when do you usually go to the gym?
There was a tenacious little brother who had one lower leg amputated and did squats in the gym after having a prosthetic leg fitted, which scared me into squatting a few more sets. A leg injury doesn't stop us from training our upper body, but if we're missing an arm do we have to give up working out?
Of course today we're not talking about how to get fit with only one arm, but have you thought about trying to perform many of the movements you used to do with both arms with one arm?
the problem of left and right muscle imbalance is actually common to everyone and training with one arm can help us to regulate it. In addition, one-handed completion not only changes the stimulation of the target muscles, but also significantly activates the muscles that maintain stability and provide support. Studies have shown that unilateral training can produce 20% more strength in the limb.
It's time to break the stereotype, here are a few traditional two-handed movements to try next time with one hand.
1. One-arm barbell row
the dumbbell is made for one hand. Its handle is just long enough to accommodate the palm of the hand and the balance at each end is easy to control. But what happens if you replace the dumbbells with barbells? All of a sudden, your arms and back start struggling to keep the ends of the bar parallel to the floor. This is obviously not something you want to do all the time, try doing a barbell single arm row every two to three months.
Method: Place one knee and the hand on the same side on a flat bench, with the other foot beside it. With the other hand, grasp the barbell right in the middle with your arm hanging down towards the floor. Now pull the barbell upwards to your waist - your elbows should be bent and in to above the plane of your back as you fully contract your shoulder blades inwards.
then lower the weight along the same path. Repeat and then switch sides. Maintain a steady rhythm so that the weight is under your control at all times.
2. One-arm pull-ups
of course, you can also see this as a show-off move, similar to a one-armed push-up. That said, trying a one-arm pull-up will build strength, and these progressions will benefit you in all other pulling movements.
to start, set a goal of doing 10 reps per arm and then complete to 10 regardless of the number of sets. You can alternate the exercises, which might actually look like this: 3 reps for the left arm, 4 for the right arm; 3 for the left arm, 3 for the right arm; 2 for the left arm, 2 for the right arm; 2 reps for the left arm, 1 for the right arm. On the next few occasions, try to reduce the number of sets needed to complete 10 reps.
Method: Grasp the bar with one hand and the wrist with the other, hanging freely from the bar with your arms fully extended and your ankles crossed behind you.
contracting your latissimus dorsi and biceps, let your body lift upwards and try to touch the bar with your chin. Hold for a beat at the apex, then lower your body to the position where it was hanging at the start and straighten your elbows.
If you can't do one repetition this way, then you can start by pulling up to the top position with both arms, followed by slowly lowering down with one arm. Start by doing 3-5 sets with each arm, trying to complete 3-5 reps per set at first, increasing the reps to 10 each week. You can then start to complete the movement with the full range of amplitude.
3. One-arm dumbbell push-ups
a bench press with two dumbbells can provide balance - even if you are doing alternate push-ups. However, by lowering one dumbbell, your core, upper body and even your legs will be immediately challenged to adjust to the weight difference on either side. This can turn a familiar exercise you've been doing for years into a whole new challenge.
Method: Adjust the angle of the bench - either a plank or an incline. Lie face up on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
hold a dumbbell in one hand, resting on the outside of your shoulder, and place the other hand on your hip or grab the bench to provide support. Push the dumbbell upwards towards the ceiling with force, stopping when your elbow is about to lock, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting point and repeat the movement.
4. One-arm barbell side plank
just like the one-arm barbell row, the barbell side planks require a lot of secondary muscles to prevent the barbell from swinging. You can try any form of planks with the barbell, front planks, side planks or overhead rear-view beam flyes.
method: Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, core muscles tight and chest up and shoulders tucked. Take a barbell and place it at your hip position in a counter grip. Without resorting to inertia, raise the barbell outwards in a wide arc, keeping your elbows and hands moving together in the same plane.
When your hands are at shoulder height, hold for a second and then slowly lower the barbell along the same path.
5. Prone one-arm skull crusher
if you've ever used a barbell or ez barbell instead of a dumbbell when doing stretches, you'll know how much of an impact this change can have on muscle sensation.
Suddenly, the triceps on the stronger side can't compensate for the weaker side. No doubt you can manage lighter weights, but you likely won't have intense soreness afterwards either. Unilateral training forces maximum stress on each arm, while also requiring secondary muscle groups to provide support to maintain balance.
method: Lie face up on a bench with your feet flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell in one hand and the other non-working hand on your hip, or grasping the side of the bench.
Extend the arm on the working side upwards towards the ceiling with the elbow straight, then move it backwards to a 45 degree angle above your head - this is your starting position. Feel the stretch in your triceps as you slowly lower the dumbbell towards the side of your head. When your elbow reaches 90 degrees, pause for a moment and then forcefully extend your arm to press the weight back to the starting position.
one-arm movements can add interest to your training and also speed up your progress, so give them a try.
