How To A One-Arm Pull-Up

My one-arm pull-up journey began nearly a decade ago, immediately after I first saw one performed in person. Prior to that, I'd heard stories—legends, really—about the move, but never believed it was truly possible. The only time I'd ever witnessed someone do a pull-up with one hand was when the other one was wrapped around their wrist. Contrary to my initial expectation, however, a true one-arm pull-up is in fact possible.

In addition to achieving the one-arm pull-up on a few occasions myself, I've had the privilege of coaching some very strong people to perform their first one-armer as well. Though there are always many paths to any destination, I've concluded through my own trials and errors that the following techniques and tactics are the most essential, should you hope to one day tame this wicked beast of an exercise.

PULL-UPS FOR DAYS

Before you begin working toward a one-arm pull-up, I urge you to spend plenty of time getting comfortable with the two-arm variety. Focus on getting to the point where you can perform at least 15 clean overhand pull-ups in one set without using momentum. Ideally, you should do closer to 20. This is the foundation for your one-arm pull-up.

Once you've got that foundation, your next task is to get comfortable hanging on the bar with just one arm. This requires a serious amount of grip strength as well as strong, stable shoulders. If you can do 15 good pull-ups, you should pretty much be there already, but some dedicated practice is still necessary.

Focus on keeping your lats and shoulders engaged while you hang. In the beginning, just holding on for a few seconds may be very challenging. Eventually, you can work up toward longer one-arm hangs. A 30-second one-arm hang is a good target to aim for before moving ahead to anything more ambitious. If you have access to monkey bars, I also recommend practicing swinging across them for additional single-arm shoulder-stability work.

FLEX HANGS AND NEGATIVES

Just like a beginner would learn to do a two arm pull-up by performing a flexed arm hang or "flex hang" at the top of a pull-up, the first step towards doing a one arm pull-up is practicing a one-arm flex hang.

Starting at the top position of a pull-up with your chin above the bar, brace your entire body and carefully remove one hand. I suggest practicing this move with an underhand grip, as doing so allows you to keep the bar near the center of your body, which will make for better leverage. Though the burden of supporting your entire body weight appears to rest solely on one arm, your chest, lats, and abdominals are also an important part of the equation.

The first time most people try a one-arm flex hang, they immediately fall as soon as they take the other hand away. Don't be discouraged if that happens to you during your first few attempts. To help stay up, don't just think about your arm; focus on squeezing your whole body tight, especially your abs. You may find it helpful to keep your legs tucked close to your trunk when starting out. Eventually, work toward holding the position with your legs extended.

Once you can hold the top position of a one-arm flex hang for several seconds, you can begin to work toward a controlled one-arm negative. The idea is to start from a one-arm flexed hang position, then carefully lower yourself into a dead hang with as little momentum as possible. Performing the eccentric phase of the one-arm pull-up is a great way to prepare your tendons and ligaments for the stress of the full move while simultaneously training your central nervous system to acclimate to the unusual movement pattern.

The first time you try to do a one-arm negative, you will probably drop like a stone again. When starting out, it may help to not even think of it as a negative; just try to keep yourself up and let gravity take care of the rest. The closer you get to a full hang, the harder it becomes to maintain control during the descent. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on this step. You'll need to own every inch of the negative!