Pull-Up

When it comes to traditional bodyweight exercises, you can’t get much more old-school than the pull-up. Alongside press-ups and sit-ups, these have remained the foundation of many body weight training programs as exercises have evolved. 

Whilst the exercise itself is rather simple to perform, it takes a lot of practice and effort to perfect. In our detailed guide below, we’ve explained the correct technique, programming tips, muscles worked, and the many benefits.

How To Do

  1. Set up next to a pull-up bar. This can also be performed using a power tower or power rack with a bar attachment. 
  2. Grip the bar with a pronated hand position. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Ensure your head is between your biceps with your arms fully extended. You should be hanging freely. 
  4. Pull your shoulders down to open up your chest. This is also known as scapula retraction. 
  5. Engage your core and take a deep breath in. Keep your head facing forward with your chest up.
  6. Bring your head toward the bar by flexing both elbows. Imagine driving your elbows down through the floor as you pull. 
  7. Once your chin is above the bar, pause briefly then lower to the start position under control. Ensure you breathe out on the way down.

Tips From Expert

  • Ensure you keep a tight body position throughout the movement. Your core should be braced, with the rest of your body in a straight line as you pull. 
  • Make sure that you perform the full range of motion for each repetition. For some lifters, it gets tempting to reduce their range of motion as things get more difficult. This results in them pulling to just under the bar rather than over it. 
  • Initiate the pull with your lats instead of your arms. Focus on pulling your elbows to the ground whilst activating your lats.

Optimal Sets and Reps

When programming pull-ups into your workout routine, the table below can be used as a general guide. This is for reference only and doesn’t have to be stuck to every single time you train.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 5 3–5
Hypertrophy 3–4 8–10
Endurance Training 3–4 12+
Power Training 3–5 1–3
Optimal Sets & Reps of Pull-Up

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Since a compound movement uses a functional movement pattern, the pull-up can be programmed in several ways. Your lats, back, and arms are the primary movers, making it an upper-body pulling exercise. 

As a bodybuilder, your main focus will be on hypertrophy. With the main determinants of hypertrophy being training volume and intensity, this can be achieved using different splits:

  • Bro Split — Your workouts will likely be split into chest and triceps, back and biceps, shoulder and arms, and legs. As a back and bicep exercise, program the pull-up on those days at the start of your workout.  
  • Upper/Lower — As an upper body exercise, perform the pull-up on your upper days. Use these alongside an isolation movement. 
  • Push/Pull — When using a push/pull split, the correct way to program the pull-up is rather obvious. Put them at the start of the pull day. 

If you are a beginner looking to perform the pull-up, you may need to use a progression exercise. To develop pull-up strength, the inverted row provides an excellent stepping stop. In this case, assisted pull-ups can also be performed.  

For powerlifters or strength athletes, the main focus will be on the big three lifts: the squat, the deadlift, and the bench press. Whilst the pull-up can be programmed as an accessory movement on any of these days, it should be after the main movements. As an advanced lifter, it’s likely you can already perform a pull-up using the correct form with relative ease. So, different pull-up variations may be used or weight can be added using a weight belt. Training variety tends to be more important as well.

Primary Muscle Groups

Latissimus Dorsi

Large, triangular shaped muscles located just below your shoulder blades. They extend along your spine down to your pelvis.

Lower Trapezius

Small, triangular shaped muscles located below your middle traps and between your lats.

Latissimus Dorsi

During the pull-up, your lats are the major muscle groups. This is especially the case when using a wider grip position. The main role of your lats is to move your arms closer to your body. 

Before performing each rep, you pull with your lats whilst imagining dragging your elbows down to the floor. This stops you from yanking yourself up using just your biceps. As a primary mover, the pull-up is a great exercise to build and strengthen your lat muscles.

Lower Trapezius

Your trapezius muscles are made up of three muscle groups. These are your upper traps, middle traps, and lower traps. Your lower traps are located below your middle traps and between your lat muscles. 

