CHAPTER SEVEN
FIELD-STRIPPING THE ONE-ARM PUSHUP
• The One-Arm Pushup, Floor and Elevated
• The One-Arm Dive Bomber Pushup
• The One-Arm Half Bomber Pushup
• Four More Drills to Work up to the One-Arm Dive Bomber
The One-Arm Pushup, Floor and Elevated
If you think that once you knock off some magic number of regular pushups, say one hundred, you will automatically be able to do the one-arm pushup you have another thing coming.
The ability to carry on for a long time at a low intensity does not enable one to shine in a brief high-tension exertion. Besides, the one-arm pushup has a difficult balance element so do not expect much unless you train for it specifically.
A Catch-22, right? In order to learn how to do one-arm pushups you must do one-arm pushups, but you cannot do one-arm pushups...
Do not despair, Comrade, you can practice an easier version of the drill, with your hand on the bench, the desk, or even the wall.
By the same token, you can make your one-armers harder by elevating your feet.
Even the one-legged version can be made harder—like it is necessary—by elevating your foot.
The technique of the elevated one arm pushup (either way) is identical to the floor version. Here it comes.
Let us make it clear that a legit one-arm pushup is done with the shoulders parallel to the deck, with the balls of your feet rather than their edges in contact with the surface, and all the way down until your chest almost brushes the deck.
Here is the authorized technique.
Place your feet slightly wider than a shoulder width apart and facing straight down.
Spread your fingers wide for balance and make a point of placing most of the weight on the heel of your palm, directly below your little finger.
Place your feet slightly wider than a shoulder width apart and facing straight down.
Place your working hand a couple inches outside your centerline, point your middle finger straight forward. Spread your fingers wide for balance and make a point of placing most of the weight on the heel of your palm, directly below your little finger.
Now go ahead and do a pushup. Chances are, your body will act as a disorganized “collection of body parts”, your back will sag like a camel’s, and the shoulder of the unloaded arm will come up first thus declaring your rep null and void.
TENSION makes you strong, stable, and well protected! Flex everything from the fingertips of your working hand all the way down to your toes.
At all times keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Pressurize your abdomen. I promise that you will see a big difference.
Rewind and start all over. First, brace your whole body before lowering your chest to the deck, bench, or wall. Do not ever forget that it is TENSION that makes you strong, stable, and well protected! Flex everything from the fingertips of your working hand all the way down to your toes.
Nice and tight, lower your chest to the deck or the bench. Chances are, you will either collapse before you hit the bottom or your body will get so crooked that innocent bystanders might think you are practicing yoga.
Here is how to develop a crisp and controlled descent:
Instead of yielding to your weight with your triceps, push your chest out and actively pull yourself to the ground with your lat. That is right, like in a one-arm row. You will be amazed how much easier it is to do things the evil Russian way and how your shoulder immediately stops protesting.
At all times keep your shoulders away from your ears. Apply a corkscrew action to the ground. Do not simply keep your elbow close to your ribs; actively, externally rotate the shoulder, “screw” your arm into the floor from inside out. Do it on the way down and even more on the way up.
Pressurize your abdomen. I promise that you will see a big difference. Naturally, your quads and cheeks must also stay tight.
Make sure that your shoulders stay parallel to the deck for the duration of the set; leading with your unloaded shoulder does not qualify and is a poor workout.
As you get stronger, start lowering your bench until your hand is on the floor and you are doing a legit one-arm pushup. Then you can take on this drill with your feet elevated, first a couple of inches off the floor and then higher and higher.
You can make the one-arm pushup tougher without elevating your feet by throwing a chain or a sandbag on top of your neck. No chain? Then try a bag with barbell plates wrapped in a towel. Not only is this more comfortable than carrying it on your back, the pressure on your neck extensors will add juice to your triceps and upper back muscles.
ARE YOUR WRISTS GIVING YOU TROUBLE AFTER PUSHUPS AND SIMILAR DRILLS?
Provided there are no medical issues you can reduce the discomfort with a counter stretch between sets. Kneel on a reasonably soft surface such as grass, a mat, or a carpet. Flex your wrists, lock out your elbows, and place your hands on the deck, the palms up and the fingers facing back. Carefully lean forward and stretch your wrists for five seconds. Repeat for a couple of sets.
As your ligaments get stronger you may try your pushups in that position, “pushups on fins”, as we called them in Spetsnaz. As an option, the fingers may point in towards each other. Strive to get a complete elbow extension. Build up slow!
If your wrists just cannot handle the hyperextension imposed on them by regular pushups, here is a different course of action:
Switch to pushups on your fists. They will force your wrists to get stronger without overstretching. At the same time the whole exercise will be harder, thanks to an extended range of motion. Harder and safer. The Party way.
