One arm pushup: how to develop a crisp descent?

[omfg]

From the Naked Warrior by Pavel Tsatsouline, page 156:
Nice and tight, lower your chest to the deck or the bench. Chances are, you will either collapse before you hit the bottom or your body will get so crooked that innocent bystanders might think you are practicing yoga.

Here is how to develop a crisp and controlled descent:

Instead of yelding to your weight with your triceps, push yout chest out andactively pull yourself to the ground with your lat. That is right, like in a one-arm row. You will be amazed how much easier it is to do things the Evil Russian way and how your shoulder immediately stops protesting.

Now... i still hit my face pretty hard on the ground after a couple inches. What am i doing wrong? Is it supposed to happen because i'm too weak? By reading what Pavel says, no matter how strong you are, if you "push your chest out" and "apply a corkscrew action to the ground" you're not supposed to crash down. And can someone explain "actively pull yourself to the ground"? I'm pushing, dammit! ;_;

Thanks

[Kanada]

its just a different way to focus. if you lower yourself *as if* you were doin a one arm row, your movement will be what pavel wants. now ive never seen pavel one arms, im just guessin

i can push out 10 reps on each arm, and i suggest a one arm variant to get yourself experianced with one arms. do pushups on both arms, but lower yourself towards one arm at a time, emphasisin that arm as much as you can with the other arm just for support.

when i do one armed pushups, i spread my legs (wider the easier due to balance) put one arm behind my back, and lower myself so that my pushin side (left side in left handed one arms) leads my body down, and my legs kind of rotate through my core to keep balance

hope its a worthwhile read

[kardon]

You want to learn one arm pushup? Three words...
Power of one

That book blows Pavel Furey and others out of the water.

[omfg]

Hey, if i could own that book, i'd have already bought it.
Unfortunately, I've spent all my money on Never Gymless (great book) and new basketball shoes (gotta buy'em every year...). I'm a teenager and have limited funds.
I know the book it's free, but i live far, far away from the US, and the S&H hurts. I'm not saying i'm not gonna buy it in the future, but, right now, i can't, and there are no other ways to have it, as it is not an e-book.
So i need some help from you right now.

[cathal]

you dont need a book to learn a one arm pushup. its technically simple compared to many other exercises that are out there. things to focus on are:

1.tightening whole body including abs, buttocks, legs, lats, shoulders etc before you descend. use as many muscles as possible!
2. widening legs as much as possible(at first). spread your fingers wide too
3. leaning your weight slightly towards your supporting arm.
4. whilst lowering lower slowly and under control. keep everything tight!

if you still cant do a negative even with all these techniques consider doing one arm pushups with your arm raised above your feet and lowering over time.

[omfg]

Yes, that's what i'm doing right now, using some steps to do decline one arm pushups... i can go down further but i still collapse after a while.. getting better.
What i wanted to know was if it was normal to crush my face on the floor. When i read "how to develop a crisp descent" i thought everyone could be able to do it. Now i know i was wrong.
Just to be sure, i'm not talking about this (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=VU7b7d_I038&feature=related) kind of OAPU.

[timfortehwin]

im glad you're not. that form is POOR.

Keep at it! how long you been training for it?

[Dominator350]

its your obliques. I just started doing one armers now and theyve never been better due to the fact my L-sits have gotten a lot better. Core is key for the one armer, the arm is just an outlit for that strength and stability.

Try doing standing wheel rollouts, l-sits, any exercise that generates tension strength and not high reps will help you.

[omfg]

Pfft, i started like one week ago. I'm still using the fourth step of my basement and yet i can't performa single OAPU with full range of motion without hitting my nose hard.
I'll keep doing partial negatives, full range on the wall and negatives on the floor helping myself with a thumb until i get better at it. I hope ASAP.
I just wanted to make sure i was doing things correctly. You know it's boring to work at it for 2 months and then you discover you were doing the wrong thing...

I can easily perform an L-sit on the floor. I cannot walk in it, but i can stand there :p

[Dave.cyco]

I can now do about 5 full ROM OAP on my right arm (still about 0 on my left), and the only thing I have done differently is lots of weighted ab wheel rollouts from my knees. I found one day I was able to do Jack LaLanne pushups too, and this also I attribute to rollouts. I am definitely adding L-Sits to my training now, thanks Dom!

Oh yeah, my OAP form is with feet apart still :(
But that should go away with the help of extended planks and one arm, one leg planks, which I will also add.

[djulian]

I started by doing one arm pushups from my knees instead of on my feet. Then added a weighted vest. Then took off the weighted vest and went to my feet. Then put the weighted vest on again. Now I am trying to bring my legs closer together - abs.

[omfg]

I can't even do it from my knees -.-

But i had an idea.. maybe i can try to do it on my knees AND on a declined surface... mmh...

