unusual activities or exercises to an existing program.
What exercises are good alternatives for one-arm pushups?
Staggered or uneven pushups are a great way to work each arm somewhat independently, or work both arms in different ranges of motion. One way I like to do these is with one hand on the ground and the other placed on a foam roller. This way, the side with the foam roller is raised up and so the work is done in the lower end of the range of motion used for a regular pushup. The other arm will help provide assistance and stability whilst working in the stronger range of motion. The instability that the foam roller provides also increases the effectiveness of the pushups as your muscles and joints are forced to adapt and overcome this instability.
If you have free weights or can get to the gym then you have a lot more choices when it comes to isolating one side of your upper body at a time. The most obvious choice for training half of the muscles involved in a push-up would be dumbbell bench press, performed unilaterally. You probably won’t be able to go super heavy if you are only holding one dumbbell, due to the difficulty of balancing with an uneven weight distribution. Unless you decide to hold the pair of dumbbells at the same time and simply press with one arm at a time. You can either alternate reps or perform the whole set one arm at a time.
The easiest way to train unilaterally if you have access to the gym is to use machines. Many chest press machines will either have a handle for each hand, and you can do the chest press one arm at a time. Even if the chest press machine at your gym has a single bar, or you have to use a Smith machine, these are secure and stable enough for you to be able to perform one-armed chest presses.
These are great ways to train one side of your chest and one arm at a time to really focus on each individual side and even out any imbalances. However you will not get the balance benefits that you will get from one arm push-ups, so if you are in good enough shape do some of these, go for it. Your stabilization and balance will be improved, and you’ll be able to show off your new skill!
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