One Arm Pushup | Muscle Up | One Arm Pullup

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One Arm Pushup

What is a One-Arm Push-Up?
The one-arm push-up is a challenging movement that tests your strength, balance, and core stability. It’s not something you achieve overnight, it takes time and structured progress. A solid base of at least 20 regular push-ups per set is a good starting point. From there, you’ll need to work on both upper body strength and core control to handle the asymmetry of the movement.

Muscles worked: Triceps (upper arms), deltoids (shoulders), and pectorals (chest).

How Can I Get There?

Start by doing push-ups daily and gradually build up your reps. Aim to hit 30 in a single set before attempting one-arm progressions. Try two sets of max reps, five days a week. Stay consistent, but don’t ignore recovery. If you're sore, take a rest day. Progress comes from the balance between effort and rest. With patience and regular training, the one-arm push-up will become well within reach.

The Muscle Up

What is a muscle up?

A muscle-up is an advanced exercise combining a pull-up and a dip, requiring strength, coordination, and explosive movement to lift the body over a bar or rings.

How can I accomplish this?

The muscle-up is an advanced movement that demands both explosive strength and proper technique. While strength is important, form and timing play a major role. If you can perform at least 15 strict pull-ups, you likely have the strength needed to attempt it. Personally, it took me around 3–4 months of consistent training—1 to 2 sessions per week focused on dips, pull-ups, and explosive pull-ups—to achieve my first rep.

Exercises to Learn the Muscle Up:
Engaging in explosive pull-ups significantly enhances your explosive power, facilitating a smoother ascent to the top of the bar. The strength derived from explosive power becomes the decisive factor in transitioning from a regular pull-up to executing a muscle-up with greater efficiency. It serves as the differentiating factor, potentially reducing the number of required pull-ups for a muscle-up from 15 to a more manageable 10. Regular push-ups are also an instrumental exercise to build a strong back and expedite growth. I recommend 3 sets of pull-ups where your doing as many pull-ups as you can in one go.

Note: For more info, have a look at the training schedule page.

Muscles which are being worked: Back, Biceps, Deltoids

First Muscle Up

Muscle Ups Now

Essential Muscle Up Tips

When I was training for the muscle up. I only had a pull-up bar in my home which made it much harder to get the technique down. There are a few key points that I learned through experience and watching videos:

Generate Momentum: Initiate the muscle-up by taking a step back behind the bar and jumping forward. This strategic move not only builds momentum but also amplifies explosive power, significantly easing the overall execution.
Thumb Placement: Ensure your thumb is positioned under the bar. This seemingly minor detail acts as a crucial safety measure; should you surpass the bar, having your thumb underneath prevents potential slips and associated injuries.
Form versus First Attempt: When striving for your initial muscle-up, prioritize achievement over perfect form initially. Incorporating a leg drive upward can enhance momentum and explosive power, making the initial ascent more accessible. Form refinement can follow once you've successfully conquered the muscle-up, emphasizing the importance of both arms going over simultaneously to avoid future complications.
Optimal Friction: The choice of bar matters. Tailor your selection based on environmental conditions; a wet bar from rain may provide too little friction, while using gloves might result in excessive grip strength. Opt for a bar with the right amount of friction to facilitate a smoother muscle-up.

Clothing Consideration: Be mindful of your shirt's material, particularly on the chest area. High-friction fabric can lead to discomfort, red marks, and hinder your progress. Opting for a shirt made entirely from fabric mitigates these issues, ensuring a more comfortable and successful muscle-up experience.

One Arm Pullup

First One Arm Pullup

Muscles which are being worked: Back, Biceps, Deltoids, Forearms

One Arm Pullup Now

What is a one arm pullup?

The one-arm pull-up is sometimes regarded as one of the toughest calisthenics moves to learn due to the raw strength required to perform just one rep of this exercise. I would only recommend those who are advanced in calisthenics to begin training for this exercise. I would say that if you can complete 25-30 pull-ups and a one-arm dead hang for over 10 seconds, you could potentially complete your first one-arm pull-up.

How can I accomplish this?

I achieved my first one-arm pull-up after 4-5 months of focused training, starting with 21 pull-ups and progressing to 27. For those aiming for this feat, establish a baseline of 20 pull-ups and consider adding weighted pull-ups to expedite progress and enhance back strength. I began with a 10kg dumbbell, gradually increasing to 15kg and 17.5kg, ensuring 5-10 reps at maximum effort. If weights aren’t available, perform reps to failure or improvise with a weighted backpack, keeping safety in mind.

Exercises to learn the on arm pullup:
One arm negatives

Accelerates one arm pull-up progress. Try to lower your body with one hand in a controlled motion to build the latissimus dorsi (back muscle).

Archer Pullups

3-5 each side for two sets at the end of your exercise. Builds raw strength in the back and bicep muscles. They become especially useful when integrating with regular pull-up workouts.

One arm deadhang

For fortifying grip strength and building forearm muscles.

Note: For more info, have a look at the training schedule page.

Extra One Arm Pullup Tips

Training for the one-arm pull-up at home with my pull-up bar proved advantageous due to the improved grip and reduced hand discomfort compared to an outdoor pull-up bar. Here are some insights to enhance your training experience:

Avoid Forearm Grips: Steer clear of exercises involving gripping your forearm to pull up as a practice. Sweat and oil on your skin can worsen your grip, making it harder to train the other hand. Opt for assisted one-arm pull-ups using extra fingers from your other hand on the bar for better control.
Manage Calluses: If calluses on your hands are causing discomfort and you lack gloves, a simple solution is to use a sock. Cutting a hole in an old sock provides effective protection, reducing pain during training. While it works well for home workouts, it might be best to avoid using the sock glove outdoors to avoid potential discomfort or odd looks.
Prevent Shoulder Strain: Prioritize a set of 10 pull-ups before each training session and incorporate shoulder stretches. Training for the one-arm pull-up places significant strain on the shoulders, and pre-training pull-ups help prepare the muscles. Stretching is crucial to avoid shoulder injuries, and if you experience pain, it's essential to take breaks and not push through discomfort.

GENERAL TIPS

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Never Neglect Triceps and Dips:

Dips play a pivotal role once you clear the bar for the muscle up, targeting your triceps and chest muscles. Achieving a range of 2-5 dips is generally sufficient to execute a single muscle-up. While I don't suggest making dips the primary focus of your training, having access to a dip bar can be advantageous for enhancing your overall muscle-up performance. Furthermore, they significantly increase your triceps and front deltoid strength, consider them a better alternative to pushups.

Muscles which are being worked: Chest, shoulders, triceps, upper back, and lower back.

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