Pompes à un bras — programme de 12 semaines

Who is this plan for?

Advanced athletes who can do 25 to 30 clean push-ups in one set and want a genuine skill goal: the one-arm push-up. This is not a volume plan but strength training toward a skill — twelve weeks is an honest estimate, not a pessimistic one. If you're not at 25 yet, build up through the Daily 100 plan first.

How the progression works

Four phases of three weeks each, with four active days and three rest days per week — at this intensity, rest is part of the program:

1. Archer push-ups and wall negatives. Archer push-ups (3×6 to 3×8) shift the load sideways onto one arm; one-arm negatives against the wall practice the support position with a slow eccentric. Standard push-ups (3×20) maintain volume alongside.
2. Bench negatives. The lowering phase done one-armed on an elevated surface — the lower the surface, the harder it gets. The eccentric is the key: what you can lower under control for 5 seconds, you'll soon be able to press.
3. Partial one-arm push-ups. One-arm push-ups with a reduced range of motion that grows week by week.
4. Full one-arm push-ups with a wide stance. Spreading your legs wide makes the balance manageable; the stance narrows over the weeks.

Common mistakes on this plan

• Twisting the hips away. The most common compensation: the body rotates until the chest faces sideways. Shoulders and hips stay parallel to the floor — better to step back one progression level than to do twisted "one-arms."
• Skipping phases. Three good archer weeks tempt you to jump straight to partials. The negatives in between build exactly the tendon strength you'd otherwise be missing in phase 4.
• Treating rest days as optional. One-arm loading puts several times more stress on elbow and shoulder tendons than two-arm work. The three rest days per week are the injury-prevention program.

What you'll be able to do at the end

A clean one-arm push-up with a wide stance — for most people the first of their life — and depending on your starting level, two to five reps per side. The road there also lifts your two-arm max set noticeably, because core tension and support strength grow along the way. After that, the goal is: narrow the stance until your feet are together.