You can't run before you walk, and you can't nail the one-arm push-up before a regular push-up, according to Prince Brathwaite, an NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of Trooper Fitness. "Other than the single-arm strength it takes to do a one-arm push-up, one must have significant core strength/stability," Brathwaite said. "Doing exercises that build up intrinsic core strength will be key to building up to a single-arm push-up." These are the moves he told POPSUGAR to start with:
- Staggered push-up: One arm elevated on a platform.
- Archer push-up: Bending one arm during a push-up while the other arm remains straight at the elbow.
- One-arm push-up on your knees.
- One-arm push-up with your hand on an incline platform (for example, a bench) and feet on the ground.
- One-arm push-up with resistance bands for assistance. Hang a band from a pull-up bar, and wrap it under your waist to help pull you up.
- Negative one-arm push-up: Start on your toes, focusing on a slow eccentric descent, then modify to a one-arm knee push-up to get back up.
