One Arm Chin Up Training?

Hi

The one gymnastic movement I'v wanted to do for longest, is the One arm chin up, or pull up- whichever I find easier.

Currently, allot of people recommend weighted chins for these- but these aren't viable for me, I'v heard that un-even chins are very good for training them- will I be able to achieve the strength necessary for a OAC with just these (I'm also doing tucked FL rows, a 60 second chin up hang for a warm up, and other static positions movements in a SSC like front levers etc)

If these will work for me, what sort of reps should I be doing? I'v heard 5 is a good number, but for how many sets, and should the 5th rep be the final I'm able to do, or should I be doing 5 reps of a rope length I could perhaps do 8 of?

I'd be doing these twice a week.

Current info: 145lb, 17 Full pull ups, 20 Full chin ups

If anyone's trained and accomplished the OAC, please let me know how you trained, and how long it took.

Thanks

Are weighted chins not viable due to lacking a weight belt and plates, or due to another issue? There are cheaper makeshift options, such as filling a backpack with the heaviest objects you can fit into it. Weighted chins and pullups were how I personally achieved the skill; I never did any actual training for it, just built up my bilateral pulling strength. Took me about 4 months of training weighted pullups/chins (did them once a week for 3 sets: 1x3 pullups, 1x3 chins, then 1RM with neutral grip) to develop the necessary strength, but I started out with +90 lbs, so already had a headstart of sorts. Was also doing front lever training three days a week, which I feel really helped.

If weighted chins are definitely not an option, then doing assisted one arm chins is a great alternative. As you get stronger simply decrease the use of your other hand, until you're doing them with only one finger assisting, and barely any weight on it. Once you can do 5 reps like that then you should be able to do a true OAC

Rope climbs are another great tool for training pulling strength in general. I know coach loves rope climbs, and thinks they may be one of the best pulling exercises out there. If you have access to a rope I would consider adding those.

There is no way to know for sure how long OAC will take, but you are lighter so it will take you less time than a heavier person of the same relative strength just because in absolute terms you have less of a strength gap. 20 pull ups doesn't mean anything in OAC training, weighted pull ups do. Even then, they really are very different. Complimentary, not one replacing the other.

Gymgreg posted his method once, I believe, and it was very reasonable.

For me, I started off with doing easy 3 reps of weighted chins with an extra 60-70% or so of my bodyweight. From there I started using two fingers to assist and then one finger, working them 2-3x per week for fairly low volume. They are MUCH harder on the elbows than weighted pull ups so you will be making a mistake to try and do high volume.

It took me 2 months, but no one else here will get that kind of progress except Dillon, because we have a completely different and proprietary training methodology. I would expect 3-6 months as a reasonable timeline once you can do 3 perfect weighted chins with at least 60% of your bodyweight. Until then, start with uneven pull ups (one hand on the bar, other on your wrist) to build the grip strength and get a feel for the motion, and every few weeks make it slightly harder by helping less with the wrist-gripping hand. Eventually you can use a pinkie spot on the bar and after a while that will get so light that you will be able to do them without a spot..

Thanks for all the input!

I can technically do weighted chins, but only to about 20kg (30% body weight I can do 3 of those) as then I run out of weights, also, my backpack doesn't look like it will hold much more!

I'v been doing some research, and I'v discovered bower pull ups- you put your torso under one arm, and use a false grip like for muscle ups with the other arm, keeping the false grip arm straight, and as far away from you as possible.

I'm thinking of doing just the un-even pull ups, until I can do the little finger assisted ones.

slizzardman said:

It took me 2 months, but no one else here will get that kind of progress except Dillon, because we have a completely

That is interesting that you say this because that is about the amount of time it took me to get a OAC.

Not very long. I used a combination of exercises. One arm negatives, Isometric holds at weak angles, wide arm pull ups toward one arm, assisted one arm pull ups. In no time, I had a one arm chin. Now I also have a one arm pull up. (Hands facing away)

Nice. I didn't train for it specifically, I just did a few things here and there. OAC wasn't some kind of training priority. Dedicated work will definitely pay off, no doubt about it. 2 months is way faster that almost anyone is going to get a OAC unless they are very very strong already when they start. Most people here or anywhere else don't have that kind of strength when they think about starting OAC training.

You did a great job to pick that up so quickly!

Just do Uneven Pull-ups (One hand grabbing the wrist of your working arm) and gauge the assistance as you progress. My friend got an OAC this way in about 4-5 months, this was all he did. He can now do 3 OAC's per arm.

