George F. Jowett: Can You Dip With One Arm? [1925]

The one-arm pushup—also known as the one-arm dip—is not only a formidable feat of strength but also an outstanding full-body strength exercise.

It was a popular bodyweight strength exercise among the old-time strongmen, including Earle Liederman, Maxick’s contemporary Monte Saldo, John Grimek, and many other legendary names of the Iron Game.

In one of his articles, George F. Jowett introduced an interesting variation of the one-arm pushup as an assistance exercise for the “King of All Lifts”—the legendary bent press.

Bent press enthusiasts, give it a try!

For everyone else, check out the step-by-step progressions from zero to hero for mastering the strict one-arm pushup in the new StrongFirst online course, The Naked Warrior 2.0, taught by my teacher and colleague, Karen Smith.

Sometime ago a statement was made in Strength to the effect that Mr. Calvert had seen only about half a dozen men who could perform the straight arm dip on the floor, correctly. This aroused the curiosity of some readers in Uniontown, Pa., and I have received a letter giving the results of the experiments carried out by these strength lovers in their friendly rivalry. Out of the bunch only one was able to perform the stunt, doing so several times in succession without allowing the body to rest on the arm. Trying the same stunt the next day, he made a perfect one-arm floor dip with a 28-pound plate laid upon his back, which is a splendid performance and worthy of such a fine athlete as Ottley R. Coulter, who happens to be the person who performed the stunt.

This little feat requires quite a lot of strength when done correctly. It should be done with the body straight throughout, and at no time can the body come in contact with the arm. This position throws all the physical effort upon the power of the one arm as it sustains the weight.

I remember, years ago, when the boys would get together, how we used to combine fun with this practice. Upon the back of the hand as it rested on the floor we would lay a small piece of paper, then try to pick it off the hand with our mouth and press back to the straight arm. There is a lot of fun in this stunt as well as a great deal of physical benefit to be derived from it. I have seen some fellows do it with a swing of the body, quickly, a number of times; but that is not the proper way to do this feat.

A number of years ago this practice was very popular in the North of England, where most of the best English “Strong Men” were produced at that time, particularly the bent press specialists. They practiced this feat with a variation, which was claimed by those who excelled in the bent press, to be one of the key exercises to perfecting this particular lift.

As you begin to lower the body to the floor, after taking up the position adopted in the one-arm floor dip, the upper-back part of the arm as far as the elbow must be pressed into the side. Supported by the upper arm, the body is then lowered until the face touches the floor. This extreme dip calls for a twist of the body in order to enable the face to touch the floor while the body is supported on the elbow, and this is the important part of the performance. As you raise up to straight arm you are compelled to come up in a spiral movement. Here is the explanation for the placing of the elbow and upper arm into the side. The body weight is, by this method, pressed up in just the same manner as a bar-bell is taken aloft when practicing the bent press. The difference is that the bent press is practiced upside down in this manner, so to speak, with the floor acting as the support and the body as the weight.

This is practiced a number of times, and it can be made more difficult by plates of iron being placed upon the back, the plates being graded in poundage according to the progress made.

I do not mean to say that if you can press your body weight off the floor in this manner, you should be able to bent press the same equivalent in a bar-bell to arm’s length overhead. Not by any means. Still if you are not able to do this you are probably very poor at this lift. The great value of this exercise is that it teaches you how to get away from the weight, and is undoubtedly a splendid training practice for any one who desires to excel at the bent press.

Original photograph caption

A variation of the one-arm dip which is a favorite with most athletes who specialize on the bent press. As you begin to dip, the upper arm, down to the elbow, into the side. The body, supported by the upper arm, is thus lowered until the face touches the floor. Note the difference in this and the ordinary one-arm dip.