One Arm Chin-Up
An advanced compound strength exercise that works the upper back.
Starting position
End position
How to Do One Arm Chin-Up
- For this exercise, start out by placing a towel around a chin up bar.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- Switch arms and repeat the movement.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to One Arm Chin-Up
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a barbell.
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2
One Arm Lat Pulldown
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
-
3
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using dumbbells.
-
4
One-Arm Kettlebell Row
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a kettlebell.
-
5
One-Arm Long Bar Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a barbell.
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6
Seated One-arm Cable Pulley Rows
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
-
7
Chin-Up
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, needing no equipment.
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8
Mixed Grip Chin
An advanced compound strength exercise that works the upper back.
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9
Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a barbell.
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10
Kneeling Single-Arm High Pulley Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do one arm chin-up work?
One Arm Chin-Up primarily works the upper back. The biceps and forearms assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for one arm chin-up?
The source dataset does not record equipment for one arm chin-up. Check the instructions above before you set up.
One Arm Chin-Up: is it suitable for beginners?
One Arm Chin-Up is rated advanced. High skill or high load. Worth earning rather than starting with.
What can I do instead of one arm chin-up?
Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row, One Arm Lat Pulldown, One-Arm Dumbbell Row train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my one arm chin-up reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; one arm chin-up can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your One Arm Chin-Up with AI
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