How to master Virat Kohli’s one-arm push-up

If you have any interest in fitness, you couldn’t have missed the challenge skipper Virat Kohli posted on Twitter for all his fans. In the video, Virat performed a one-arm push-up and asked his fans to try it too. There is no doubt that a one-arm push-up is not the easiest bodyweight exercise, but it is definitely one of the most beneficial ones. They strengthen your arms, shoulders, chest, core, legs, and hips.

How many one handed push ups can you do? 😎 #TrainToLive #LiveToTrain 🤙 pic.twitter.com/gnQEk7cdiE

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2017

This exercise involves a lot of strength, balance, and practice. If you’re not as fit as Virat Kohli (and to be honest, how many of us can really say that we are?), you need to prepare your body for this unilateral body-strengthening exercise.

Let’s have a look at the five progressions that will help you to master the one-arm push-up:

1. Bent-knee push-up

• Lie down on your stomach on a mat. Place your palms on the mat, right beside your shoulders.
• Keeping your knees on the mat, push yourself up until your arms are straight. Make sure your body is in one line, from the top of your head down to your knees.
• Maintain shoulder-width space between your hands.
• Keep your heels together and your glutes squeezed.
• Slowly lower your body by bending your arms at the elbows until your chest or chin touch the floor. Keep your torso rigid.
• Come back to the starting position by fully extending your arms. Repeat at least eight times.

2. Second progression

• Begin in the bent-knee push-up position but with your knees and legs straightened as well - this is the plank position.
• Press downwards to touch your chin or chest to the floor. Your elbows should stay close to your body or extend outwards a little.
• Pause for a second and then gently drop your knees back to the mat. (This is a negative push-up - putting pressure only while going down)
• Extend your arms to push upwards. Return to the starting position by straightening your knees and legs, and then repeat at least eight times.

3. Standard push-ups

• Begin in the plank position. Tense the entire body.
• Keep your neck in line with your spine. Check that your hips are neither raised nor slumped - your body should be in a straight line from head to toe.
• Press downwards by bending the elbows and touching the floor with your chest.
• Don’t relax your muscles and push upwards by fully extending your arms.
• Repeat at least eight times.

4. Bent-knee archer

• Begin in the bent-knee push-up position but with your legs slightly wider than the hip-width. Keep your knees bent and your toes in touch with the ground.
• Keep the left arm (assessing arm) close to the body and the right arm (assisting arm) stretched out parallel to the floor.
• Press down to the floor while bending your left arm. Keep the right arm stretched out for balance.
• Push upwards off the ground without taking rest or losing tension in your body.
• Repeat eight times, switch arms and then repeat eight more times.

5. Full-archer push-up

• The set-up will be the same as the bent-knee archer but keep your legs and knees straightened. This will increase the pressure on the arm that is supporting your weight (assessing arm).
• Keep the assessing arm close to the body and the assisting arm stretched out.
• Press down your whole body by bending the assessing arm. Try to touch your chest to the floor.
• Now push upwards. Reverse the movement by lifting the chest, hips, and knees without taking rest and losing tension in your body.
• Repeat eight times, switch assessing and assisting arms and then repeat eight more times.

Welcome to the single-arm push-up:

• Start in the regular plank position.
• Keep your feet wide apart, wider than the shoulders.
• Put the arm you want to do push-ups with directly under the centre of your chest. Keep your other arm behind your back.
• Keep your core tight as you press down your chest towards the floor.
• Push upwards while keeping your spine straight. That’s one rep.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. For more articles like this, see Fitness: Benefits, Components, Types .