One Arm Push Ups Progressions

One Arm Push Ups Progressions

One arm push ups are an amazing feat of solid strength.

Even someone that can bench a lot of weight is unlikely able to do a one arm pushup, or any exercise involving a single limb for that matter.

Strength training combined with bodyweight training increases strength more than just traditional strength training alone.

Bodyweight exercises also build core strength.

This is especially true of the single-arm pushup, which requires those stabilizer muscles to keep your body steady and balanced on one arm.

This is why someone that can bench an insanely heavy weight rarely can execute a one-arm pushup.

They haven’t sufficiently developed their core and stabilizer strength.

Along with strength and core stability, the one handed push up also requires balance.

Progressions

For each of these Kinobody Bodyweight Mastery progressions make sure you’re able to do 3 sets of 10 perfect repetitions before moving on to the next progression.

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Progression 1: Push ups

It all starts with the regular push up.

You gotta start with the fundamentals.

Before you move on to progression 2, make sure you’re able to do 3 sets of 10 push ups easily and with correct form.

Squeeze your glutes, suck in your gut, and keep your body in straight line from your ankles to your shoulders.

Progression 2: Side to Side Push Ups

Now that you’ve mastered the push up, it’s time to make it a bit more challenging on each arm.

For Progression 2, you’ll start with your feet in a wide stance.

Instead of going straight up and down, you’re going to lean towards the right arm as you go down.

Push yourself up to the starting position, then lean towards the left arm as you go down.

This places a bit more emphasis on unilateral work without worrying about balance.

This way you’ll build up strength progressively.

Stay on this phase until you can master 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Progression 3: Unilateral Push Up on Ball

Now it’s time to add more weight to each arm.

For this progression you’ll need a basketball or anything that can support one arm (push up bar, dumbbell, step stool, etc).

Again, start with your feet in a wide stance.

Place one hand on the ground, the other on a ball.

Now roll the ball out wide keeping the arm straight and perform your push up at the same time.

After doing 10 on one side, switch the ball to the other arm.

Master 3 sets of 10 repetitions per arm before moving on to the final step.

Progression 4: The One Arm Push Up

Now comes the moment you’ve been working for… the one hander.

You’re going to need a really wide base for this one since it will require more balance.

So spread your legs a bit wider than usual.

Pick the arm you feel strongest with and place the other one behind you.

Keep your core tight and your elbow close to your body.

Now slowly start to descend into the push up.

You will fail many times before you start getting the hang of it but don’t give up.

You’ve come too far and you’re almost there.

Keep practicing until you’re able to do it at least 5 times on one arm, then switch to the other.

To learn how to master other bodyweight exercises like the pistol squat (one-legged squat), one arm pull ups, and other cool feats of impressive strength, check out the Kinobody Bodyweight Mastery program.