Offset pull-ups

Who it's for

The step between two-arm pull-ups and one-arm work. One hand takes most of the load while the other keeps you honest, which is much kinder on the elbows than jumping straight to assisted one-arms.

You'll get the most out of it once normal pull-ups feel easy for a good set and you've been climbing and training for a year or two. If you can't yet do several clean pull-ups in a row, build those first. If an elbow or shoulder is already sore, get a physio to look at it before loading one arm this hard.

Common mistakes

• Towel hand too high. Twenty to thirty centimetres lower, at least. If both hands are level, it's a normal pull-up.
• Twisting toward the working side. Stay square.
• Skipping the second side. Both sides every set, same reps, even if one is clearly weaker.
• Grinding out reps. Three to five clean ones. When the form goes, the set is done.
• Dropping out of the top. Lower slowly all the way to a straight arm. Dropping fast loads the elbow and skips half the rep.
• Pulling with the towel hand. The low hand guides and helps a bit. If it's doing half the work, move it lower on the towel.

How to progress

Lower the towel hand, then add weight. When five clean reps a side with a low towel hand feel controlled, assisted one-arm pull-ups are the next step.

How to make it easier

Hold the towel higher, so the offset is small and the lower hand does more. You can also hold a second bar or a lower rung of a ladder with the low hand, which feels steadier than a towel, or loop a resistance band over the bar under your feet. Do fewer reps a side and keep every one clean.

Where it fits in your week

It fits a Base, Strength, Power or Performance period. Do it on a strength day off the wall or after climbing, with a proper warm-up of normal pull-ups first. In a Performance period, keep the sets few and fresh so it doesn't take energy from your climbing. Leave a day between it and other heavy pulling.

Questions

What are offset pull-ups?

Offset pull-ups are pull-ups with one hand on the bar and the other lower down, usually holding a towel or sling 20-30 cm below the bar. The high hand does most of the work and the low hand helps. They sit between normal pull-ups and one-arm pull-ups, and you train both sides each set.

Are offset pull-ups good for one-arm pull-ups?

Yes, offset pull-ups are a common step toward one-arm pull-ups and one-arm lock-offs. They load one arm much more than a normal pull-up while the low hand still helps. As the low hand moves further down the towel, the high arm takes more of the work, which builds toward pulling on one arm.

How low should the offset hand be on a pull-up?

Start with the low hand about 20-30 cm below the bar. Any higher and it's nearly a normal pull-up. Move the hand lower down the towel to make it harder, once you can do clean reps on both sides. When reps start twisting or grinding, the hand has gone too low for now.

How many offset pull-ups should you do?

Do 4 sets of 3-5 reps per side, with 2 minutes rest between sets. Do one side, then the other, and count that as one set. Keep every rep clean and controlled, and stop the set when your form breaks down. Add difficulty by moving the low hand further down the towel.