One Arm Chin-Up exercise animation (Hombre)

One Arm Chin-Up

Músculo objetivo
Latissimus Dorsi
Músculos sinergistas
Biceps Brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradialis, Deltoid Posterior, Infraspinatus, Teres Major, Teres Minor, Trapezius Lower Fibers, Trapezius Middle Fibers
Equipamiento
Body weight
Parte del cuerpo
Back
Tipo
Strength

The one arm chin-up is an advanced bodyweight pull that loads one side's latissimus dorsi with your full bodyweight. The biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis drive the elbow, while the teres major and minor, posterior deltoid, infraspinatus and the middle and lower trapezius control the shoulder blade. It is a benchmark of relative strength — something you build toward over months, not a routine back exercise.

Cómo hacer el One Arm Chin-Up

  1. 1Take an underhand (supinated) grip on a pull-up bar with one hand, setting the hand directly above the working shoulder rather than out to the side.
  2. 2Hang with the arm fully extended and let the free arm rest at your side or folded across your chest — never on your thigh, the bar, or the working arm.
  3. 3Pull the working shoulder down and back out of the shrug before the elbow bends, so the lat takes the load from the first inch.
  4. 4Brace your core and squeeze your glutes to lock your body into one rigid line and stop it swinging.
  5. 5Drive your elbow down toward your hip, leaning slightly toward the working arm so your mass stays under the bar.
  6. 6Keep pulling until your chin clears the bar, allowing the torso to rotate slightly toward the working side as you finish.
  7. 7Pause briefly at the top with the shoulder still packed and the free arm quiet.
  8. 8Lower over 3–5 seconds until the arm is straight and you are back in a dead hang, controlling the rotation on the way down.
  9. 9Finish your reps on that side, step down under control, then repeat with the other arm.

Consejos de técnica

  • Earn the rep in stages: 15–20 strict two-arm chin-ups, then archer chin-ups, then 5-second one-arm negatives, before you attempt a full rep from a dead hang.
  • Keep the working shoulder depressed for the whole set — letting it shrug up hands the load to a passive hang and puts the rotator cuff in a poor position under full bodyweight.
  • Grip deep in the palm rather than at the fingertips and use chalk; with one hand carrying everything, the grip usually fails long before the lat does.
  • Train the top position as an isometric hold on its own — the shoulder and elbow stability you build there is what makes controlled negatives and full reps possible.
  • Only train this over a surface you can safely step or drop onto, from a bar you can reach: failing mid-rep leaves you hanging off-center on one rotating arm.

Errores comunes

  • Pushing the free hand against the thigh, the bar, or the working forearm, which quietly turns it back into a two-arm pull and hides how much strength is actually missing.
  • Shrugging the working shoulder up at the start of the pull, which shifts load off the latissimus dorsi and loads the shoulder joint in its least stable position.
  • Dropping out of the top instead of lowering, which throws away the eccentric — the part that builds this lift — and shock-loads the biceps tendon at the bottom.
  • Letting the core and glutes go slack, so the hips swing and kip the body up; the rep gets finished by momentum instead of the lat.
  • Letting the body spin freely under the bar rather than controlling the rotation, which whips the free side around and torques the working elbow and shoulder at the bottom.

Preguntas frecuentes

What muscles does the one arm chin-up work?

The latissimus dorsi is the primary mover. The biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis assist at the elbow, while the teres major and minor, posterior deltoid, infraspinatus and the middle and lower trapezius fibers stabilize and control the shoulder blade.

How strong do I need to be before attempting a one arm chin-up?

A workable benchmark is 15–20 strict two-arm chin-ups plus a controlled 5-second one-arm negative on each side. Attempting full reps before that is where biceps tendon and shoulder injuries happen, because the tendons take the load the muscles cannot.

What is the best progression toward the one arm chin-up?

Work through weighted two-arm chin-ups for base strength, archer chin-ups for asymmetric loading, one-arm negatives, then partial one-arm reps from the top down, and finally the full rep. Move on only when the current stage is strict and controlled on both sides.

One arm chin-up vs one arm pull-up — what's the difference?

The chin-up uses an underhand grip, which lets the biceps brachii and brachialis contribute strongly and makes it the more achievable of the two. The pull-up's overhand grip weakens that elbow-flexor leverage and puts more of the work on the lat, so most lifters reach the one arm chin-up first.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Treat it as max-strength work: 3–5 sets of 1–3 reps per arm, fully rested between sets, twice a week. While you are still building toward it, 3–4 sets of 2–3 slow negatives per arm gives more useful stimulus than grinding failed reps.

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