A one-handed push-up is simply a variation on the standard push-ups that most of us know and love (or love to hate)!
These one-handed push-ups are great exercises to add to your routine as they isolate certain muscles in the arm and chest that aren’t worked with regular push-ups.
This will improve your strength over time, as well as your balance and stability. So, let’s dive into how to complete a one-handed push-up and explore the benefits in more detail!
It should be done in the same way as a regular push-up, but only one hand should be used at a time.
One-hand push-ups are exercises that are mainly viewed as good at building your upper body strength. However, this is not the only thing that they are good for!
They are also great at building up core strength and balance and stability, as they require you to balance on the one arm.
Like most exercises, these push-ups are most effective when you are tensing and targeting your muscles in order to make sure that they are engaged properly in the activity.
During these push-ups, you should engage your core, arms, chest, and shoulder muscles to get the best results!
These push-ups are very challenging and they require plenty of strength.
Make sure that you have the upper-body strength that is required to complete these to avoid injury.
Ensure you have the correct form to make this exercise as safe as possible!
Exercises To Help You Achieve The Necessary Strength
One-handed push-ups require plenty of strength and you need to make sure that you have this strength so you don’t end up getting injured.
To build up to being comfortable with this exercise, you could try doing some archer push-ups or some regular push-ups before you attempt this variation.
Benefits Of One-Handed Push-Ups
There are many different benefits to one-handed push-ups. These are:
They will improve your general fitness. Any exercises that you are doing will help to improve your general strength and fitness which is good for your mental and physical health.
These push-ups will help to build upper-body strength. They are one of the most effective exercises in improving your upper body strength.
They also build core strength. This means that you will be more able to hold your form when you are exercising.
The actual method of completing this exercise is quite simple, but that does not make it easy to carry out! Follow these steps below to complete a one-handed push-up:
Get on the floor with your toes and hands in contact with the floor. Ensure your hands and legs are both shoulder width apart. Your hands should be in line with your shoulders. Your body should be in a straight line with your toes pressed into the floor.
Tense your shoulders, core, quads, and glutes to ensure that they are all engaged. Keep your chin tucked.
Place one arm down to your side and ball up your fist. Now you should be leaning on one hand.
Ensure your body is completely tense and begin to bend your elbow. Keep yourself strong.
When your upper arm is at the same level as your back, pause briefly and then push your hand back up, making sure to straighten your elbow slowly and carefully.
Repeat this step as many times as you can. It is recommended that when you are just beginning with this exercise that you do 2 sets of up to 5 reps on each side. Make sure that you can complete the exercise with complete control.
When you complete these types of exercises over and over again, you will slowly build up your strength.
When you complete one exercise frequently, you are training your muscles to become stronger and work more efficiently.
You will be able to test your progress as you slowly become able to complete more reps and sets of this exercise.
Make it your goal to complete more each week and you will be stronger in no time!
How To Work Out Safely?
It is so important to ensure that you are working out in the safest way possible so as not to cause injury.
Injuries to your muscles can be very painful and you can even cause permanent damage if you’re not careful!
There are plenty of things you can do to make sure that you’re working out as safely as possible.
Ensure that you change any exercises to meet your needs. Make sure you are physically able to complete the exercises with proper form.
When you are working out, make sure that you listen to your body. If you’re in pain, it is a good idea to stop!
Be patient and don’t push yourself too hard! Otherwise, you could suffer an injury and this will only slow you down in the long run as you’ll be forced into taking breaks to recover from injuries.
Make sure you rest for at least 48 hours before training the same set of muscles again. This gives your muscles time to heal and recover.
Final Thoughts
You now have all the information you need to start incorporating the one-handed push-up into your workouts. You know all about the benefits and risks of this exercise and how to complete it.
This is a very difficult exercise and so it is a great one to use to test your progress. You might start off with only being able to complete one on each side, but don’t give up!
You will see progress if you keep persevering. But remember: don’t ever let your form suffer because we don’t want you getting yourself injured!
Hi, my name is TJ Daniels. I am a certified personal trainer dedicated to health and fitness for the past 20+ years. We have found that consistency is the key to wellness and our company is founded on this philosophy. If you would like to learn more, please see our About Us page or Contact Us with questions, feedback, suggestions for future content, or collaboration opportunities. Let’s enjoy this journey together!
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