Started by Trey Stone, June 25, 2014 · 19 Replies · 4,054 Views
Hello I am new to this forum and I want to know what I should work on to improve my oap before starting to add reps. There is no better place to ask because I want to make it perfect (almost anyway) and I basically learned how to do one from this site. So please let me know what you think!
Need to get rid of the momentum you are throwing your other arm up to help. I suggest not trying to build volume here but building up strength with a lesser progression until it gets smooth.
Yes you are right I will work on assisted oap a bit more, I need to keep my body tight and my other arm to my side. I think I also need to get a bit more rom. But still I am pleased with my progress. My dream form would be Cisco Gonzalez's form, I am still far.
You have insufficient ROM in that video; I personally won't count that as a rep. That's only a half rep. You don't have to get absolute full ROM, but your chin must get above the bar without craning your neck. You need to get stronger, so keep training and don't kip at the bottom! 
B1214N said:You have insufficient ROM in that video; I personally won't count that as a rep. That's only a half rep. You don't have to get absolute full ROM, but your chin must get above the bar without craning your neck. You need to get stronger, so keep training and don't kip at the bottom!
I agree this is not full rom but I don't think it is half a rep (forehead level is). And I don't know why but sometimes I do them with a bit of a kip (not a crossfit kip, just throwing my other arm in the air) and other times I do them slow and controlled. I think this is just bad habit from rock climbing. Thanks for the comment. I will rest and upload a video with a better form and hopefully a better rom, and upload it, when I'm ready.
Your's is only very slightly more than half ROM. If you did not crane your neck then the bar would be around forehead level. A better way is to look at the arm angle. You want your upper arm to be almost completely vertical. Check out the OACs in the video below, those are not absolute full ROM, but you want to get that ROM in the least to be considered a complete rep.
``You want your upper arm to be almost completely vertical.``
This is really helpful. Now I see where I am wrong. I was not looking at the shoulder angle. I must end my oap with a lock off at the top of the bar, this is simply logical.
Yesterday, with strict form, I pulled to nose/mouth level. I'm getting close but not quite there. I will train harder. I ask for oap form check on this forum (even if it is not a gymnastics skill) because I want to perform it with precision and good technique. I don't know long it will take but I will get it right!
you will need more room above your pullup bar. there's not enough room for your head to fit, and you may not pull with full strength for fear of hitting your head on the ceiling. While the commenters are right about your kip and your range of motion, you are very close to achieving this. just make sure you're not overdoing it, and mix it in with some good tendon strengthening eccentrics. I think at your stage you would see a lot of improvement, and decreased injury risk, if you were to do some very slow 1 arm negatives, with 3 second holds at 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4. cheers
I don't know it that is a good plan or not but for two or three weeks I will train and focus on oap negatives, then deload, and the next week I will try a oap. Or should I attempt it every workout?
I wouldn't attempt it every workout. Focus on those negatives and then in 3-4 weeks see where you're at.
According to my experience and my climbing friends, negatives are where you hurt yourself, at the biceps tendon primarily. I think the reason is: You can hold more load excentrically than pulling actively. So they might work wonders to boost your training, but are the opposite of injury prevention.
Most of the literature would contradict that. Eccentric exercise is the best way to strengthen tendons.
It seems I have lost focus on this skill but I will now try another path to build up to it again, and make it solid : rope climb. This is what I was doing when I first ``got`` oap 6 months ago. I think there is not enough volume when you train oap solely by doing negatives, It is also more fun and I believe in the advice that I once read here (by Daniel Burnham I think) that oac/oap will be a nice side effect of rope climb, and that training for it specifically is not really necessary. I will update this thread soon, hopefully.
Here is my new attempt. I haven't train specifically for one arm pull ups, I climbed my rope mostly, and did weighted pull ups. I attempted it two weeks ago with the advices I got from here in mind and this is the result : I know it needs a bit more ROM but this is the best I can do so far. Please let me know if I still do snything wrong, next time it will be smoother because I want to focus on this skill now ! thanks
left oap.mp4
I think I'm ready to add reps, what do you think?
No feedback?
Nice one ! But I will suggest you to imitate the form showed in this topic below, and due to the angle it's difficult to see how much ROM you get in the upper part of the movement, I mean if you're getting the bar to the chest of if your chin is cleaning the bar without cracking the neck .
https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/17802-full-rom-oac-both-arms-2s-hang-before-pulling/
I will switch to OAC, I can lock off at the top of the bar after pulling unlike with OAP ( only my chin is over the bar and i should pull until my other shoulder hit the bar ). I also need to hang for at least 2s before pulling, bad habit to not do it...
Perfect ! Work hard and intelligent. I'll be waiting for a video of your best form in OAC.
You can try adding weighted pull ups into your routine to build the volume base you need to bang out multiple OAP/OACs. I don't think you are ready to add reps or train solely with the OAP as
1) it is too intense on your CNS so there is higher risk of injury and
2) because it is too high a % of ur 1RM. Intensity without volume won't allow you to improve unless you have really good genetics and your current strength level is only at the beginner level vs ur ultimate genetic potential.
Good luck!