Archer Push-Up
The archer push-up is an advanced push-up in which you shift your body over one bent arm while the other arm stays straight out to the side, giving only partial help. It works the chest, triceps and front of the shoulder on the working side much harder than a standard push-up, adds a trunk anti-rotation challenge, and is a common step towards the one-arm push-up.
Also called: Archer Push-Ups, Archer Pushup, One Arm Push-Up Progression, Archer Pushups · Equipment: bodyweight · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Set up in a push-up position with your hands about twice shoulder width apart, fingers pointing forward or slightly out, and your body straight from head to heels.
- Brace your trunk and squeeze your glutes so your hips stay level with your shoulders.
- Shift your weight towards your working hand and bend that elbow, keeping it angled back at about 45° from your side.
- As you go down, let the other arm straighten out to the side, with that hand pressing lightly into the floor to steady you.
- Bring your chest down beside your working hand until it is a few centimetres from the floor, keeping your hips and shoulders square to the floor.
- Press through the working hand to straighten that arm and bring your body back to the centre.
- Alternate sides each rep, or complete all reps on one side before switching.
- Chest down to your working hand
- Working elbow back at about 45°
- Straight arm steadies, bent arm presses
- Hips and shoulders square to the floor
- Body in one straight line, glutes tight
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Pectoralis major: sternocostal (mid) | Prime mover | B |
| Triceps brachii: lateral head | Prime mover | C |
| Triceps brachii: medial head | Secondary | C |
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Secondary | C |
| Serratus anterior | Secondary | C |
| Quadratus lumborum | Stabiliser | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | C |
| Obliques (internal/external) | Dynamic stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Hips rotating towards the working side
Fix: Squeeze your glutes and keep both hips level and facing the floor.
Hips sagging
Fix: Brace your trunk and hold a straight line from your head to your heels.
Working elbow flaring out to 90°
Fix: Keep the working elbow angled back at about 45° from your side.
Pushing hard through the straight arm
Fix: Let the straight arm steady you and press mainly through the bent arm.
Shrugging the working shoulder
Fix: Keep your shoulder down away from your ear and push the floor away at the top.
Shallow reps
Fix: Bring your chest to within a few centimetres of the floor beside your working hand.
What the research says
StrengthMuscle growthSport performanceEndurance
- Load and reps — A standard push-up loads about two-thirds of body mass through the hands. The archer version concentrates most of that on one arm, so for most lifters it is a low-rep strength movement, commonly 3–8 reps per side.
- Effort — Studies show strength gains are largely insensitive to how close to failure a set is taken, so many lifters keep a rep or two in reserve and keep form clean.
- Push-ups and pressing strength — In trials matching load or muscle activity, push-ups produced chest and triceps growth and bench press strength gains comparable to the bench press. There is no direct research on the archer push-up itself.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Around 10 or more hard sets a week has been associated with more growth than fewer than 5.
- Progression — A common path runs from standard and wide push-ups to archer push-ups, then to one-arm incline push-ups and the one-arm push-up.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the archer push-up in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.