One Arm Chin Up
Description
The one-arm chin-up is one of the most difficult bodyweight pulling exercises. You hang from a bar with one arm using an underhand grip and pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar. It requires extraordinary lat, bicep, and grip strength.
Equipment Required
One Arm Chin Up Instructions
- Grip a pull-up bar with one hand, underhand (supinated) grip.
- Hang with arm fully extended. Other arm behind your back or at your side.
- Pull yourself up using one arm until your chin clears the bar.
- Lower under control.
- This takes years of training to achieve.
- Progress through: weighted chin-ups → assisted one-arm (band) → negatives → full reps.
- Even 1 rep is an elite achievement.
- Requires extreme relative strength.
One Arm Chin Up Form & Visual
One Arm Chin Up Benefits
- One of the hardest bodyweight exercises
- Requires extraordinary pulling strength
- Elite calisthenics achievement
- Builds elite lat and bicep strength
- No equipment beyond a bar
- Impressive strength demonstration
One Arm Chin Up Muscles Worked
- Latissimus dorsi (extreme)
- Biceps brachii (extreme)
- Brachialis
- Forearms and grip (extreme)
- Core (anti-rotation)
One Arm Chin Up Variations & Alternatives
- Chin-Up (two arms)
- One-Handed Hang
- Assisted One-Arm Chin-Up
- One-Arm Negative
- Weighted Chin-Up
- Wide Chin Up
- Suspension Chin Up
- Seated Chin Up
- Weighted Hang Chin-Up
- Narrow Seated Chin Up
