One Armed Pushup Form Checklist  By Eugene Thong  

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One-armed pushups can be a challenge at first but not much more difficult to perform than the basic pushup once foundational levels of strength are achieved. 

1) Assume the pushup position - place your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart.  However, your feet should be wider than normal - at least shoulder-width apart.

2) Lift one arm and position it either at your side or behind your back.

3) Tightening your abs, bend your elbow to 90 degrees, bringing yourself to the floor.  Your body will rotate slightly; this is a natural consequence of using only one arm.

4) Breathing out, extend your elbow, bringing yourself back up to the starting point.

5) Repeat on one side until goal reps are achieved, then switch to the other side.

Other considerations:

- Keep the body tight; don't let your hips sag!
- Keep your shoulder tight in the socket.
- Your head should stay up.  Don't let your head sag down, especially on the lift.

As always, there are ways to scale the exercise to make it easier (as well as to progress towards doing a full repetition of it).  Here they are:

Easiest: Using a smith machine (bar is on a moving track and can be locked), set the bar at mid chest height.  Hold onto the bar with one hand, and position your feet far enough from the bar so that you have to lean forward to hold onto it.  Perform the pushup as described.  Set the bar progressively lower to increase the difficulty.

Note: This can also be done by positioning your hand on a wall.

More difficult:  Use a sturdy chair or gym bench.  Position your hand on the bench or seat, and perform the pushup as described above.

Moderate: Position yourself in the pushup position on the floor.  Perform a Negative-only one armed pushup - lower yourself slowly to the floor.  Once there, raise yourself off of the floor with both hands.

Hard: Perform a 3/4 one-armed pushup; bend your elbow to a slightly less than 90 degree bend.

 

 

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About the Author: Eugene Thong, CSCS, was born a weak, skinny, bespectacled child. Now, thanks to a steady diet of martial arts, scientific inquiry, and heavy compound movements, he's no longer weak.  His scientific bent, Zen-like demeanor, and efficient but intense methods have made him one of New York's most sought-after personal trainers.     When not helping clients cultivate their own inner 6-packs, Eugene can be found arm barring opponents at Renzo Gracie's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy or sailing through the air on his snowboard.  Read Eugene's semi-weekly musings on exercise, fitness, and fat loss at his blog Eugene is Mike's co-author of The Black Book of Secrets.  You can purchase it by clicking here.