[Dominator350]

you can do an L-sit and you can't do a one arm pushup from the knees. Youre too weak for this, im sorry. Practice the variation where your one hand is on an object, the other pushing and push it further and further out until your relying solely on the one hand pushing you up, i did it in about 2 months with this technique. Dig your godamned fingers into the floor, make sure you have the strength for this this exercise is more stressful to the body then handstand pushups or planche ever could be. Theres a reason why its considered oldschool.

[omfg]

you can do an L-sit and you can't do a one arm pushup from the knees. Youre too weak for this, im sorry. Practice the variation where your one hand is on an object, the other pushing and push it further and further out until your relying solely on the one hand pushing you up, i did it in about 2 months with this technique. Dig your godamned fingers into the floor, make sure you have the strength for this this exercise is more stressful to the body then handstand pushups or planche ever could be. Theres a reason why its considered oldschool.
Yes, i can do an L-sit and hold it for time (less than 1 minute, though, but i don't really work for it).
What's my weakness? Arm? Shoulder? Chest?
Does this mean i'm losing my time doing negavites?

[cathal]

this exercise is more stressful to the body then handstand pushups or planche ever could be. Theres a reason why its considered oldschool.

what! a one arm pushup isnt on the same ballpark as a full ROM handstand pushup and isnt even in the same universe as the planche! in the scheme of things one arm pushups are quite basic and are attainable by anyone willing to put in a few months work

[harman]

what! a one arm pushup isnt on the same ballpark as a full ROM handstand pushup and isnt even in the same universe as the planche! in the scheme of things one arm pushups are quite basic and are attainable by anyone willing to put in a few months work
I second that. I see overweight junior H.S. kids do it.

[EvilOne]

omfg, you should learn the "creating tension" principal. Try googleing it, look up steve cotter, pavel, or kettlebells. creating tension almost feels like cheating after you learn how to do it. those who know should agree.

[Dominator350]

yeah your right, i don't know what i was thinking. I just figure handstand pushups is more of a raw strength deal and one arm pushups is a real odd exercise whose usefulness is questionable in some people eyes.

I knew a highschooler who could bench 320 and press over 100 pounds in each arm and he couldn't get one one arm pushup even in terrible form, meantime i could do over ten in each arm and i weighed more then him.

overweight highschoolers are not doing real one arm pushups.

[omfg]

omfg, you should learn the "creating tension" principal. Try googleing it, look up steve cotter, pavel, or kettlebells. creating tension almost feels like cheating after you learn how to do it. those who know should agree.
I'll now look for it, but i'm telling you, i read the naked warrior and all its power breathing principles, corkscrew motion, tensin, zippin up, shoulder far away from your ears things, so maybe i already read about it....

Well: google time!!!

Wait wait wait: in these last posts it sounds like one arm pushup is like a super easy exercise that even pre-k kids could do... i thought it was a strength builder!
And they gotta be some strong ass pre-k kids, because i can't do one ,_,

whose usefulness is questionable in some people eyesWhy?
you can do an L-sit and you can't do a one arm pushup from the knees. Youre too weak for this, im sorry. Practice the variation where your one hand is on an object, the other pushing and push it further and further out until your relying solely on the one hand pushing you up, i did it in about 2 months with this technique. Dig your godamned fingers into the floor, make sure you have the strength for this this exercise is more stressful to the body then handstand pushups or planche ever could be. Theres a reason why its considered oldschool.
Update: that's what i'm trying right now: i'm doing declined one arm push up helping myself with my thumb. In 1-2 or 3 weeks i'll try to lose it. It feels great, i feel safer, i don't fall and i can actually do "forced" reps... more kind of "helped" reps.
Is this useful or am i wasting my time?
I'm also doing sets of doubles with my left, stronger, side and triples with my right, weaker, side

[omfg]

Just in case someone had my same problem and needed help: i figured it out.

Instead of yelding to your weight with your triceps, push yout chest out and actively pull yourself to the ground with your lat. That is right, like in a one-arm row. You will be amazed how much easier it is to do things the Evil Russian way and how your shoulder immediately stops protesting.

I wasn't too weak. I didn't understand "pull yourself to the ground with your lat. That is right, like in a one-arm row.". I knew in one-arm rows you drive the movement with your elbows. I was trying to do it, but i couldn't. Still, i was yelding to my weight with my tricep.

Now, try to figure this: get in the one-arm pushup position on a wall, nice and tight, big chest, always keeping your elbow close to your side, tensing your lats. As you descend, forget about the elbow; try, instead, to go as close to the wall, almost touch, with your pressing side's shoulder (still keeping'em parallel to the deck). Do it and you'll notice:
1- it's easier. It's not a full bodyweight tricep extention anymore, but a one-arm pushup.
2- your tricep is working, your chest is working, your shoulder is working, your lat is working, your core is bitching.
3- your elbow is behind you. You're driving the movement with it! Just like in a one-arm row! Boohya!!

I can do it on the fourth step. I'll try to go lower and lower until i can do floor one-armers!
I'm officially happy for the day.