Do Pull Ups Work Abs? Benefits & Variation In 2024

If you have performed the pull-up, you would experienced the immense full-body contraction to get your chin toward the bar.  

But the question many of us want to know is, do pull ups work abs? Or is this just your body struggling to engage all muscles and hoping for the best?

In this article, we will answer whether pull ups work abs. We will explore anatomy, tips, benefits, and variation, providing a comprehensive insight into this powerful exercise.

Do Pull Ups Work Abs?

Pull ups do work abs. The pull up’s primary mover is the latissimus dorsi, however, our abdominals isometrically contract. This is when the muscle contracts, but does not change in length. 

The isometric contraction described above increases the pressure within the abdominal cavity. This pressure is called intra-abdominal pressure. It serves the purpose of increasing the stability of the spine, which is beneficial for lifting heavy loads.

Furthermore, the increased stability and stiffness surrounding the spine, allow our upper and lower body to work together. This increases core rigidity, minimizing unwanted movement, and improving lifting capacity. 

The pull up is one of the most difficult pull-based exercises in the gym. This is because it requires us to lift our body weight, which can be challenging even for season lifters. 

For example, when we perform the lat pulldown, we do so at a fraction of our weight. A person weighing 180 lbs may only be able to pull down 140 lbs. When the weight increases beyond this, control, stability, and strength are tested. 

This is why many people struggle to perform the pull-up for the first time. Because of this, many bridge the gap using the assisted pull up machine. It uses a pin-based weight system and platform to assist during the upward phases of the pull up. As we progress, we can decrease the assisting weight until we can lift our weight fully.

Anatomy Of The Abdominals

Our abdominals consist of four muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and internal and external obliques. Each muscle has a different location, providing a different function for the torso and supporting the spine. They work together to flex, extend, rotate, and stabilize our spine.

Upper Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located just below the lower chest and above the lower abdominals. Between your ribs and pubic bone.

Lower Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located below your upper abs and above your public bone between your ribs.

Obliques

Muscles located on the sides of your rectus abdominals. Runs on the sides of your trunk.

Rectus Abdominis

Our rectus abdominis is located at the front of the torso below the chest. It originates from the pubic symphysis, a joint linking your right and left pelvis bones. It then inserts to the cartilage of the fifth and seventh ribs and to the sternum. Its role is to flex the spine and stabilize the core. 

It works alongside the other muscles of the abdomen to generate intra-abdominal pressure. 
During the pull up, our rectus abdominis isometrically contracts, increasing intra-abdominal pressure. The rectus abdominis muscle activation rate is approximately 158% during this exercise. This increases rigidity through the torso, stabilizing our spine and core to improve our lifting capacity.

External Obliques

The external obliques are superficial muscles located on the front and sides of your abdomen. They attach from the fifth and twelfth ribs, running downward, diagonally to the pelvis. Their purpose is to rotate and laterally flex the torso.

When we perform the pull up, these muscles isometrically contract, stabilizing the torso and increasing intra-abdominal pressure.

Internal Obliques

Our internal obliques are located beneath the external obliques. They originate from the fascia (thick fibrous tissue) of the lower back and pelvis. The fibers run diagonally and upward, inserting into the midline of the body. Their purpose is to rotate and laterally flex the torso.

During the pull up, the internal obliques contribute to increasing torso rigidity. As mentioned this reduces unwanted movement and improves lifting capacity.

Transverse Abdominus

Your transverse abdominis is a corset-like muscle and is the deepest abdominal muscle. It arises from the fifth through tenth rib cartilage, lower back fascia, and pelvis. It runs around the front of the abdomen and joins into the thick connective tissue alongside the rectus abdominis muscle. Its functions increase torso stability and intra-abdominal pressure.

Pull Up Training Tips For The Abs 

• Focus on breathing and engaging your core at the beginning of each set. With your hands firmly holding the bar, inhale, and engage your core muscles. Then, exhale as you pull yourself up. It has been shown that core exercises that focus on breathing are more effective for improving abdominal fitness.
• To increase core activation consider tucking your hips under, or posteriorly tilting your pelvis. This will help shorten and contract the rectus abdominis and improve contraction.
• During the pull up, your legs should be straight and vertical, in line with your body. From here, lift them slightly to a 30-degree angle. This will place greater pressure on the abdominal muscle.
• Maintain correct form for the duration of the set and avoid using the momentum of swinging. This will allow you to focus on contracting your core muscles, improving your ability to contract your abdominal muscles.    

Other Benefits Of Pull Ups

The pull up is a phenomenal upper-body exercise for progressively overloading to increase muscle mass. Below we list some of the common benefits of pull ups and why you should consider adding them to your routine

Develops Upper Body Strength

Developing upper body strength requires us to produce maximal force against external resistance at a high intensity. Our back contains some of the largest muscle groups in the body and is capable of considerable strength. Compound exercises are excellent for this as they use multiple joints, allowing us to increase resistance. 

The pull up engages our back, biceps, wrist flexors, wrist extensor, and abdominal muscles. Using our body weight offers a near-maximal load, at high intensity, increasing our strength.

Building Muscle Mass

Building muscle mass requires a progressive overload of muscle tissue, by increasing resistance, sets, repetitions, or intensity. This can be done using compound and isolation exercises as they allow us to increase resistance, intensity, and volume.

The pull up is a compound movement that uses our body weight to engage our upper body. We can progressively overload the pull up by increasing sets and repetitions. Resistance can also be increased by using a weight belt. This will provide a greater stimulus for muscle growth.

Builds A Well-Balanced Physique

Developing a great upper-body physique requires an increase in lean muscle mass. This entails a targeted approach. Both compound and isolation exercises should be used to increase resistance and volume to promote growth.

Compound exercises are excellent for overloading groups of muscles, with greater resistance. In contrast, isolation exercises enable us to target and increase the training volume of specific muscles.

Our back and biceps make up a large portion of our upper body physique. The pull up allows us to overload these muscles with significant resistance, helping us develop a well-balanced physique.

Pull-Up Variations To Work Abs

The pull up is a versatile exercise that can be modified to increase resistance and target our abdominals. Below is a list of variations, including their benefits.

Weighted Pull Ups

The weighted pull up uses a weight belt to increase resistance. The weight belt is fastened around the waist with weight plates attached to the chain. The additional load increases intensity, requiring greater engagement of the abdominals for stability.  

This variation of the pull up is an excellent way to overload abdominal muscle with a near-maximal load. This makes it great for increasing strength.   

L-Sit Pull Ups

L-sit pull up are one of the best ways to increase upper body mass and target the abdominals. This exercise requires you to perform the pull-up with your legs out straight, forming an L-shape.

Maintaining this position requires an incredible amount of core strength, as our abdominals isometrically contract to support the legs. This, combined with the motion of the pull up, makes it a powerful pull up ab variation.

If you want to try the L-sit pull up, consider adding it to your ab workouts at home or pull up bar ab workout. By adding it to these workouts you can increase abdominal training volume, therefore increasing strength.   

Conclusion

The pull up is a powerful compound exercise for developing our upper body. Using nothing more than our body weight. It enables us to lift at a high intensity with near-maximal load. This requires our abdominal muscles to engage and increase intra-abdominal pressure to create rigidity and stability. 

Furthermore, it is incredible for increasing muscle mass, and strength, and enhances our physique. This makes it one of the best upper body exercises you can perform.

Frequently Asked Questions