Archer Push-Ups Can Help You Grow Your Chest with Just Your Bodyweight – Here's How to Do Them Properly

The humble push-up can take you a long way. In fact, when it comes to building a well-rounded chest, it could potentially take you all the way.

But eventually, you might find yourself wanting something more. Maybe you’re just bored. Or maybe you don’t quite have the time – or inclination – to crank out the endless reps necessary once you’re in good enough shape to hit sets of 30-plus reps before you even start to feel anything.

Luckily, there are endless push-up variations on offer. But most tend to exist on a spectrum that runs from ‘how am I supposed to do this?’ to ‘what’s the point of this?’

The archer push-up, however, sits in the sweet spot between novel and effective.

It’s doable, but it’s not easy. And it’s not novelty for novelty's sake, because the mechanics that differentiate it from a regular push-up actually serve a genuine purpose.

By shifting the majority of your weight towards one arm at a time, archer push-ups allow you to overload each side of your chest individually, punishing your pecs harder than regular press-ups ever could while blowing up your triceps in the process.

They’re also a great stepping stone towards the coveted one-arm push-up. But even if you never decide to take that journey, they’re a formidable bodyweight muscle-builder in their own right.

Here’s why you should be doing them – and how to nail them.

An archer push-up is an advanced push-up variation that sees you shift your bodyweight from side to side as you lower towards the floor.

Rather than both arms contributing equally, you descend towards one hand while the opposite arm stays relatively straight, extended out to the side. From above, the position resembles an archer drawing back a bow – hence the name.

The result is something approaching unilateral pressing: one side of your chest, shoulder and triceps takes on the lion’s share of the work, while the opposite arm provides just enough assistance to make the movement more achievable than a full one-arm press-up.

1. They Make Push-Ups Difficult Again

Regular push-ups are a phenomenal exercise, but there comes a point where adding more reps becomes an exercise in patience as much as muscle building.

Archer push-ups offer the next step up.

By shifting more of your bodyweight over one arm, you increase the relative load that side has to handle without adding any external weight.

Suddenly, sets of 30 or 40 regular press-ups can become sets of five or 10 brutally challenging reps per side.

2. They Build Your Chest One Side at a Time

During regular press-ups, both arms share the load fairly evenly. Archer push-ups change the equation.

As you shift across, the pec on your working side has to handle significantly more of your bodyweight.

This makes archer push-ups a useful option for introducing unilateral work into your chest training and challenging each side independently.

It’s not a true one-arm exercise – your extended arm is still providing assistance – but it’s significantly closer than a standard press-up.

This type of work can help to even out imbalances and root out weaknesses.

3. They’ll Hammer Your Triceps

Your chest might get top billing, but your triceps are still doing plenty of heavy lifting.

As you drive yourself away from the floor, the triceps on your working side are responsible for extending your elbow against a much greater proportion of your bodyweight than they’d encounter during regular press-ups.

If you’re accustomed to banging out high-rep sets of traditional press-ups, expect your arms to notice the difference pretty quickly.

4. They’re a Stepping Stone to One-Arm Push-Ups

The one-arm push-up is an impressive feat of relative strength, but the jump from regular push-ups to performing them with one hand behind your back is enormous.

Archer push-ups help bridge that gap.

As you get stronger, you can progressively shift more and more of your weight towards the working arm while relying less on the outstretched hand.

Eventually, that arm becomes less of a supporting limb and more like a set of stabilisers.

Keep progressing, and eventually you'll be able to lose it altogether.

5. They Require Zero Equipment

The push-up's greatest strength? You can perform it anywhere.

This advantage carries through to archer push-ups.

You don't need dumbbells, a barbell, cables or even dip handles: just enough floor space to spread your arms wide and a willingness to do some graft.

That makes them an excellent option for home workouts, travelling or simply adding some harder pressing into a bodyweight programme without resorting to increasingly elaborate exercises.

Archer push-ups predominantly work the same muscles as regular press-ups, but place considerably more emphasis on one side at a time.

Your pectoralis major does much of the heavy lifting, while your triceps extend the elbow of your working arm. Meanwhile, your anterior deltoids – the muscles at the front of your shoulders – assist with the pressing action.

Your core also has an important role to play. Because the load is distributed asymmetrically, your abs and obliques have to work hard to resist your torso rotating as you move from side to side.

• Assume a press-up position, but place your hands considerably wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Brace your trunk and glutes, creating a straight line from your head through to your heels.
• Shift your bodyweight towards your right hand as you begin lowering your chest towards the floor.
• Bend your right elbow while keeping your left arm as straight as comfortably possible.
• Continue descending until your chest is close to your working hand.
• Drive through your right palm, extending your elbow and pushing yourself back towards the centre.
• Repeat on the opposite side, or complete all reps on one side and switch.

Think about bringing your chest towards your hand rather than simply dropping straight down between both arms.

Keep your entire body rigid throughout. If your hips are twisting wildly to get you back to the top, you’ve probably progressed too quickly.

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If full archer push-ups are currently a stretch too far, don’t simply grind through ugly reps.

Start by widening your regular press-up stance slightly. As that becomes comfortable, begin deliberately shifting more of your bodyweight towards one hand on each rep.

You can also elevate your hands onto a bench, box or sturdy surface. This reduces the percentage of your bodyweight you have to move while still allowing you to practise the side-to-side mechanics.

As you get stronger, gradually lower the surface until you reach the floor.

The goal isn’t simply to get from A to B. Control the range of motion on every rep and aim to make each progression actually look like the movement you’re eventually trying to perform.

Once you can comfortably perform clean archer push-ups on both sides, start moving your working hand progressively closer to your body while allowing your supporting arm to contribute less.

You can also elevate your feet, increasing the proportion of your bodyweight being handled by your upper body.

But if the one-arm press-up is your ultimate goal, the simplest progression is also the most specific: consciously using less assistance from your straight arm.

Shift more of your weight over the working side. Keep the opposite arm straighter. Eventually, begin experimenting with performing the movement with just the fingertips of your supporting hand. Over time, take your fingers away, until eventually there’s only one hand left on the floor. At which point the humble press-up really has taken you all the way.

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