I'v found a bit of old rope- so will be doing un-even chins using that, one hand on the bar, the other about 2ft down the rope, I'll increase that distance as I progress.

CalisthenicGod said:

Just do Uneven Pull-ups (One hand grabbing the wrist of your working arm) and gauge the assistance as you progress. My friend got an OAC this way in about 4-5 months, this was all he did. He can now do 3 OAC's per arm.

Simple and effective, I like that. That's a good timeline to get that OAC too! There are many roads to the skill, but they all take it slow and steady.

slizzardman said:

You did a great job to pick that up so quickly!

Thank you! I wouldn't have considered myself strong before starting, but apparently I did gymnastics when I was younger and loved rings (horrible memory). And martial arts training when you are short on time tends to be nothing but pull ups, dips, HeSPU, and rope climbs. It is awesome that you got the skill while not even having to work much for it!

I forgot another exercise I used a lot. I would hang from one arm with the other arm holding a rope and work on sucking my shoulder into its socket. After a while, I reduced the assistance until I could do it without the other hand. I think this may be important as some sort of prehab or weak link but I don't know why. You would have to ask Slizzardman or Razz.

PHILIP said:

Isometric holds at weak angles

=KEY

CalisthenicGod said:

Just do Uneven Pull-ups (One hand grabbing the wrist of your working arm) and gauge the assistance as you progress. My friend got an OAC this way in about 4-5 months, this was all he did. He can now do 3 OAC's per arm.

I second this method as it is the one I used to get my OAC. I tried negatives, weighted chins and other methods. By far the biggest bang for the buck were the uneven chins.

PHILIP said:

slizzardman said:

You did a great job to pick that up so quickly!

Thank you! I wouldn't have considered myself strong before starting, but apparently I did gymnastics when I was younger and loved rings (horrible memory). And martial arts training when you are short on time tends to be nothing but pull ups, dips, HeSPU, and rope climbs. It is awesome that you got the skill while not even having to work much for it!

I forgot another exercise I used a lot. I would hang from one arm with the other arm holding a rope and work on sucking my shoulder into its socket. After a while, I reduced the assistance until I could do it without the other hand. I think this may be important as some sort of prehab or weak link but I don't know why. You would have to ask Slizzardman or Razz.

Definitely a good exercise for joint stability, which is really easy to screw up with OAC in my experience! I don't know if anyone else felt that way but it's not easy to keep the shoulder where it's supposed to be.

slizzardman said:

PHILIP said:

slizzardman said:

You did a great job to pick that up so quickly!

Thank you! I wouldn't have considered myself strong before starting, but apparently I did gymnastics when I was younger and loved rings (horrible memory). And martial arts training when you are short on time tends to be nothing but pull ups, dips, HeSPU, and rope climbs. It is awesome that you got the skill while not even having to work much for it!

I forgot another exercise I used a lot. I would hang from one arm with the other arm holding a rope and work on sucking my shoulder into its socket. After a while, I reduced the assistance until I could do it without the other hand. I think this may be important as some sort of prehab or weak link but I don't know why. You would have to ask Slizzardman or Razz.

Definitely a good exercise for joint stability, which is really easy to screw up with OAC in my experience! I don't know if anyone else felt that way but it's not easy to keep the shoulder where it's supposed to be.

I indeed found the same to be true for me. During the very bottom of the movement I would just feel very weak due to instability. At first I tried doing one arm hangs with weight and even though it provided some benefit it didn't really struck me as the way to go. I gave up on in for a while and concentrated on middle and lower traps with Y's and T's. When I started working the one arm chin up again I noticed a huge improvement at the bottom end as the entire shoulder just felt a lot more stable.

Nice! I'm finding that all the trap work I have been doing has been helping with everything, including handstand presses. I don't have the flexibility for them yet, I really need to get my hamstrings broken up good because I can't get more flexible the way they are right now and that's what is keeping me from going BLOOP! I can do a pretty nice hop to a straddle press on a bench though! Once there's a little momentum I can do a somewhat slow press, but starting from nothing is too much with my current flexibility.

It took me 2 months, but no one else here will get that kind of progress except Dillon, because we have a completely different and proprietary training methodology

Slizz I have seen you talking about this before regarding various strength positions, do you think what you and Dillon are practicing will eventually become public knowledge on these forums? I'm sure I am not the only one interested in your response on the topic

Probably not on the public forum, no.

I remember I could do them the first time I tried.