Intermediate

Single-Arm Dead Hang

Taking one hand off the bar roughly doubles the grip demand and adds a strong shoulder-stability and lat component as you fight rotation. It is a simple progression toward one-arm pulling and a great grip builder once a two-hand hang feels easy. Keep the working shoulder active rather than hanging fully slack.

Equipment
Pull-Up Bar
Body part
Forearms, Lats
Type
Strength
Browse by muscle
Brachioradialis
Muscles worked
Target
Brachioradialis
Secondary
Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius Lower
Tertiary
Extensors

How to do it

  1. 1

    Reach up and take a solid overhand grip on a pull-up bar with one hand.

  2. 2

    Let the other arm hang or rest lightly across your body.

  3. 3

    Ease your feet off the support so your bodyweight loads the single hand.

  4. 4

    Keep a slight tension in the shoulder rather than dropping into a dead sag.

  5. 5

    Resist twisting by bracing the trunk and squeezing the bar hard.

  6. 6

    Hold for time, then step down and switch hands.

Tips

  • Keep the shoulder packed down and away from the ear to protect the joint.
  • Build up from two-hand hangs before attempting long single-arm holds.
  • Use chalk and squeeze the bar to extend your hang time.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The body spins slowly under the bar and most people let it, which grinds the shoulder at the end of its range; brace the trunk and rest the free hand against your ribs.
  • The strong side goes first and gets the longer hold, so the imbalance this drill exists to expose gets reinforced instead of fixed; match both arms to the weaker side's time.
  • A free hand resting on the working wrist or back on the bar quietly takes a share of the load, and the hold stops being single-arm.
  • Legs kick to fight the twist, setting up a pendulum that loads and unloads the shoulder with every swing.

Frequently asked

How long should I hold a single-arm dead hang?
Wait until a two-hand hang is comfortable for 45 to 60 seconds, then start with three holds per arm of 8 to 15 seconds and a minute of rest. Expect roughly a third of your two-hand time, not half. Build by adding a set before adding seconds, and run the weaker arm first so it gets the honest effort. Two sessions a week sits well alongside other pulling work.
How do I make the single-arm dead hang easier or harder?
To make it easier, leave one foot on a box, or hold the bar with one hand and hook two fingers of the other alongside it, removing them one at a time. A band looped over the bar and under a foot takes off a set amount. To make it harder, wear a weight vest, hang from a towel or a thick bar, or let the free hand hover away from the body so the trunk has more rotation to resist.
What is the single-arm dead hang good for?
It builds one-sided grip and shoulder stability, and it is a standard step toward a one-arm pull-up or harder climbing holds. It also shows up side-to-side differences that two-hand work hides. It is a poor choice if you have a history of shoulder dislocation or ongoing shoulder pain, because one arm takes the full load at the end of its range. If grip endurance is all you want, two-hand hangs give far more total time under load.

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