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Pull Up

Hanging from a bar with your palms facing away, you pull yourself up until your chin clears it. The classic test of back and arm strength.

intermediatepull up bar

Pull Up, start position
START
Pull Up, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START1
  1. Use a bar you can reach from the floor or a low step.
HOW TO DO IT

Hang from the bar

  1. Grab the bar a little wider than your shoulders with your palms facing away from you.
  2. Hang with your arms straight and your feet off the floor. Cross your ankles or bend your knees if the bar is low.
  3. Pull your shoulders down away from your ears before you start.

Check: You are hanging still with straight arms, shoulders pulled down, and your body not swinging.

Pull up

  1. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Think of driving your elbows down to your sides.
  2. Pause for a second at the top.

Check: Your chin is above the bar, your elbows are down by your sides, and you are not kicking or swinging.

Lower slowly

  1. Lower yourself slowly until your arms are straight again.

Check: You are hanging with straight arms again, still and in control.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then step down onto the floor or step rather than dropping.

Breathe out as you pull up; breathe in as you lower over 2 to 3 seconds.

MUSCLES WORKED
Pull Up: muscles worked, front view
Pull Up: muscles worked, back view

latsupper backbiceps

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Kicking the legs or swinging to get up. Momentum does the work. Fix: Keep your body still; if you cannot pull up without swinging, use a band or a pulldown machine first.
  • Stopping with the chin below the bar. Fix: Pull until your chin clears the bar; do fewer reps if you have to.
  • Dropping fast to the bottom. Fix: Lower over 2 to 3 seconds; the lowering builds as much strength as the pull.
SAFETY2
  • Step down after the set rather than dropping, to protect your shoulders.
  • If you cannot do one rep, start with pulldowns or slow lowers from the top.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • pull up bar · height: high enough to hang with straight arms and feet off the floor
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: wide grip pulldown

variants: pull up with a supinated grip, behind the neck pull up

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