While your arms, chest, and back are the most important parts of a one-arm push-up, you also can't do this move without proper wrist and shoulder strength and flexibility. Brett Durney, personal trainer and cofounder of Fitness Lab, recommends that you do a lot of shoulder stability and wrist strength exercises in your daily practice. "Practically all of your bodyweight will be going through your wrists, so it's important to ensure that they are mobile and strong," Durney told POPSUGAR.
Here are his tips to build strength and flexibility in these areas:
- Learn a range of shoulder stability exercises such as external rotations, kettlebell shoulder rotations, and banded internal rotations to support your efforts.
- Learn and implement a number of core strength and stability exercises, as these will directly affect your efforts. Ab roll-outs, 8-point planks, and hanging knee raises are all good options.
- Build wrist strength and mobility by doing planks and wrist curls.
- Complement the movement with other exercises such as single-arm dumbbell presses and single-arm shoulder presses.
- Learn the difference between strength and endurance training. Ensure strength protocols are baked into your training routine.
