Pilates
Pilates Chair One-Arm Push-Up
The Pilates Chair One-Arm Push-Up uses a spring-loaded pedal in a floor-supported plank to challenge your shoulders, chest, and arms while your trunk resists twisting.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Advanced
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 1 min 30 sec
How to do it
- Kneel side-on to the front of the chair, with the pedal beside your working shoulder.
- Place your working palm flat on the pedal.
- Place your other palm on the floor beneath that shoulder.
- Step your feet back into a plank with your feet wider than your hips.
- Press the pedal down by straightening your working elbow.
- Bend your working elbow to let the pedal rise slowly to its starting position.
- Lower your knees to the floor to finish the set.
Form cues
- Keep your chest facing the floor.
- Reach long through your heels.
- Keep space between shoulders and ears.
- Breathe throughout the movement.
Common mistakes
- Shifting onto the floor handKeep your weight shared between both hands rather than leaning away from the pedal.
- Dropping the hipsShorten the pedal stroke to maintain a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Snapping the elbow straightFinish the press without forcefully locking your working elbow.
Safety
Losing control of the moving pedal can collapse your support and cause a fall or strain your wrist or shoulder. An unsecured chair or sudden spring return adds impact and pinch hazards.
- Have a qualified Pilates instructor select the spring setting and supervise your first attempts; lighter springs are not automatically easier.
- Check that the chair cannot slide or tip and that springs and any split-pedal connection are secured according to its instructions.
- Keep fingers clear of pedal hinges and springs.
- End the set if the pedal jerks or you can no longer support your body steadily.
Choose a stable, two-hand push-up variation or seek advice from a physiotherapist first if you have wrist, elbow, or shoulder pain or cannot hold a comfortable floor plank.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Pilates Chair
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 4–6 reps per side
- Rest
- 1 min 30 sec
Start with a small pedal range and prioritize matching control on both sides.