A push-up performed with one hand behind the back, the working arm taking the entire load. Form is what separates it from the twisted grinding version usually seen: the working elbow stays tucked in toward the ribs instead of chicken-winging out, the joints stay stacked, and the back holds flat without corkscrewing as the chest lowers and presses back up. Foot spacing is the built-in difficulty dial — a wide straddle adds balance and takes off load, and the finished rep brings the feet close together. The standard road in is graded assistance from the free hand: sliding it along the floor on a plate or glove so it helps less and less through each rep, or planting it progressively further away, while the feet narrow over time toward the strict single-arm push-up.
Key cues
- Stack the shoulder over the working hand
- Tuck the elbow to the ribs
- Keep the back flat with no twisting
- Widen the feet to make it easier
- Slide the free hand for shrinking assistance
- Narrow the feet as strength grows