How to Do a One Arm Pull Up

Co-authored by Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Last Updated: May 12, 2022 References

A one-armed pull up is one of the most difficult body weight exercises, requiring a lot of patience to master and a lot of strength to execute. In order to do a one-armed pull up, you will need to train your torso muscles to handle your body weight. Then you will need to focus on the proper form to execute the move. You can also learn some additional ways to challenge yourself further once you've mastered the one-armed pull-up.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Doing a One-Armed Pull-Up

1
Stretch, but don't exercise the back. When it's time to execute your one-armed pullup, don't try to do it after a back workout or arm workout of any kind. It will be the hardest move in your routine, so you want your muscles to have all of their energy.^{[1]
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- Try a little cardio to warm you up first, then roll out your muscles with a ball or foam roller.
2
Grip the bar with one hand. Some people prefer the palm to face toward you, which is technically more of a chin-up but makes the move a bit easier to execute.
- You can stand facing the bar or turn so that the bar is next to your lifting arm. Try different techniques to see what feels comfortable.
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3
Hold the wrist of your lifting arm with your other arm. You will only need to do this the first few times, but it will help support your lifting arm and also give you a little extra lifting power.^{[2]
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- Think of your non-lifting arm as the "support arm" and only use it as needed. Try to rely on the lifting arm to do most of the work, but use the support arm to help pull yourself up.
4
Try swinging your other arm. Instead of holding your wrist, or once you've accomplished a pullup using a supporting arm, swing your non-lifting arm a bit.
- This will give your body momentum, which makes that first rep a bit easier.^{[3]
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5
Lift your body off the ground. Bend your arm at the elbow and focus your lifting between your shoulder blades and across your arm muscles.
- Lift all the way up, until your head passes the bar. Be careful not to hit yourself on the chin on your way down!
- It can help to bend your legs under you, crossing your ankles. This gives your body more stability than if you let your legs flail.
6
Do as many as you can. You won't be able to do many in the beginning-- maybe only one-- so go till your muscles won't do any more.^{[4]
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- Wait three minutes before trying another set.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Training for a One-Armed Pull-Up

1
Build your arm strength. Before you can do regular pull-ups, and especially before mastering the much more challenging one-armed pull up, you need to build strength in your arms. There are many exercises you can do to help build muscle mass and strength in the arms:
- Work on one armed lat pulldowns. You need to train on a lat pulldown or cable pull machine to execute this move, which involves pulling a weighted handle down to your chest.^{[5]
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  Research source} Start at comfortable weight (which will vary depending on your fitness level), but work up to two to three repetitions using 20 or 30 percent more weight than your body weight. For example, if you weigh 150, your goal will be to accomplish 2-3 repetitions lifting 180-195 pounds.^{[6]
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  Research source} Be sure to work both arms equally at each training session.
- Try the bench press. Bench pressing weight engages both your chest and your arms, which are both players in proper pull-ups. You can start with just the bar if you have no arm strength, or as much weight as you can manage. Gradually add more weight over the course of 3-5 weeks to increase muscle mass and strength.^{[7]
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- Master push-ups. Push-ups engage your arms, chest, and back, and can help strengthen your arms for pull-ups. Once you've mastered regular push-ups, learn the one armed push up and be sure to master it with both arms.
2
Build your back strength. Contrary to what you might have heard, the arms are not the most important muscle group involved in executing a pull-up. In fact, the serratus anterior (SA) muscle, located on your back under your shoulder blades, holds all the muscles together that are needed for executing a pull-up. If yours is not correctly conditioned, your shoulder blades are out of position and pull-ups are next to impossible to execute, no matter how strong your arms.^{[8]
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- Soften the SA and surrounding muscles first, by using a lacrosse ball, tennis ball, or foam roller to release tension and get your muscles in the right position. Laying on a mat or rubber floor, or leaning against a wall, roll the ball hard against your muscles across your pectorals (your chest), teres muscles (directly behind and in your armpits), and SA muscles. Roll gently at first, then increase pressure in tender spots.^{[9]
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- Strengthen your back and particularly your SA muscles by focusing on back exercises such as downward facing dog, push ups, reverse flys, and cable rows.
3
Master two-armed pull-ups. You will need to be able to do more than 25 strict pull ups before you learn the one arm pull up. Using the proper form is crucial as you learn how to do this in order to avoid injury and maximize the benefit of the workout.
- Using an overhand grip and keeping your hands about shoulder-distance apart, hang from a pull-up bar with your arms extended. Slowly raise your body by bending the elbows, bringing your chest as close to the bar as you can. Slowly lower yourself back to arms extended.^{[10]
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- Be sure to exercise different grips. You can do chin-ups, which are like typical pull-ups but with your hands slightly closer together and your palms facing towards you. You can also try widening your grip to engage the back muscles.
- Once you've mastered regular pull-ups, introduce a new challenge by raising yourself with two arms but lowering yourself with only one, alternating arms at each pull. This gets you one step closer to full one armed pullups.^{[11]
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4
Master weighted two-armed pull-ups. You will probably never meet someone that can do over 20 pull ups who hasn't exercised weighted pull ups.
- Start with a very small amount of additional weight (only one or two pounds) then gradually add more as you master each level. You can wear leg weights, attach weight to a belt, or even put it in a backpack.
5
Be patient! It takes a lot of dedication to start with a regular two arm pull up, which is hard enough for most people, and reach the one arm pull up.
- Having a regular exercise schedule and a plan for increasing your weights and repetitions can be helpful. It can also be helpful to enlist a trainer or friend to motivate you and keep you accountable.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Trying Other Arm Moves

1
Try a weighted one-armed pull-up. Once you've mastered the basic one-armed pull-up, you can gradually train your muscles to handle even more pressure.
- Start with just a bit of weight. One or two pounds makes a lot of difference with this difficult move.
2
Do heavier lat pulls and hammer curls. This will increase your arm strength beyond body weight exercises.
- Make sure to use proper form and no swinging and to progress slowly with the weights. Do them slowly with more time under tension.
3
Do incline bench curls. This will target your bicep long head. Make sure you do this with the full range of motion so you teach your bicep to work hard when its fully extended.
4
Do incline bench press. This will activate your deltoids and upper chest which are used in the one arm pull up.
5
Do negatives. Take all the exercises listed in previous steps and do them with heavier weight, except now let the weight down as slowly as you can.
- This will train the muscles to be able to endure a lot of pressure with time under tension which is important in the one arm pull up/chin up.
6
Try arm wrestling with a friend. It is a great exercise to improve bicep strength and endurance that is needed in the one arm pull up.
- Every person who can do at least a single one arm pull up will be tough in arm wrestling. It is not a coincidence. If you want to get better at either exercise, do the other one. Grab a friend or a relative who is stronger than you and practice.

Expert Q&A
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Question

What kind of muscles do you work with a one arm push up?

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Julian Arana is a Personal Trainer and the Founder of B-Fit Training Studios, a personal training and wellness set of studios based in Miami, Florida. Julian has over 12 years of personal training and coaching experience. He is a certified personal trainer (CPT) by the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). He has a BS in Exercise Physiology from Florida International University and an MS in Exercise Physiology specializing in strength and conditioning from the University of Miami.

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

For one arm pushups, you're primarily using the chest muscles, but you're also using your shoulder. You're mainly working the front of that shoulder muscle and your triceps. The one arm push up puts significantly more stress on your core than doing a regular push up as well.

Warnings

This exercise puts a lot of strain on your elbow so make sure you warm up before workouts and progress slowly.

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If you feel pain after doing it then stop and talk to a sports therapist or doctor.

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