Exercise
ARCHER PULL-UP
Form cues
About
The archer pull-up is a unilateral upper-body strength movement where one arm performs the bulk of the pull while the other arm stays nearly straight, serving as a bridge between standard pull-ups and the one-arm pull-up.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Grasp a pull-up bar with a wide overhand grip. Hang with arms fully extended and core lightly braced.
Initiate the pull by depressing your scapulae and driving your working elbow down and toward your hip.
As you pull toward one side, keep the opposite arm nearly straight — allowing only a slight bend — with the hand sliding along the bar for stability.
Pull until your chin reaches or clears the bar on the working side, keeping your chest square to the bar throughout.
Slowly lower yourself back to a full dead hang with control, fully extending both arms.
Alternate sides each rep or complete all reps on one side before switching, depending on your training goal.
Common mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Bending the extended arm too much
Bending the extended arm significantly reduces the unilateral training stimulus and makes it just a wide-grip pull-up.
Keep the non-working arm nearly straight; allow only a slight natural bend at the elbow.
Kipping or swinging
Using momentum eliminates the controlled strength demand the archer pull-up is designed to build.
Perform strict reps from a dead hang; if unable, regress to assisted work or wide-grip pull-ups.
Incomplete range of motion
Not fully extending at the bottom or pulling high enough limits the strength adaptations gained.
Always hang to full elbow extension at the bottom and pull until the chin clearly rises above the working hand.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Wide-Grip Pull-up
Build the lat and bicep strength needed for the archer variation with both arms contributing equally.
One-Arm Pull-up
The ultimate progression — one hand on the bar with the other arm free, demanding maximal unilateral strength.