Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

One Arm Against Wall: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

A bodyweight exercise where you stand facing a wall, extend one arm to press against the wall, and engage your lats by pushing, focusing on lat activation and shoulder stability.

Primary muscles
Lats
Secondary muscles
Shoulders , Triceps
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the one arm against wall
Front view: muscles worked by the one arm against wall. Primary: lats. Secondary: shoulders and triceps.
Back view: muscles worked by the one arm against wall. Primary: lats. Secondary: shoulders and triceps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the one arm against wall

  1. Step 1: Stand facing a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Step 2: Extend one arm straight out in front of you and place your palm against the wall.
  3. Step 3: Engage your core and lean your body forward, keeping your arm straight and your back flat.
  4. Step 4: Slowly push against the wall with your palm, activating your lat muscles.
  5. Step 5: Hold the position for a few seconds, then release and repeat with the other arm.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the one arm against wall by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

One Arm Against Wall alternatives

More exercises that train the lats as their main target:

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.