Exercise
ONE ARM PULL-UP
Form cues
About
The one arm pull-up is one of the most demanding calisthenic movements, requiring exceptional unilateral pulling strength across the lat, teres major, biceps, and all associated back musculature. Very few athletes can perform this movement, and those who can have typically spent years building the prerequisite strength through weighted pull-ups, archer pull-ups, and one-arm negatives. It stands as one of the clearest measures of relative upper-body strength.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Position Under the Bar
Stand below the bar and position yourself at approximately 45° to it, with the working shoulder aligned under the bar.
Grip with One Hand
Grip the bar with one hand using an overhand shoulder-width grip. Place the other arm beside the body or grip the working wrist.
Dead Hang Position
Hang at full arm extension to a dead hang position.
Pull Up with Elbow Drive
Pull your body up by driving the elbow down and back, allowing the body to rotate slightly inward.
Continue to Full Range
Continue pulling until the elbow is fully bent and at your side — this is the full range.
Lower to Dead Hang
Lower with control to the dead hang position before the next rep.
Common mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Attempting without prerequisite strength
Lifters attempt the one-arm pull-up prematurely and either fail to move or risk shoulder injury from the extreme load.
Build to a weighted pull-up of 50–70% of bodyweight added before attempting one-arm work. This ensures the muscles, tendons, and connective tissue are prepared.
Using excessive body swing
A kip or body swing is used to assist the pull, which is unsafe at this load level and bypasses the strength development.
All progression toward a one-arm pull-up should be strict — negatives, assisted attempts, and archer pull-ups should all be performed without momentum.
Elbow traveling forward rather than back
The elbow moves toward the body in a curl-like path rather than down and back toward the hip.
Think "pull the elbow toward the hip pocket" rather than "curl the hand to the chin." The lat pulls the elbow toward the body — the bicep is secondary.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Archer Pull-up
Grip the bar with both hands wide apart. Pull toward one hand while the opposite arm stays extended — trains unilateral pulling with bilateral support.
One Arm Negative
Jump to the top position on one arm and lower slowly with control — builds eccentric strength specific to the one-arm pull-up.
One Arm Pull-up with Leg Hook
Hook one leg around the working arm to reduce effective bodyweight slightly while building toward the full unassisted one-arm pull-up.