One Arm Push Up Progression To Build Massive Chest

One arm push up progression will help you build a strong chest, triceps, and shoulders. You will also look pretty cool doing some of those moves.

One arm push up progression is not suited for beginners. This is the advanced level progression. It will require serious strength and balance to be able to do one arm push up.

One Arm Push Up Progression: Muscles Worked

One arm push up progression will require you to build strong chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles to be able to do this hard move. Besides strength, it will also test your balancing skills.

With the chest and triceps, other muscles are also involved to support this difficult move.

One arm push up muscles worked:

Primary

• Chest
• Triceps
• Deltoids

Secondary

• Abs
• Obliques
• Hip flexors
• Lower back
• Gluteus

How To Use One Arm Push Up Progression

When you are starting out you can easily determine what your starting point is. Once you determine which exercise you can do 3 sets for 5-8 reps this is your starting point. So, you can start from the exercise you are able to do and work yourself up the progression.

However, don’t dismiss exercises that are below your current ability level. If you do them, they will help you increase time under tension and help you build more strength and muscle. They will also help you progress faster to harder moves.

Progression instructions

Each skill in one arm push up progression builds upon the previous exercise benefits. When you are able to perform the first exercise in a progression, the strength acquired will help you move on to the next.

You will see that each exercise comes with targeting prerequisites for moving on to the next one. However, don’t feel like these prerequisites are set in stone.

Those are just guidelines. If you feel up to it, you can try skills further up in a progression. Even if you haven’t reached the goal for the current exercise you are working on, doing the harder one may help you progress even faster.

This may keep you motivated if you are stuck on one skill for a while. Even doing one rep on harder exercise can help you feel some progress.

One Arm Push Up Progression Prerequisites

When you finish all exercises in a push up progression you are ready to start with one arm push up progression.

Here’s a list of prerequisites for this progression:

• Good balance: Balancing on one arm may be challenging in the beginning. One arm push ups are a combination of strength and balance. Both need to be in check if you want to be able to pull it off.
• Strong chest, core, and triceps: This progression is hard. You need to develop some serious strength in your chest, core, and triceps muscles before trying this progression. It will take time to build the necessary strength.

One Arm Push Up Progression: Level 1

On this level, you are moving past regular push ups. You will be doing dynamic push up variants.

Besides increased difficulty compared to regular push ups, this level is going to bring a fun element to your workouts. You will be able to experiment with various versions of clapping push ups.

It’s time to move away from just counting sets and reps and having fun with new cool moves.

On this level, the real fun starts.

Decline Push Up

A declined version of a push up is harder to do than a regular push up. So this is the next step in the progression.

Equipment:

• Box (or another elevated surface)

How to perform decline push up

Positioning:

Place your feet on an elevated surface. Position your body so that you are standing on your toes on the box and your hands on the ground.

Keep your body straight and your hands a bit wider than shoulder width.

Downward movement:

Go down by flexing your arms at your elbows. Aim to come as close to the floor with your chest as possible.

Upward movement:

To start moving up, straighten your arms at your elbows. Keep on going up until your arms are completely straight.

If you can do 15 reps in 3 sets you have mastered this exercise.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×8 decline push ups

Decline Diamond Push Up

A diamond version of a decline push up is another harder version in push up progression. After this step, you are going to do dynamic push ups. It will bring more fun to your workouts.

Equipment:

• Box (or some other elevated surface)

How to perform decline diamond push up

Positioning:

Positioning will be similar to decline push ups. The only difference is the positioning of your hands. They should be close together forming a diamond-like shape on the ground.

Downward movement:

Lower down as far as possible without slamming your head to the ground.

Upward movement:

Straighten your arms to get back to the starting position.

The mastery for this exercise is when you are able to do 3 sets with 15 reps in a set.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×8 decline diamond push ups

Plyo Push Up

Plyo push ups are the easiest dynamic push up variation. This is the first push up where you have to push your upper body hard from the floor. So hard, that your hands lift up in the air at the highest point of the movement.

This will help you prepare for even more difficult and fun push ups that follow.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform plyo push up

Positioning:

Position your hands on the ground a little bit wider than your shoulder width. Your legs are on the floor touching the ground on your feet balls and toes. Keep your entire body in a straight line by contracting your abs throughout the entire exercise.

Downward movement:

Lower down by bending your arms at your elbows. Keep on going down until your chest touches it.