The main function of your trap muscles is to stabilize and move your scapula. More specifically, your lower traps help your upper traps to rotate your scapula.

When performing a pull-up, your lower trap muscles mainly help to pull your shoulders back and down as you pull your chin up to the bar. They are mainly involved during the upper portion of the repetition and as you lower yourself down under control.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Upper Trapezius

Triangular shaped muscles located between your neck and shoulder blades.

Middle Trapezius

Muscles located in the middle of your back between your upper and lower traps.

Biceps Long Head

Most outside part of your bicep.The front of your upper arm.

Biceps Short Head

Most inside portion of the biceps. Located at the front of your upper arm closest to your chest.

Brachialis

Muscle which starts at the middle of your upper arm and connects just below the elbow.

Wrist Flexors

Muscles that span the inside of your lower arm, between your elbow and wrist palm side up.

Wrist Extensors

Muscles that make up the back portion of your lower arm, between your elbow and wrist.

Posterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the back of your shoulder. Helps with posture.

Biceps Brachii 

Your biceps brachii is made up of two muscle groups. These are your biceps long head and your biceps short head. The long head is located on the outside of your arm while the short head is on the inside.  

Your bicep brachii muscles should work alongside your lats to bring your chin above the bar. They help to flex at your elbow joints which is the main movement pattern when performing a pull-up. 

The pull-up will strengthen and grow your biceps to an extent. However, as it is a secondary mover, dedicated bicep exercises will be better.

Upper And Middle Trapezius

Your traps are located in the middle of your back alongside your lats. Your traps help to stabilize your body position when performing pulling exercises whilst your lats do most of the work.

During the pull-up, your traps largely perform a secondary stabilizer role, They will get a small muscle growth stimulus however dedicated exercises will be better. 

Posterior Deltoid

Your posterior deltoids make up one of your three deltoid heads. The others are your anterior deltoids and lateral deltoids. Your posterior deltoids are located at the back of your shoulders.

During the pull-up, they act as key shoulder stabilizers. They prevent your shoulders from rounding forward when pulling toward the bar. 

As a supporting muscle, your posterior deltoids don't benefit too much as far as muscle growth and strength. The pull-up will provide a small stimulus that can help with strength over time.

Brachioradialis And Brachialis

Your brachioradialis is one of the inner muscles of your forearm just below your biceps. Your brachialis forms part of your bicep as a small muscle group. It’s between your two bicep heads and tricep just above your forearm.

Both muscles act as key elbow flexors and stabilizers during the pull-up. Performing regular pull-ups helps to strengthen both of these muscle groups. The contribution of each will change at different points in the movement. 

Wrist Flexors And Wrist Extensors

Your wrist flexors and extensors are the inner and outer muscle groups in your forearm. These work together to move your elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand digits.

During the pull-up, your wrist flexors and extensors primarily help you maintain a firm grip on the bar. Your wrist flexors flex your wrist and assist with abduction movements. Your wrist extensors extend your wrist and assist with adduction. 

Both of these movements are essential to properly grip the bar during the pull-up movement. Performing regular pull-ups helps to strengthen both these muscle groups and improve your grip strength.

Equipment

Pull Up Bar

Bodyweight

Pull-Up Bar

This is great for compound upper-body movements. Make sure you set it up in a suitable area with a higher ceiling. Ensure a secure grip to avoid falls.

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Weighted Pull-Up

Chair Inverted Rows

Chin-Up

Pulse Rows

Wide-Grip Pull-Up

Prone Y Raise

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Assisted Pull-Up

Lat Pulldown

Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row

Dumbbell Pullover

Barbell Bent-Over Row

Straight Arm Lat Pulldown

Assisted Chin-Up

Standing Cable Lat Pulldown

Inverted Row

Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

Who Should Do?

Strength And Power Athletes

Strength and power athletes tend to have similar goals. These include building upper-body strength, improving grip, and becoming better at overhead movements. 

