One Arm Pull Up
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The one arm pull up is an advanced calisthenics skill that takes a significant amount of training for most people to achieve. In addition to a high level of pulling strength, it requires a good amount of grip strength and shoulder stability. It's a great skill to work towards using progression exercises and allows for building a great deal of strength with minimal equipment.
The Basics
The one arm pull up is primarily used as a strength exercise. It is classified as a vertical upper pull movement. It is more generally classified as a upper pull movement. Since it involves significant activation of multiple muscle groups, it is considered a compound exercise.
Form
Set Up
- Grasp the bar with one hand
- You should be in an active one arm dead hang (arm fully extended, shoulder blade held down and back)
- Keep your chest up, shoulders back, abs engaged, and legs in front of your body
Execution
- Pull your chest to the bar by pulling your elbows down and in and your hand towards your shoulder
- Control any rotation and keep your head on the same side of the bar as your pulling arm
- Keep your shoulder blade held down and back for the entire rep
- The rep is complete when your chin goes above the bar
- Lower yourself under control back to an active one arm dead hang
- Minimize any swinging and rotation before your next rep
Common Mistakes
Rotation
Hanging from one arm rather than two means your body can rotate. However, to keep the exercise as a one arm pull up rather than a chin up, you'll need to have the shoulder stability to minimize rotation and keep your head on the same side as your pulling arm.
Crossing Your Feet
While not that big of a deal, crossing your feet isn't ideal for core activation. Keep your legs straight if possible.
Arching Your Back
Arching your back can lead to lower back pain. It also decreases core activation and turns what's meant to be a vertical pull into more of a horizontal pull.
Related Articles
- How to One Arm Pull Up | Progressions and Tips for Building Singular Strength: Doing a one arm pull up is hard. Really hard. Which is why it's one of the most impressive skills to achieve. However, if you're willing to put in the work and train smart, you can definitely get there.
Related Exercises
The most common or basic version of the given exercise.
Variation exercises are performed somewhat differently than the given exercise but are largely the same movement. They may target certain involved muscles to slightly different degrees.
Alternative exercises are good replacements for the given exercise. They develop the same fitness component and/or muscle group but do so in a different way that may work better for you.
Similar exercises work some or all of the same muscles, but are different from the given exercise in a way that doesn't make them as good of a replacement as the alternative exercises.
Opposing exercises target the antagonist muscles or the opposite movement pattern of the given exercise. Useful for finding agonist/antagonist exercise pairings to reduce rest time and speed up workouts.
Reviews
Performance Standard Ranks
The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.
| Rank | Time | Score | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | Untrained | <1 month | <30 | Average or below average. |
| ● | Beginner | 1-4 months | 30-40 | Better than average. |
| ● | Novice | 4-12 months | 40-50 | Much better than average. |
| ● | Intermediate | 1-2 years | 50-60 | Fit. A healthy, achievable goal for most people. |
| ● | Advanced | 2-4 years | 60-70 | Very fit. Difficult to achieve for most people. |
| ● | Elite | 4+ years | 70+ | Among the best. Nearing the average maximum potential. Likely able to compete at some level. |
Strength Standards
The tables show the one rep max* in pounds needed to reach each rank at different body weights (also in lbs). The 1RMs on the table are based on world records, balanced ratios, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized strength standards for every exercise, check out the Strength Standards page. You can also find your Strength Score to see how you rank as part of our Fitness Score System.
*Added weight if positive, assistance if negative. The planche and levers are also notable exceptions as they show the moment at the shoulder, not weight. For more info, check out the Moment Calculator page.
Male 1RMs
| ● Beginner | ● Novice | ● Intermediate | ● Advanced | ● Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | -57 | -41 | -25 | -9 | 8 |
| 130 | -64 | -47 | -30 | -13 | 4 |
| 140 | -70 | -52 | -34 | -16 | 2 |
| 150 | -76 | -58 | -39 | -20 | -2 |
| 160 | -83 | -64 | -44 | -25 | -5 |
| 170 | -90 | -70 | -50 | -29 | -9 |
| 180 | -96 | -76 | -54 | -34 | -12 |
| 190 | -103 | -82 | -60 | -38 | -16 |
| 200 | -111 | -88 | -65 | -43 | -20 |
| 210 | -118 | -94 | -71 | -48 | -24 |
| 220 | -124 | -100 | -76 | -52 | -28 |
| 230 | -131 | -106 | -82 | -57 | -32 |
| 240 | -139 | -113 | -88 | -62 | -36 |
| 250 | -146 | -120 | -93 | -67 | -41 |
| 260 | -152 | -126 | -98 | -72 | -46 |
Female 1RMs
| ● Beginner | ● Novice | ● Intermediate | ● Advanced | ● Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | -52 | -40 | -28 | -16 | -4 |
| 110 | -59 | -46 | -33 | -20 | -7 |
| 120 | -66 | -52 | -39 | -25 | -11 |
| 130 | -73 | -59 | -44 | -30 | -15 |
| 140 | -80 | -64 | -50 | -34 | -20 |
| 150 | -87 | -71 | -55 | -39 | -23 |
| 160 | -94 | -78 | -61 | -44 | -28 |
| 170 | -102 | -84 | -67 | -50 | -32 |
| 180 | -108 | -90 | -72 | -54 | -36 |
| 190 | -116 | -97 | -78 | -60 | -41 |
| 200 | -123 | -104 | -85 | -65 | -46 |
| 210 | -131 | -111 | -91 | -71 | -51 |
| 220 | -138 | -118 | -96 | -76 | -56 |
| 230 | -145 | -124 | -103 | -82 | -61 |
| 240 | -153 | -131 | -109 | -88 | -66 |