Upward movement:

To start moving up, push yourself up explosively. Rapidly straighten your arms in your elbows. You have to push so hard that your hands lift from the floor at the highest point of upward movement. Land back on your hands. Repeat for reps.

Do 3 sets with 10 reps in a set to reach mastery for this exercise.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×5 plyo push ups

Clapping Push Up

This exercise is meant to be fun. When you are just starting out, aim to push yourself up hard enough to do one clap with your hands while in the air. As you progress, you will be able to increase the time in the air and more options will be available to explore.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform clapping push up

Positioning:

Positioning will be the same as in the previous exercise.

Downward movement:

Lowering down will be the same as in the previous exercise.

Upward movement:

To go back up, push yourself up explosively from the ground.

You have to push so hard that your arms are well off the ground so you have enough time in the air to be able to clap. Clap once while in the air.

Land back on your hands. Repeat for reps.

The mastery for this exercise is when you can do 3 sets with 10 reps.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×5 clapping push ups

One Arm Push Up Progression: Level 2

Up until now, you have been doing push ups on both arms. Now it’s time to move more and more to a single arm.

On this level, you will need both your strength and balance working together.

This is the final part of one arm push up progression.

Archer Push Up

From this point forward, you will need to listen to your body and take things slowly and with control. Take special care of nuances to avoid injury.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform archer push up

Positioning:

Position your hands on the ground much wider than your shoulder width.

One of your arms will have to bend while you are moving down and be at around shoulder width. At the same time, your other arm will have to go straight to your side.

You should position your arms’ width to accommodate this requirement.

Your legs are on the floor touching the ground on your feet balls and toes. Keep your entire body in a straight line by contracting your abs throughout the entire exercise.

Downward movement:

Lower yourself down by flexing one of your arms at the elbow. Target to touch the floor with your chest. Your other arm will go straight to your side (you will rotate this arm’s palm straight away from you).

When you touch the floor with your chest (or get to the floor as close as possible) this is the lowest point of downward movement.

Upward movement:

To start moving up, push yourself up from the floor by straightening your flexed arm in your elbow.

You will also start rotating the palm of your other arm (so it faces forward when you are in the upper position). Slowly get your body up. Keep on pushing until your arms are straight. This is the highest point of upward movement.

Strive to reach 5-8 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×4 archer push ups

Incline One Arm Push Up

An incline one arm push up will be very similar to a full one arm push up. The only difference is that you will do it with your working arm on an elevated surface. This will make it a little bit easier to do than a regular one arm push up.

Equipment:

• Box (or another elevated surface)

How to perform incline one arm push up

Positioning:

Place one of your hands on an elevated surface. The other arm should be right next to your body, or at your lower back. Position your body so that you are standing on your toes on the ground and one of your hands on the box.

The arm on the box is your working arm and it should be straight. Keep your body straight.

Downward movement:

Bend your working arm at the elbow to start moving down. Aim to touch the box with your chest. When you touch the box with your chest, don’t rest in this position.

Upward movement:

Straighten your working arm in your elbow to move up. Keep on moving up until your working arm is straight and you are back where you started.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×3 one arm incline push up

Half One Arm Push Up

Half one arm push up will be the same as a regular one arm push up with a limited range of motion.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform half one arm push up

Positioning:

Place one of your hands on the floor. This arm is your working arm. Place your other arm next to your body, or at your lower back.

Keep your body straight, your feet, and your working hand on the ground.

Downward movement:

Lower down by flexing your working arm at your elbow. Keep on going down until your working upper arm forms around a 90 degree angle to a forearm.

Upward movement:

To start moving up, straighten your working arm. Extend your working arm until you are back where you started.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×3 half one arm push up

One Arm Push Up

This is the hardest exercise in one arm push up progression. It’s also one of the cool impressive skills you can master.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform one arm push up

Positioning:

Place your working hand on the floor. Your other arm should be at your side, or at your lower back. Position your body so that you are standing on your toes and one of your hands on the ground.

Downward movement:

Lower down by flexing your working arm at your elbow. Keep on going down until your chest touches the ground. This is the lowest point.

Upward movement:

Extend your arm to start going up. Keep on extending your working arm until it’s completely straight.

This exercise concludes the one arm push up progression.

Conclusion

When you build enough strength it’s time for cool and fun moves. One arm push up progression help you introduce this fun part into your pushing workouts.

But beware – don’t start this level of training before going through all the prerequisites. Going over your current level of ability will increase the risk of injury.