Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Single Arm Push-Up: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The single arm push-up is a challenging bodyweight exercise that targets the pectorals while also engaging the triceps, shoulders, and core. It requires significant strength, balance, and coordination, making it suitable for advanced practitioners.

Primary muscles
Chest
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the single arm push-up
Front view: muscles worked by the single arm push-up. Primary: chest. Secondary: obliques, abs, shoulders and triceps.
Back view: muscles worked by the single arm push-up. Primary: chest. Secondary: obliques, abs, shoulders and triceps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the single arm push-up

  1. Step 1: Start in a push-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart and one hand placed slightly wider than the other.
  2. Step 2: Engage your core and lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your back straight.
  3. Step 3: As you lower yourself, shift your weight to one side and lift the opposite arm off the ground, extending it straight out to the side.
  4. Step 4: Push through your chest and triceps to raise your body back up to the starting position, while simultaneously lowering your extended arm back to the ground.
  5. Step 5: Repeat the movement, alternating the arm you extend with each repetition.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the single arm push-up 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.

Single Arm Push-Up alternatives

More exercises that train the chest as their main target:

More chest exercises

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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.