For powerlifters, having stronger lats and core muscles can help to improve performance in the big three lifts. Thus, pull-ups provide an excellent way to develop better strength when programmed alongside their main movements.

Bodybuilders

As a bodybuilder, your main goal is likely to improve your overall body composition and aesthetics. Pull-ups work a large proportion of your upper-body muscles. This makes them great for developing a wide upper body and great v-taper.  

Better strength also allows you to move more weight. This can help to improve the intensity of training and enhance hypertrophy. 

Functional Fitness Athletes

As a functional fitness athlete, most of your movements will involve your full body. CrossFitters regularly perform kipping pull-ups during training and competition. Rowers require a large amount of pulling strength over a long period. 

In these cases, adding pull-ups into your training routine can help to improve strength and posture. Both of these should be beneficial for performance. 

The General Population

One of the great things about pull-ups is that they can be performed by any ability level and regardless of available equipment. If you can’t do a normal pull-up, add a resistance band or use an assisted machine. If you can’t afford a gym membership or don’t have a bar, visit your local park.  

Who Should Not Do?

People With Pre-Existing Injuries

If you have a pre-existing injury such as a shoulder impingement or bicep tear, performing pull-ups isn’t a good idea. 

In this case, wait for the healing process to finish and consult a medical professional before performing pull-ups. We can apply this general rule to most resistance-based exercises.

People With A Lack Of Grip Strength

If you can’t maintain a strong grip, you likely won’t be able to focus on the right technique cues. Throughout the set, your grip shouldn’t move. Towards the end of the set you may need to readjust as you fatigue but it should be otherwise strong. 

In this case, it might be a good idea to work on grip strength performing easier pulling exercises such as inverted rows. 

Benefits Of The Pull-Up

Whatever your ability level and workout goals, the pull-up can make an excellent addition to your program. Here are just some of the awesome benefits:

Strengthens Upper Body Muscles

The pull-up is one of the most effective upper body exercises to build strength and power. They mainly involve your lats, traps, biceps, posterior deltoids, and forearms. 

Proper pull-ups aren’t easy. Because of the compound movement pattern, they provide an intense stimulus to each of these upper-body muscles. 

They are easy to scale and progress depending on your ability level, making them well-suited as a strength-building exercise. 

When grasping the bar, your forearms and hands need to maintain a strong grip. Regular pull-ups can help to build grip strength, which can translate well to other lifts. 

Improves Functional Movement

To complete a pull-up, your entire body needs to work together. Your lats need to be engaged and your core needs to brace to keep your body from moving. 

With this, the pull-up has great carry-over applications into everyday movements and sporting events that also require full-body coordination. Whether you’re trying to climb onto a bunk bed or rock climb on a mountain, pull-ups can help. 

Promotes Good Posture

When performing the pull-up, your chest needs to stay up with your head facing forward. Your core needs to brace to stop your body from moving. 

Each of these technique cues can help promote good posture when applied to everyday life. This is especially true when sitting at work for long periods or driving a vehicle over long distances. 

Accessible And Convenient

One of the best things about performing a pull-up is the ease of access and convenient nature. To start off, all you need is a suitable bar that’s higher than the length of your body. This can be a parking structure, football goal, or the pull-up bar at the top of the power rack. 

With little equipment and just your body weight needed to start, the pull-up is accessible for all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are pull-ups for beginners?

Pull-ups are a versatile exercise that can be adapted to any ability level. If a beginner already possesses good starting strength, they may be able to do a pull-up. If not, assisted methods can be used.

What is the trick for pull-ups?

Before starting the pull-up, ensure you have a firm grip with your arms spaced at the correct width. Brace your core and keep a tight body position. Engage your lats to lift your body.

Why is pull-up so difficult?

Pull-ups require you to lift your entire body with just your arms and shoulder muscles. They rely on combined effort between multiple muscle groups.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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