One-arm Push-up

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Use a non-slip surface or stable handles. Place the hands and feet so the prescribed body line and range can be repeated without the equipment shifting. Use a wide foot stance and a stable non-slip surface; the free hand must have a clearly defined position.
2. 2Starting position. Set the hands and feet in the prescribed relationship, extend the elbows, and stack the ribcage over the pelvis. Place the working hand under the shoulder or declared line, brace the trunk, and resist rotation before descending.
3. 3Eccentric phase. Lower the body as one coordinated unit through the defined elbow and shoulder path. Lower with the working elbow and shoulder controlled while the pelvis and ribcage remain organized.
4. 4Bottom position. Reach the fixed depth marker without bouncing, twisting, or losing hand contact. Reach the declared depth without allowing the shoulder to collapse or the free hand to touch down.
5. 5Concentric phase / lockout. Press the support away and return to the prescribed lockout or top position. Press through the working hand and return to the top without twisting or stepping.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Inhale during the descent as appropriate, maintain moderate trunk and glute tension, and exhale through the press or landing preparation.
7. 7Valid rep. A valid repetition uses the stated hand position, depth, body line, and assistance standard from start to finish. Only the working hand contacts the floor, the feet stay fixed, and the trunk remains within the declared standard.

Common mistakes

• Sagging or piking

  Fix: Stack the ribcage over the pelvis and reduce the difficulty before the trunk becomes the limiter.

• Elbows escaping

  Fix: Choose a repeatable elbow path that keeps the shoulders controlled rather than forcing a universal angle.

• Bouncing the bottom

  Fix: Lower to a fixed marker and reverse without rebound.

• Rotating the torso

  Fix: Widen the feet or use an uneven regression until the pelvis stays controlled.

Safety

• One-arm push-ups create high unilateral pressing and trunk demands; a biomechanical study reported the highest spinal compression among the tested push-up styles, which supports conservative progression but does not predict individual injury.
• Choose a setup, load, assistance level, and exit strategy that allow the defined standard to be maintained; do not train through acute, sharp, electric, or worsening symptoms.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionUneven Push-up— Use controlled asymmetry before removing the assisting hand.
• progressionOne-arm Deficit Push-up— A deficit one-arm press requires a separate reviewed node.
• alternativePseudo-planche Push-up— Use bilateral high-shoulder-demand pressing when unilateral balance is the limiter.
• prerequisiteOne-arm Push-up with pause— No automatic advanced target is assigned.