Archer Push-Up

Push-up with one arm bent and the other extended wide, loading close to a single arm. Three sets of five per side with the straight arm genuinely straight before you chase the one-arm.

DIFFICULTY
Advanced
EQUIPMENT
Bodyweight
PRIMARY MUSCLES
Chest · Triceps
ALSO WORKS
Deltoids · Obliques · Serratus Anterior
HOW TO DO IT
  1. 01Set the hands wide, roughly one and a half times shoulder width apart.
  2. 02Brace the trunk and squeeze the glutes to lock the body into one line.
  3. 03Shift the weight toward one hand and bend that elbow, lowering the chest to that side.
  4. 04Keep the far arm straight and let it slide out as a light outrigger.
  5. 05Press back to centre through the working arm and alternate sides.
COACHING CUES
  1. 01Far arm stays a straight pole, not a second engine.
  2. 02Chest lands over the working hand, not between them.
  3. 03Hips square to the floor the whole rep.
COMMON MISTAKES
  1. 01Bending the far elbow, which quietly converts it into a wide push-up and removes most of the unilateral load.
  2. 02Rotating the hips toward the working side, which lets the body cheat the load off the pec and onto the trunk.
  3. 03Going too wide too soon, which strains the extended shoulder before the working side is strong enough to matter.

Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.

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