Exercise Tutorial: Pull Up

Published: July 20th, 2020

1st Revision: April 5th, 2023

Table Of Content

What Is a Pull Up

The pull up is an excellent upper body exercise that utilizes your body weight to enhance strength, increase back, shoulder, and bicep size, and stabilize the back and core. This exercise is named the pull-up because it involves using your arms to pull your body upward until your chest touches the bar.

How to Do a Pull Up

1. Grab onto the bar with palms facing forwards (away from you) with arms about shoulder width apart or slightly wider

2. Cross one foot behind the other

3. Pull your shoulders down and back, and engage your core

4. Use your arms to pull your chest up towards the bar and your chin above the bar

5. Extend your arms to lower yourself back down, not allowing feet to touch the floor

6. Repeat for desired number of repetitions

Pull Up Form

Similar to the chin up, there are a few key points to focus on when performing pull-ups:

• Maintain a neutral spine, avoiding any rounding or extending of the back.

• Keep your shoulders down and back, avoiding any shrugging.

By keeping these considerations in mind, you can minimize the risk of strain and injury while reaping the following benefits:

Pull Up Benefits

• Improved grip strength.

• Increased upper body strength and power.

• Effective for hypertrophy (muscle growth).

• Enhanced core stability.

• Potential improvement in posture.

Why Are Pull Ups Useful

Pull-ups are a useful exercise to incorporate into your workout routine as they are excellent bodyweight exercises for building upper body strength and muscle.

This exercise is valuable not only for stabilizing your core and providing stability by bracing your back but also for improving upper body strength and promoting hypertrophy.

Pull-ups are highly adaptable, making them suitable for beginners and experienced individuals seeking greater challenges. Explore the variations below to find the most suitable option for you and gain more information to decide which variation best fits your needs!

Pull Up Muscles Worked

The Pull Up targets most of the shoulders and back, including:

• Latissimus Dorsi

• Teres Major

• Trapezius

• Bicep Brachii

• Brachialis

• Pectoralis Major

• Rhomboids

Pull Up Variations

• Banded Pull Up 

• Wide Grip Pull Up

• Muscle Up

• L-Sit Pull Ups

Banded Pull Up 

The Banded Pull Up is an excellent variation for beginners or clients who struggle with performing pull-ups unassisted. By incorporating a resistance band, the tension assists in pulling the body upward, making the exercise more achievable. Simply follow the same instructions as the conventional pull-up, but attach a resistance band to the top of the bar and position your foot or knee on the band loop, depending on its size.

Wide Grip Pull Up

For an increased challenge, the Wide Pull Up can be performed by maintaining a wider grip than shoulder-width apart. This variation targets different muscles of the back and shoulders, and the wider the grip, the more demanding the exercise becomes.

Muscle Up

To add variety and complexity to your routine, the Muscle Up combines the benefits of a pull-up and a triceps extension. Begin with a regular pull-up, raising yourself higher until the bar is at your lower pec. From this position, push away from the bar, extending your elbows to raise yourself further. Lower yourself back down while maintaining your grip on the bar, and repeat.

L-Sit Pull Ups

For an additional challenge to your core strength and stability, the L-Sit Pull is an ideal variation. Perform the pull-up as usual but extend your legs straight out in front of you, forming an "L" shape with your body. This targets the core while providing the same benefits as a traditional pull-up.

Pull Up Alternative

Here are several exercises that can be used as an alternative to the pull up or can help you gain strength to eventually do your first pull up.

• Pendlay Row

• Barbell Row

• Bent Over Row

• Lat Pulldown

• Cable Row

• Face Pull

• Inverted Row

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