One-Arm Pull-Up: Progression, Assisted Variations and How to Do It

A one-arm pull-up lifts your chin over the bar with a single arm, from a still dead hang. It is one of the hardest pulling skills in calisthenics, and it can take years. This page shows you which step of the progression you are on, from strict pull-ups through archer and assisted one-arm reps to the full rep, and how to do each one.

How to do a one-arm pull-up

1. Hang from the bar with one hand, using any grip: palm away, palm toward you or neutral. Keep the body straight and the core braced, with the free arm down by your side or out to the side.
2. Pull the shoulder of the working arm down, away from the ear. This switches on the lats before the elbow bends.
3. Bend the arm and pull your chin up to the bar, keeping the upper arm close to your body.
4. Lower yourself back to a straight arm slowly. Dropping fast shock-loads the elbow and shoulder.

People turn their body in different ways on the way up: some stay square to the bar, others turn side-on. Use the position where you feel strongest, as long as the rep starts from a still hang. Expect one arm to be stronger than the other, and train both.

Assisted one-arm pull-ups: towel and band

An assisted one-arm pull-up is a one-arm rep where the free hand takes a little of the load, through a towel, a band or the other wrist. It lets you train the full movement before you can do it alone, and it is step 3 of the ladder above.

• Towel-assisted: hang a towel or rope over the bar. Hold the bar with one hand and the towel with the other, about 30 to 45 cm below the bar. Pull mainly with the bar hand and let the towel hand help only as much as it must. The lower you hold the towel, the less it can help.
• Band-assisted: loop a strong resistance band over the bar and stand or kneel in it, then pull with one hand. The band helps most at the bottom, where you are weakest, and less near the top.
• Hand-on-wrist pull-ups: one hand holds the bar and the other holds that wrist. Both arms pull, but only one hand grips, which builds the grip for one-arm work.

Muscles worked in the one-arm pull-up

The one-arm pull-up works the lats most, with the biceps, the lower and middle traps, the forearms and the core helping.

• Lats: the main movers. They pull the arm down and back to lift your body.
• Biceps: bend the elbow and turn the forearm.
• Lower and middle traps: hold the shoulder down and back so the other muscles have a stable base.
• Forearms: one hand holds your whole body weight, so the grip works very hard.
• Core: stops the body from twisting and the legs from swinging.

Exercises that help the one-arm pull-up

• One-arm dead hang: hang from one hand for 20 to 30 s. It builds the grip and shoulder control. See our dead hang guide.
• Weighted pull-ups: pull-ups with extra weight build the raw strength. See our weighted pull-up guide.
• Archer pull-ups: step 2 of the ladder. See our archer pull-up guide for the full technique.
• One-arm flex hang: hold yourself with one bent arm at the top, then at one third and two thirds of the way down.
• One-arm lat pulldown and single-arm rows: easier one-arm pulling work for the early weeks. See our one-arm lat pulldown guide.
• Front lever raises: train the lats with straight arms. They still load the elbows, so count them as part of your pulling work. See our front lever raises guide.

Body weight matters: the lighter you are, the less each arm has to lift. To see how your one-arm pull-up compares with other lifters, see the one-arm pull-up strength standards.