An one arm push up is a complex exercise that requires far more strength and balance than a standard two arm push up. To perform the exercise, the practitioner begins in a plank position, but supports himself with only one arm. The practitioner then lowers the body to the ground, then pushes it back up. This exercise primarily strengthens the chest and triceps muscles. It also pulls stabilizer muscles in the arms, chest and abdomen, and it provides a small benefit to the legs.
There are two variations of one arm push-up. The first and most common is an arm push up with the arm out. In this variant, the arm performing the push-up will be further away from the body than it would be in a regular push-up. It is not directly on the underside of the body, so it will provide less support for the upper torso. To counteract this, the legs will be much wider than shoulder width apart.
With the legs in this position there will be a tension going from the support arm through the body into the other leg. The other leg helps to create balance, but the opposite leg and hand will support most of the weight under one arm pushing up. Feeling this tension is crucial because it is the practitioner’s ability to use his or her arm and opposite leg to counteract this tension that will provide the necessary balance to perform the exercise.
When a practitioner achieves this balance, he or she can bend his arm to lower the body to the floor. When the chest is near the floor, the practitioner pushes the arm to lift the body back to its original position. The practitioner can then repeat the process for a number of repetitions before switching to the other arm.
The other variant of one arm pushing up is to hold the arm near the body in a manner similar to a two arm push-up. This will allow the legs to be closer together, too. The tension between the arm and the opposite leg will still exist. The legs are closer together, though, so they don’t combine with the hand to form as wide of a triangle as they did in the previous variety. As a result, the balancing leg could not help the athlete balance that much.
The result is that this version of one arm push-up is more difficult than the arm out version. Both variants work the same muscles, but the stabilizing muscles in the arm in variety have to work much harder. Both versions, however, provide a far more intense workout than two arm push ups, because the individual arm mainly has to squeeze twice as much weight.
- An arm push up distributes the stabilizing muscles in the arm.
- A one-arm pushup requires more strength and balance than a regular pushup.
- A traditional push up is done using both arms and is considered easier to do than an armed push up.
- A standard push up involves two arms.
