How To Do One Handed Push Ups

Knowing how to do one handed push ups is one of those ultimately gratifying macho accomplishments. It doesn't matter who you are, you just feel raw and strong any time you pull them off. The big secret is, they're not all that hard to do. They're more a matter of balance than of strength, especially with proper technique.

The basic one-hand pushup works like this:

1. Get into a regular pushup position, with arms out just past shoulder width and your legs straight behind you.
2. Spread your legs by moving one leg away while the other stays in position. This will form a triangle between your feet and one hand.
3. Put the hand that's not part of the triangle behind your back.
4. Shifting as much of the load as possible to the muscles in your shoulder and back, execute a pushup on the hand remaining. When things get tough, shift the load all the way to your legs.
5. Repeat until every woman within 100 yards is impressed.

Some notes on technique:

• Your elbow should bend perpendicular to your body for a one hand pushup, not parallel as with tricep pushups.
• The wider you spread your legs, the easier the pushup will be.
• Keep your back straight while you do this pushup. If you let your butt sag, it will put a lot of stress on your lower back. If you let your butt rise, it puts extra stress on your shoulder. It is possible to dislocate your shoulder doing a one arm pushup.

If you can't do a complete one arm pushup yet, you can build up until you're strong enough. Stand facing a wall and do a one arm pushup with your legs about two feet from the wall. Keep moving your feet back to make the exercise harder. Eventually graduate to putting your hand on a chair or a bench, and finally to doing it from the floor.