Archer push-up
A wide push-up where one arm bends and the other stays straight. Most of your weight on one side at a time.
NeedsBodyweight
The movement
2 stages
Wide set
01 Wide set
Hands set far apart, body rigid, both arms straight.
02 Bend one arm
Lower the chest over one hand while the far arm stays locked straight.
How to do it
Setup
- Set up in a push-up position with your hands well outside your shoulders, about double your normal width.
- Turn your fingertips slightly outward and lock your body into one straight line.
Execution
- Lower your chest toward one hand by bending that arm, while the other arm stays completely straight.
- Press back up through the bent arm to return to the middle.
- Repeat toward the same side for the whole set, then switch, or alternate rep by rep.
BreathingInhale as you lower to the side, exhale as you press back.
Getting it right
Form cues
- The straight arm stays locked and only steadies you.
- Hips stay square to the floor while you travel sideways.
Common mistakes
- Bending the support arm, which quietly turns it back into a wide push-up.
- Letting the hips swing toward the working arm instead of keeping the body in one straight line.
- Cutting depth on the working side. Your chest should nearly reach the working hand.
Worth knowing
- The working shoulder briefly carries most of your bodyweight. Work up through narrow-to-wide sets over weeks rather than testing it cold.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The archer push-up is the bridge between two-arm and one-arm pushing. By parking one arm out wide and straight, you strip its leverage until it can only steady you, leaving the bent arm to move something close to your full bodyweight. Each side trains almost alone, which is why the reps per side are low and the strength gain is fast.
The straight arm is the whole exercise. The moment it bends it starts pressing, and you are doing a wide push-up with extra ceremony. Lock the elbow, press that palm into the floor, and let it push sideways into the ground without ever folding. Checking that elbow mid-set is the fastest honesty test the movement has.
Progress by moving load, not reps. Start with your feet wide, which shares the balance work, and walk them together over the weeks. Then shift more of your chest over the working hand before you bend it. When strict archers on both sides feel controlled through a full range, you are within sight of a one-arm push-up, and the same slow widening got you there.