How to do a One-Arm Pull-Up

A single-armed version has many advantages about climbing hard. For one, you can chug a beer while doing a one-armed exercise. You can impress your friends at parties or pick up girls or meatheads or whatever you like. If you’re one-armed, you’ll always look strong no matter how out of shape you actually are. Your biceps and shoulders will be huge. Going one-armed is objectively cool.

But I won’t beat around the bush here: The secret to the elusive one-armed is that there is no secret. Much like rock climbing, there is no formula for achieving a rep, but rather a series of steps you can take to set yourself up for success.

Spread over the last few years, I’ve done exactly five one-arms. I’m glad I’ve achieved it in various places, but I haven’t committed the skill by any means. It’s worth noting, dear reader, that there’s only a limited connection between one-arm climbing and hard climbing. Think about it: how many times do you climb and suddenly only have one arm attached to perform a movement? Rock climbing is a full-body sport, while one-arm rock climbing is an isolated exercise. As such, I’ve met many V14+ or 5.15 whatever climbers who can’t get one out.

On the other hand, I’ve never met anyone who can complain about their skills when they’re one-armed.

exercises

• ABC pull-ups: This exercise was taught to me by none other than Janja Garnbret’s trainer, Roman Krajnik. It’s a two-handed exercise, so it’s great for building basic strength. Start with pull-ups on a pitcher or bar. When you reach the top, lower yourself to 90 degrees and hold it for five seconds. Lower all the way down and repeat without jumping off. You will do this four to five times. Then rest for 45 seconds and do six to eight total sets. As with rock climbing, the exercise involves both pulling and holding—which is critical to being able to hold and control holds. It also helps increase your time under tension (TUT), which is the time you’re actively engaging a group of muscles. Increasing your TUT can help build strength and even tendon health, which will be crucial to ultimately executing this one-arm workout.
  • Variations: Instead of holding the 90 degree lock, try lowering for five seconds. Or add weight to make it harder. Or take weight off and try to be explosive during your pull-up. There are many ways to change this.
• Weighted pull-ups: Another two-handed exercise! Weighted pull-ups are great for building maximum strength and power. For this exercise, it is important that you warm up fully and slowly add weight. Add more weight and fewer reps to increase strength, or lighter weight and more reps to increase core strength.
  • • Note: Many people want to know what percentage of your bodyweight you should be able to pull to do a one-arm pull. Based on my own experience, I’d say 70 percent or more seems correct, although I’ve heard many others say 80 percent.

• One Arm Lockoffs: This exercise may require you to remove the weight via a pulley system or with your feet in a resistance band. Use both arms to jump into the top position of a pull-up. Then release with one arm and lower with the other. Choose an angle to stop and then hold. I generally aim to hold a position for 8 to 10 seconds. Over time, you’ll want to perform this exercise in different lock-off positions, but you may only want to maintain one angle for a given session. If you can hold a lock-off with your bodyweight for more than 15 seconds, try adding weight. Note: Avoid holding a lock-off at the top of the bar. This extreme angle puts a lot of pressure on the elbow and is not as effective as lock-offs at lower degrees.
• One Arm Negatives: Use both arms to jump into the top position of a pull-up. Release with one arm and lower back down with the other. The “negative” should be performed slowly, with complete control all the way down. Try to lower in at least five seconds. You may need to lose weight with a pulley system or put your feet in a resistance band. You can also use your other hand to hold onto something (such as a band or sling) to give you better forearm control. Negative exercises are one of my favorite exercises for one-arm training. You can easily pair them with offset or assisted one-arms to do the “up” part.
• Staggered one-arms: Perform a one-arm exercise while holding on to a sling or band with your other hand for help. The deeper you grip the sling/band, the harder the one-arm becomes. Personally, I prefer a static support, such as B. by a sling, versus variable support by a stretch band, as this is more applicable to climbing.
• Supported one arm: These are best suited to help you learn the skill as they are the most specific. Assisted one-arms can be performed when you lose weight with a pulley system or place your feet in a resistance band. The main difference between offset one-arms and supported one-arms is that you hang freely on one arm instead of using the other for stabilization/balance and support. Assisted one-armed ones therefore help you gain strength in the right form.

steps for progress

I think variety is important. You’ll want to alter your routine by changing the number of reps/sets done for each exercise and the amount of weight you add or remove. That’s why getting your first arm is a challenge: doing the same exercises every week for a long time eventually leads to a plateau.

One thing I like to remember is that you have to do it make wins happen. They will not appear on their own. This means that the above exercises require you to dig deep. If you’re tired, I’d recommend not doing them at all and saving your reps when you’re fresh.

Form

Performing the assisted one-armed exercise will help you lock in your form. You may have to experiment to find what feels easiest for you. Many people prefer to rotate when pulling into their arm (remember to switch from a pull-up position to a pull-up position once you get to the top), while others prefer to stay more square as it’s more directly applicable most climbing wall. Ideally, you’re good at both.

inspiration

Alex Puccio once did six one-armed in a row. Sean McColl can do four. There is a video of Jongwon Chon turning 20 on Instagram.

And Adam Ondra, the world’s best climber? In 2010 Ondra sent his first 9b (5.15b). Golpe de Estado, in Siurana. In conversation with Baurock.ru, He said he could only do 30 two-handed pull-ups and zero one-armed ones. “Pretty weak on pull ups, eh?” he said. “Climbing is an interesting sport.”

Ondra has made strides in the past decade, both in climbing and traction. In Ned Feehally’s book make beastsOndra said he could now be 16.

For most climbers, a one-armed climb or two in a row is more of the end goal. But patience and hard work will be key.

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