Upper body · Back
Pull-ups
How to do pull-ups with good form, which muscles they work, how to progress if you cannot do one yet, and the mistakes that hold people back the most.
| Focus | Back · biceps, forearms, abs |
| Movement | Vertical pull |
| Equipment | Bodyweight |
| Suggested sets | 4 × máx |
| Estimated time | ≈ 10 min |
| Joints loaded |
A pull-up means hanging from a bar and pulling your body up until your chin clears it. It is the most complete bodyweight pull for the back and a good measure of relative strength. For many people, getting their first pull-up is a goal in itself.
Muscles worked
The lats do most of the work, together with the teres major, rhomboids and lower traps. The biceps and forearm muscles work hard, and your abs keep your body from swinging.
How to do it
- Hang from the bar with your palms facing forward, hands slightly wider than shoulder width, arms straight.
- Engage your shoulders by pulling them down, without bending your elbows yet (your body rises a few centimeters).
- Pull by driving your elbows down and out, chest toward the bar.
- Rise until your chin clears the bar, without craning your neck to get there.
- Lower under control until your arms are fully straight.
Common mistakes
- Half reps without straightening the arms at the bottom.
- Swinging or kicking to get up (kipping is a different technique with a different goal).
- Craning your neck toward the bar instead of lifting your body.
- Shoulders shrugged up to your ears the whole time.
How to progress if you cannot do one
- Dead hangs of 20 to 30 seconds to build grip.
- Negatives: jump or step up to the top and lower yourself over 3 to 5 seconds.
- Assisted pull-ups with a machine or resistance band, reducing the help gradually.
- Keep training the lat pulldown with loads close to your body weight.
Once you can do 8 to 10 in a row, you can add weight with a dip belt.
Precautions
They load the shoulder, elbow and wrist. If your elbow bothers you, try a neutral grip (palms facing each other) or an underhand grip (chin-ups).
Alternatives with less joint load
They train the same muscle group. Highlighted joints are also loaded by the exercise on this page.
- Straight-arm cable pulldown · Vertical pull
- Assisted pull-ups · Vertical pull
- Lat pulldown · Vertical pull
- Seated machine row · Row / horizontal pull
- Single-arm cable row · Row / horizontal pull
Log your sets for this exercise and see your progress month by month.
Start for freeIf you have an injury, pain or a medical condition, check with a professional before doing this exercise.