One-Arm Lock-Off

Pull vertical (one-arm hold) · seconds per side · unilateral The active top hold on one arm — and the safe way to build the one-arm descent.

The movement

Hold the top of a one-arm pull-up: chin over the bar, working elbow bent, free hand off, body square — for time. It is the one-arm mirror of the dead hang: the dead hang holds the bottom, the lock-off holds the top. Hold on one side, then switch, and pair each hold with a slow, controlled lower.

Set-up — and what each part is for

• Working hand pronated on the bar, thumb wrapped; free hand at the chest, gripping nothing.
• Get to the top by any safe means — a box step, a small jump, or a band — then settle into the one-arm hold. → feel the working shoulder packed down, the elbow bent and holding, the body square against the twist.

The hold

• Hold chin over the bar, body square, for the prescribed time.
• Then lower slowly (3–5 s) to a straight arm, fully controlled — this trains the one-arm descent safely. Stop the set before the lower turns ragged.

Breathing

Steady through the hold; exhale on the lower. No long breath-holds.

Watch for

• Body twisting toward the free side → hold the trunk square; the obliques work.
• A fast or dropping lower → the whole point is a controlled descent; if you can’t control it, start higher or add a touch of help. (This is what replaces risky one-arm negatives.)
• Shoulder shrugging toward the ear → keep it packed down.
• Uneven sides → equal time each side, weaker side first.

Within the level

• Harder: hold at a lower elbow angle (~90°, the sticking point); longer holds; slower lowers.
• Easier: hold higher (chin well over); shorter holds; a light band or finger touch to steady, removed over time.

Dose

Test your max clean hold per side (stop before it breaks), then hold half of that per set, spread through the day, weaker side first. Add a slow controlled lower after each hold.