One Arm Chin-Up

How to do the One Arm Chin-Up

1. For this exercise, start out by placing a towel around a chin up bar.
2. Grab the chin-up bar with your palm facing you. One hand will be grabbing the chin-up bar and the other will be grabbing the towel.
3. Bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.v
4. Pull your torso up until the bar touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
5. After a second on the contracted position, start to inhale and slowly lower your torso back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched.
6. Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
7. Switch arms and repeat the movement.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	middle back
Secondary	biceps, forearms, lats
Equipment	other equipment
Difficulty	expert
Type	compound

No other equipment? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Dumbbell Incline Row Dumbbell Inverted Row Bodyweight Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row Dumbbell Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms In Dumbbell One-Arm Dumbbell Row Dumbbell Alternating Renegade Row Kettlebell

Easier than the One Arm Chin-Up

Same movement pattern, lower entry difficulty — work up from here.

Dumbbell Incline Row beginner · Dumbbell Bent Over Barbell Row beginner · Barbell Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row beginner · Barbell

Superset the One Arm Chin-Up with

Opposing chest work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Dips - Chest Version chest Suspended Push-Up chest Svend Press chest Plyo Kettlebell Pushups chest

Common questions

What muscles does the One Arm Chin-Up work?

The One Arm Chin-Up primarily works the mid back, with the biceps, forearms, and lats as secondary movers. Dumbbell Incline Row, Alternating Renegade Row, and Bent Over Barbell Row train the same muscle, across 8 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the One Arm Chin-Up?

The Right Equipment. Without the right equipment, Dumbbell Incline Row, Inverted Row, and Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row train the same muscle, and 4 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the One Arm Chin-Up suitable for beginners?

It is rated expert. Start with Dumbbell Incline Row, Bent Over Barbell Row, and Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row and work up.

Where should the One Arm Chin-Up go in a workout?

Early — the One Arm Chin-Up is compound, working 4 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh, then superset Dips - Chest Version and Suspended Push-Up later.

Similar exercises

Dumbbell Incline Row Dumbbell Alternating Renegade Row Kettlebell Bent Over Barbell Row Barbell Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row Barbell Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row Barbell Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row Dumbbell