Exercises You Should Be Doing: 1-Arm Elevated Push-Up
NOTE: I’m an asshat and inadvertently was going to write up a blog about Spiderman push-ups. Thing is, I already wrote it – a few months ago. I just didn’t realize it till after the fact. FAIL! In any case, I didn’t want to start all over again, so I had to revert to plan B, which was to look on my laptop and see what other push-up videos I had available. Hence, the 1-arm Elevated Push-up. Sorry guys!!
To make up for it, here’s a picture of actress Paula Patton, who I recently watched the other night in the movie Precious.
Great movie – and for the record, Mo’Nique (who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film) was fantastic; easily one of the best performances I have ever seen – but man-o-man was it ever depressing. Just a fair warming. That is of course, unless you consider domestic violence, rape, and HIV light viewing. Hahahahaha, hilarious.
In any case, this post may sound vaguely familiar, but it’s always nice to get a review on stuff that most people tend to neglect like the plague.
Push-ups are like the Rodney Dangerfield of the fitness community – they get no respect.
Often deemed a waste of time, or worse, “too easy,” push-ups are generally an after-thought with regards to exercise selection. I mean, who has time to do push-ups after four sets of bench presses, seven sets of incline presses, and 14 sets of decline presses? Dude, everyone knows you have to hit all the angles! What’s more, if you really want to blast the pecs, you can’t forget dumbbell flies, cable flies, and the pec dec!!11!1
Needless to say, it’s readily apparent that push-ups aren’t quite as “sexy” as other exercises, and aren’t considered a high priority for most trainees. But they should be. If I were to make a top five list of exercises that give you the most bang-for-your-training-buck, push-ups would easily make that list. For starters, most people can’t do them correctly, let alone do them for reps, so that alone means something. People like to do what’s easy and what they’re good at. Which, not coincidentally, is the reason why most people look exactly the same now as they did three years ago; following the exact same routine, using the exact same exercises, with the exact same weight, time and time and time again. Clearly it’s working.
Secondly, compared to the bench press, push-ups are a closed chain exercise, which offers a plethora of advantages, particularly with regards to scapular kinematics and overall shoulder health. In short, when you’re lying on your back performing a bench press, your shoulder blades aren’t able to move – they’re stuck in place. Conversely, with the push-up, the scapulae are now able to move more freely, which has huge dividends towards overall shoulder health.
Thirdly, push-ups offer a lot of variety. Whether I’m working with an elite athlete, a newbie, or with someone who has a bum shoulder, push-ups offer me a lot of leeway, and I can make them as easy (or challenging) as I want.
Lastly, and arguably most important of all, from a anterior-posterior perspective, push-ups are a fantastic way to train the core in a more functional manner, as you have to learn to “engage” all the stabilizers in the lumbo-pelvic-hip area to achieve better pelvic alignment. With this established, the prime movers now appear stronger because the stabilizers are doing their job and force is now more easily transferred.
Suffice it to say, I really feel that push-ups should be a staple in everyone’s programming. That said, here’s a new variation that you might not have tried before that we use quite often at CP.
What Is It: 1-Arm Elevated Push-Up
What Does It Do: Outside of get you a few odd looks at the gym, it’s a fantastic upper body unilateral (one-limbed) exercise that will humble even the meatiest of meatheads. What’s more, because it is in fact a unilateral exercise, your core is going to get hammered. This is a fairly advanced progression, however, so just be cognizant of that fact. If you can’t do a proper push-up as it is, don’t try this one.
Key Coaching Cues: Don’t try to be a hero and do these from the floor. While I’m sure there are a handful of you who can pull it off, the majority of you can’t – trust me on this one. That said, you’ll have to play around with the height of the bar, but once you’re set up, assume a wider than normal stance, brace the abs, and lower yourself (controlled) ALL THE WAY TO THE BAR!!! As is the case with any push-up variation, keep the following points in mind:
- Chin tucked
- Elbow tucked at 45 degrees
- Try not to shrug
Again, this is a fairly advanced push-up variation, but if you have access to a power rack, you’ll be able to adjust the bar to a height that allows you to do it successfully. As you grow more proficient, you’ll lower the bar – and as a result, girls will want to hang out with you.
I’d start with three sets of 4-6 reps on each side. Try them out, and let me know what you think.