Need help with OAC

OAC has been one of my targets for a long time but it really is a pain to master...

I've been very cautious with one-arm training so I'm trying to get the OAC with two-arm exercises. Is this a feasible plan or does one HAVE TO do one-arm training to get OAC?

Current strength level: 23 deadhang pull-ups, 25 p-bar dips, 12 bar muscle ups

I've been able to do an OAC with a 5kg pulley system in my climbing centre for a long time, but when there is no assistance it simply feels impossible. I can do the top 3/4 range of motion (i.e from 135 degrees to 0 degrees)  but I've never broken deadhang. Ever. It seems like all I can do is slightly bend my arm (by about 5 degrees) but that's all. I think it must be that I have neglected training whichever muscle(s) is used in breaking deadhang, but what muscle(s) is it? It's so frustrating as I've been so close for so long but I just can't do the start :-( Anyway I hope somnebody can help out here!

Previous Thread: One Arm Chin Up

I'll save you some reading;

Rope climbs. Forever.

Jon Douglas said:

I'll save you some reading;

 

Rope climbs. Forever.

 

Problem: I'd love to train rope climbs but I ain't got no rope   No gymnasiums near me either, so not an option. Only doorframe pull-up bar.

I remember seeing somewhere that handstand presses can help with the initial pull in OAC. Is that true or have I remembered something wrong? 

GoldenEagle said:

Previous Thread: One Arm Chin Up

Cheers for the link mate   I'll look over it

Hi ,

3 years ago I trained and finally made the OAC (botrh right and left arm). Guess what? after that I made it I never did them again. Sure, it was a fun thing to train for but experience from this website, a couple of seminars, I learnt that being able to do multple ropeclimbes has a much more carover to other/future exercises, for eample ring skills. That OAC doesn´t realy lead to anything else.

Now, if you still dont want to hear that and with risk of injury if you are not careful this is what I did:

I mastered ropeclimbs.

I built up to 30 sec 1 arm dead hangs (both arms)

I built up to 20 sec 1 arm static hang in the top position.

I did assisted one arm chins holding a wrapped towel with the assiting  hand. Started out with the assisted hand high up on the towel and with time lowered it.

Mats Trane said:

Hi ,

3 years ago I trained and finally made the OAC (botrh right and left arm). Guess what? after that I made it I never did them again. Sure, it was a fun thing to train for but experience from this website, a couple of seminars, I learnt that being able to do multple ropeclimbes has a much more carover to other/future exercises, for eample ring skills. That OAC doesn´t realy lead to anything else.

 

Now, if you still dont want to hear that and with risk of injury if you are not careful this is what I did:

 

I mastered ropeclimbs.

I built up to 30 sec 1 arm dead hangs (both arms)

I built up to 20 sec 1 arm static hang in the top position.

I did assisted one arm chins holding a wrapped towel with the assiting  hand. Started out with the assisted hand high up on the towel and with time lowered it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Mats, I'll incorporate this into my training (with care). I've read your previous posts about OACs as well and I've found them very helpful, so thanks again.

Also do you know if the anterior deltoid is involved in breaking deadhang in OAC? I was training OACs yesterday with one hand on another's bicep and it seemed like it hit the anterior deltoids the hardest. If so then I think this is my weak link, and I should probably do more dips to strenghthen it 

BTW I know that rope climbs are a MUCH better exercise/ more fun/ less likelihood of injury but I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A ROPE! I don't live in/near a gymnasium unlike many people on this forum, I just train calisthenics in my spare time. I don't even have a big tree or anything like that in my back yard, otherwise I could train rope climbs.  So RC not an option for me.

The anterior deltoid is not involved in any part of the OAC.

B1214N said:

The anterior deltoid is not involved in any part of the OAC.

Oh Dear ... thought I was onto something ...

 What muscle(s) is used in breaking deadhang then? Does nobody know?  

Manimal said:

Oh Dear ... thought I was onto something ...

 What muscle(s) is used in breaking deadhang then? Does nobody know?  

Pretty much all the prime movers and synergistic muscles used in the OAC are required to break deadhang. You will be using the rear delt, lats, and elbow flexors. You will also have to use your lower traps to depress the scapula.  

B1214N said:

Pretty much all the prime movers and synergistic muscles used in the OAC are required to break deadhang. You will be using the rear delt, lats, and elbow flexors. You will also have to use your lower traps to depress the scapula.  

Thanks man, now I know which muscles to target.   I know you're a big believer in front levers carrying over to OACs. I'm working on front levers as well, currently can hold about 2s. I also have fairly strong biceps (I can consistently do the top 3/4 ROM in OAC) but I think maybe my shoulder is the weak link. So did you find that shoulder/lat strengthening via FL training was the main contributing factor to you being able to do OACs?

Manimal said:

Thanks man, now I know which muscles to target.   I know you're a big believer in front levers carrying over to OACs. I'm working on front levers as well, currently can hold about 2s. I also have fairly strong biceps (I can consistently do the top 3/4 ROM in OAC) but I think maybe my shoulder is the weak link. So did you find that shoulder/lat strengthening via FL training was the main contributing factor to you being able to do OACs?

Yes, I'm a big believer in FL carrying over to OACs for myself, but I wouldn't say it works for everyone or a lot of people since I haven't heard the same experience other people had. The FL work was definitely my main contributing factor for the rear delt and lat strength that allowed me to do the OAC since that was the only pulling exercise I did back then.

If I was to start a one arm chin-up regime, here's what I would do: Start with both hands on the bar as if you're doing a normal chin up. Do a chin up but have one arm doing 70% of the work while the other is just doing 30%. That arm doing less work is acting as an assistant. On your next one arm chin up session, you could have your arm doing 75 to 80% of the work and with each subsequent sessions it lifts slightly more than the previous session. And the other arm is providing less and less assistant with each session.