Goal achieved - did a one arm chin up.

BrianD3

I just did a genuine one arm chin up from a full dead hang to over the bar. Have been working at one armers on and off since about February last year. It was on and off because I injured myself several times, got fed up etc.

I already had a good base for starting one arm training because I had been doing weighted two arm pullups since about mid 2003.

In the last month I have made good progress with the one arm training and got really close to doing one with my right arm. I had feeling that if i took off my boots that would lighten me enough to get a full ROM! And so it was. I weighed 73.5 kg including clothes.

Now I'm going to work on my left arm, I believe my left side should be as strong as my right but I don't have the same coordination/technique with my left and can only get about 1/2 way up.

Boru.

Awesome. Simply awesome. Well done.

Takeshi_Kovacs

Yeah great job.. Didn't realise how hard one is, just tried doing one there... hah holding on was a struggle...

Hanley

That's actually sick. Well done!!

davyjose

Excellent Brian, good on ya. Is that palm(s) facing out, or in?

HammerHeadGym

Outstanding!!

BrianD3

Thanks for the comments lads!

@ davyjose it was palm facing in but my body was to the side of the bar rather than facing it. Also I didn't come up in a dead straight line but kind of "corkscrewed" myself up. This seems to be the agreed best/easiest method for doing a OAC.

HammerHeadGym

BrianD3 wrote:

...OAC.

Look at him, using slang like he's been doing them all his life

No, seriously mate. OUTSTANDING!!

Anyone who thinks it's not that big a deal, try just hanging from a bar for ten seconds.

BrianD3

Thanks Hammerhead I just have to say that my relatively light bodyweight was a big factor in being able to do this. I weigh about 160 pounds with very little fat and while it took a lot of dedication and effort to get the OAC it was still do-able.

If I was a little 90 lb Chinese female gymnast it'd have been a much more trivial matter. The other side is that a 200 lb guy is going to find it extremely difficult even if he's as strong as **** and @ 5% bodyfat. And I believe that if you're a human weighing 250 pounds or over it is likely *impossible* for you to do a one arm chinup. Reason - diminishing returns and all that.

Hanley

BrianD3 wrote:

If I was a little 90 lb Chinese female gymnast it'd have been a much more trivial matter. The other side is that a 200 lb guy is going to find it extremely difficult even if he's as strong as **** and @ 5% bodyfat. And I believe that if you're a human weighing 250 pounds or over it is likely *impossible* for you to do a one arm chinup. Reason - diminishing returns and all that.

Fair points again.

I've done OAC's holding onto my wrist with my free hand, obviously not a true OAC. THe one thing I found was that grip strength is definately a limiting factor. I could do only do 3 reps without straps, but 6 with them.

Easygainer

I think the real question is, what's the next goal?

Gonna put on a bit of mass in a month or so cos I'm pretty damn lean at the moment - reckon I could work toward a 6rm of weighted dips with +80kg hanging from me (have done +65kg for 8 or 10 before at a bodyweight of 110kg)but really working on bringing up my weak points which means bye bye to a 6 plate a side squat!

amazingemmet

You b@stard! (i'm jealous can you tell?)

Nice one! Now tiem to go for reps

BrianD3

Emmet, did you see this interview with Jack Arnow where he talks about Jasper Benincasa and chin ups generally.
http://www.beastskills.com/Arnow.htm

Very interesting article. I've always felt that there's a definite "cult" appeal to one arm chin ups and I love reading about Benincasa, John Gill etc.

BrianD3

Jasper Benincasa can do a one arm chin up and a 100% added bodyweight weighted chin up, there's also the small matter of him being EIGHTY FIVE YEARS OF AGE :eek:

In his prime his many amazing achievements included a 200% added bodyweight weighted chin up.

Jack Arnow is 64 years old and can do one arm chin ups.

If Jack and Jasper aren't inspirational figures, I don't know who are.

Pic of Jack Arnow and Jim Bathurst doing 1 arm lockoffs.

Takeshi_Kovacs

BrianD3 wrote:

Jasper Benincasa can do a one arm chin up and a 100% added bodyweight weighted chin up, there's also the small matter of him being EIGHTY FIVE YEARS OF AGE :eek:

In his prime his many amazing achievements included a 200% added bodyweight weighted chin up.

Jack Arnow is 64 years old and can do one arm chin ups.

If Jack and Jasper aren't inspirational figures, I don't know who are.

Pic of Jack Arnow and Jim Bathurst doing 1 arm lockoffs.

If I was a little 90 lb Chinese female gymnast it'd have been a much more trivial matter. The other side is that a 200 lb guy is going to find it extremely difficult even if he's as strong as **** and @ 5% bodyfat. And I believe that if you're a human weighing 250 pounds or over it is likely *impossible* for you to do a one arm chinup. Reason - diminishing returns and all that.

Just did a bit of further reading on this one arm chin up and a fella by the name of Yuri Vlasov was able to do a one arm chin up at a weight of 280 lb..
http://www128.pair.com/r3d4k7/Chinups.html


....
WOW
:eek:

davyjose

BrianD3 wrote:

Thanks for the comments lads!

@ davyjose it was palm facing in but my body was to the side of the bar rather than facing it. Also I didn't come up in a dead straight line but kind of "corkscrewed" myself up. This seems to be the agreed best/easiest method for doing a OAC.

I figured. I only asked because I figured palms out was not possible, balance/weight wise. Great feat man. what's the next goal? Reps?

BrianD3

davyjose wrote:

I figured palms out was not possible, balance/weight wise.

Unless your name is Jasper Benincasa

I'd say the next goal will be to try for some more reps and then add weight. I'm not really a fan of doing many reps of any exercise. A OAC with say 10 kg attached would interest me more than doing 10 reps with just BW.

amazingemmet

Theres a vid of some guy on crossfit.com doing five each arm hand facing out tis well sick

Takeshi_Kovacs

Great exercise for rock climbers...
mental strength http://youtube.com/watch?v=k9QNyG0oBBU

Jim B

palms out (OAP) is harder than palms in (OAC), although they are both pretty hard.

With the palm facing out, the bones of the forearm are twisted and the bicep can not activate as strongly as a palm-in position. It's the same reason a reverse curl is harder than a normal bicep curl.

It also feels very awkward pulling the chin up and over the bar with a OAP as well. That's why even in the videos of high rep one arm pullups, you don't see the chinner's chin go over the bar much at all.

In terms of future goals, either adding reps or adding weight are both very difficult. I've managed 10 extra lbs with my one arm chin, but it's been hard fought.

BrianD3

:eek: Are you the Jim B of beastskills.com? Welcome to boards.ie! Your site is excellent and you have some serious feats of strength!

edit: I just did a OAP (palms away) there a minute ago. And I left my boots on for this one! I'd say I got a boost due to the excitement of this thread.

For about a month now I have been experimenting doing pull ups with one hand gripping normally and just the tip of one finger of the other hand. Or alternatively a normal grip with one hand and a pinch grip with the fingertips of the other. This was in addition to working toward the OAC and normal weighted pull ups.

For the past 3.5 years about I have been doing a lot of weighted pull ups but I only started doing weighted chin ups very recently and am actually weaker at them. At the moment I am doing just under bodyweight for 1 in the pull ups and approx 55 kg for one in the chin ups.