In the martial arts tradition do your fist pushups on the first and second knuckles on horizontal fists; the second and the third knuckles on vertical fists. In the beginning using the whole surface of the fist is OK. Work up slowly; don’t let your wrists buckle on you.
Pause for a few seconds and staying tight at the sticking points of the exercise before moving along.
Isometric One-Arm Pushup
Gymnasts and rock climbers boast outstanding pound per pound strength. One of their secrets is combining dynamic and static strength training. Leonid Lapshin, one of Russia’s top mountain men, the first in the USSR to earn the Master of Sports ranking in both mountaineering and rock climbing, recommends the 70 to 30 ratio of dynamic and static strength training.
Lie on your stomach, tense all over, and push. Even though your body will not clear the deck make a point of keeping your legs and waist rigid. Your body should feel lighter, like it is almost ready to take off.
You might prefer working these with your hand up on an elevation, even a wall. In that case keep your chest airborne. Advanced Naked Warriors can stay off the deck even in floor one-armers.
Advanced Naked Warriors can stay off the deck even in floor one-armers.
Breathe shallow, stay tight and work on your mind-to-muscle connection. Look for “leakages” and weak spots and plug them up with tension; pick out the slack. Your body should feel like one rigid block. This strength skill enhancement is one of the many benefits of isometrics.
Look for “leakages” and weak spots and plug them up with tension; pick out the slack.
Employ a long, steady, submaximal tension; the same drill as with the iso pistol. Take your time working up to a minute and more; it is okay to start with seconds.
The One-Arm Dive Bomber Pushup
To do this evil variation of the Navy SEAL favorite you need to descend at an angle rather than straight down, squeeze under an imaginary fence, and end up in the one arm cobra.
Squeeze under an imaginary fence, and end up in the one arm cobra.
Then reverse the movement. Do not push back with a straight arm as you would in a Hindu pushup; go back under the fence! This exercise is easy to cheat on by cutting depth and not moving in an arc—don’t!
Do not push back with a straight arm, go back under the fence!
I bet evergreen dollars against Russian roubles that you will fail at first. You need a sound progression strategy. Here it is.
The One-Arm Pump
Plant your hand, the fingers spread wide, approximately in line with your shoulder and the other behind your back. Keep your arm straight and go from...
...through...
...to...
...and back.
This drill is known as “prokachka”—roughly translated as “the pump” in Russian—and will teach you the proper balance for the one-arm dive bomber.
Pull down with your lat; push back up with your deltoid while keeping your armpit tight.
Do not be afraid to move your feet or hand to find the optimal position.
The One-Arm Half Bomber Pushup
From the standard jackknifed position descend at an angle like a landing bomber until your chest almost brushes the deck and your elbow is fully flexed and tucked into your side.
Push back, again at an angle rather than straight up. The groove is identical to that of the military press.
Some tips on keeping you safe. Do not take a ridiculously wide stance and do not let your ankles pronate or buckle in—which is the easy thing to do. You will be on your toes but your ankles should be almost perpendicular to the deck. Ask your chiropractor why this is so important.
It is imperative that you keep your shoulder pushed away from your ear and pushed back!
It is imperative that your elbow stays very close to your body; come to think of it, the exercise is not possible otherwise.
The active negative plus the corkscrew will take care of both.
Four More Drills to Work up to the One-Arm Dive Bomber
Working your way back “under the fence” will be hard, very hard.
Two-arm/one-leg dive-bombers will help.
So will dive-bombers with your free palm placed on top of the hand of the working arm and helping some.
Another good assistance exercise is a partial (a few inches) two-arm dive-bomber through the sticking point at the bottom of the arc.
Remember to keep your shoulders screwed into their sockets. Think “triceps pushdown” as you go forward and “military press” on the way back.
The One-Arm/One-Leg Pushup
Finally, the Tsar of the one-arm pushups:
The instructions are identical to those for the regular one arm pushup, with two additional tips.
First, get yourself tight and rock solid and find your balance by moving your planted hand and foot and your free leg.
Get yourself tight and rock solid and find your balance by moving your planted hand and foot and your free leg.
Unless you brace your whole body and form a tight “power line” from the toes of your left foot through your rock hard stomach, through your flexed right lat, and all the way into the fingertips of your right hand, you will topple like the Taliban. Keep practicing the tension and you will get the hang of it.
Do not even think of resting your weight on the edge of your foot—that is cheating!
Once more, throughout the pushup keep your pushing hand, your planted foot, and your lower abdomen rigidly in line. To quote Masatoshi Nakayama again, “Tensing the muscles on the front and sides of the abdomen links the pelvis and the shoulders. A stable pelvis and the complementary muscle groups of the thigh working together contribute to strong movements and a stable stance. This strong foundation gives support and makes it possible for the power of the hips to be transmitted to the arm.”
Enjoy the pain!
Do not even think of resting your weight on the edge of your foot—that is cheating!