Lift Specific Mobility

Mobility For The 1-Arm Push-up

The 1AP does not take the body through a big range of motion but it benefits from some specific mobility drills.

Thoracic Spine-

This is the section of your spine that your ribs attach to. If this section of your spine is closed/rounded it will limit your posture and compromise the integrity of your shoulders. 

Openbooks are an easy drill to open your thoracic spine and to stretch your chest, shoulders, biceps, and forearms.

Shoulder Dislocates

Quick Instructions

• Hold the band or stick with a wide grip

• Keep arms straight

• Raise the arms overhead and continue moving them behind your body

• Reverse the motion and return to the front

Adjust grip width to stay within a comfortable range of motion

Shoulders -

Even though I encourage lifters to think of this lift as a “leg exercise”, this is a pressing lift and the chest and shoulder musculature have quite a bit of work to do. Shoulder Dislocates will mobilize the shoulder joint and open the chest, shoulders, biceps, and forearms. Shoulder dislocates move the shoulders through a large range of motion and help open the shoulder capsule. They can be performed with a jump stretch band, broomstick, or rope.

1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch

Quick Instructions

• Kneel down on your right knee with your left foot in front. Position your body so you have 90 degree angles in your knees and hips. Be vertical in your spine. Think of creating a straight line from your ear to your shoulder, to your hip to your knee on the down side. In this half-kneeling position your knees should be about hip width-ish.

• Place your hands on your left knee.

• Squeeze your right glute and tilt your pelvis up into your ribs.

• Push your hips forward while maintaining an upright torso. Be tall. You should feel a stretch on the front of your thigh of the down leg, and into the front of that hip. You can play with placing your toes flat behind your to get more hip stretch, or tucking them to load more stretch into the quad. 

• Be sure to keep your glute engaged and pelvis tucked to prevent your lower back from arching. Push/lunge forward to find a stretch, pause for a 2 count, back off to neutral, and repeat for reps.

Wrists and Fingers-

Hips-

The posture required for any Push-up variation is a “Plank”. To achieve a good planked posture your hip flexing muscles need to be extensible. There are five muscles that make up your “hip flexors”, most people are familiar with the Iliopsoas. Tight “hip flexors” will pull the pelvis into an anteriorly tilted position (a.k.a. an arched lower back). This limits abdominal activation, but also glute recruitment. You need to be able to tuck your pelvis into a neutral position and keep it there by bracing your abs and glutes. Opening your hip flexors alone could be the key to solidifying the foundation that you press from.  This is a stretch that you probably already know but here it is to optimize your 1AP, not just combat the chair-bound lifestyle.

Ankles/Feet/Toes-

Believe it or not the ankles and toes have a massive impact on your ability to wedge your feet into the ground and lock your body in place. Inflexible toes and limited ankle mobility can be addressed with a Supine Calve Stretch and some basic Toe Sitting. 

Supine Calve Stretch 

Quick Instructions

• Lay on your back, right leg down on the ground.

• Support your left leg behind the thigh with both hands, leg in the air, knee bent.

• Pull your toes back toward your shin and straighten your left knee, squeezing your quad.

• Find an angle where you can straighten your knee but also get a calf/hamstring stretch.

• Hold the stretch for a 2-count. Relax and repeat for the prescribed reps.

Toe Sitting 

Quick Instructions

• Kneel on the ground (use a mat or pad if necessary) with both knees together

• Tuck your toes under so they are loaded against the ground like a spring. 

• Sit your butt onto your heels. Let your bodyweight extend  and spread your toes. 

• Sit tall and breathe.

• You can sit for 30-45 seconds, but you can add movement by placing your hands on the ground in front of you to support some of your weight. Rock back and forth through your toes with your knees off the ground.

Wrist Prying 

• Start in a kneeling position:

  • Both knees on the ground

  • Toes tucked underneath and loaded

• Place both hands on the floor with:

  • Fingers spread as wide as possible

  • Fingers flat

  • Palms flat

  • Fingertips pointing back toward the knees

• Keep:

  • Elbows locked out straight

  • Elbow pits rotated slightly forward

• Apply gentle pressure into the hands and find a moderate stretch sensation:

  • About 6–7 out of 10 intensity

• Move slowly through all directions from the wrists:

  • Rock back and forth

  • Rock side to side

  • Make clockwise circles

  • Make counterclockwise circles

• Spend about 1 minute exploring movement and opening the wrists in all directions

Wrist Flexion / Back-of-Hand Position (Stronger Variation)

• Flip one hand over so:

  • The back of the hand rests on the floor

  • Fingertips point toward the knee

• Work one side at a time

• Spread the fingers as wide as possible

• Rotate the elbow pit slightly forward

• Use caution:

  • This variation is stronger medicine

  • Be gentle and stay within tolerance

• Move through the same patterns:

  • Back and forth

  • Side to side

  • Clockwise circles

  • Counterclockwise circles

• Think about:

  • Prying the wrist open

  • Opening the forearm extensors through wrist flexion

• Repeat on the opposite side

Wrist Extension Finish

• Place both hands on the ground with:

  • Fingertips pointing forward

  • Fingers spread wide

  • Fingers and palms flat

• Keep:

  • Elbows straight

  • Elbow pits slightly rotated forward

• Move through all directions:

  • Back and forth

  • Side to side

  • Circles both directions

• Spend 30–60 seconds exploring the position

• Finish by shaking out the wrists and hands

There is a significant demand on the wrists and fingers. The ability to fully extend the wrists and fingers has an impact on how you are able to position your elbow and shoulder for leverage and joint health. Possessing adequate mobility in these segments of the body will help you stack your skeletal structure for an efficient press. This is a simple wrist prying drill.