How to do pull-ups

Pull-ups train...

The muscles that work the most are upper back and biceps. Pull-ups also train lower back, abdominals, shoulders and forearms.

Basic guidelines

1. Inhale on your way down and exhale on your way up. Like in any exercise you have to exhale when performing the hardest part of an exercise. In this case it’s the part where you pull your body up.

2. Keep your body straight. Keep your core region tight and don’t lift your legs up. Unless you’re performing kipping pull-ups or any other similar pull-up variations, your body should stay completely straight to let your upper back and arms do the job.

3. Perform full range of motion. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar completely. Don’t stretch your chin upwards to reach the bar faster. Lower your body down until your arms are fully stretched. Full range of motion provides a far better workout for the target muscles which in this case are upper back muscles and biceps.

Pull-ups for beginners

If you are a beginner in bodyweight exercises or fitness in general there is a big possibility you can’t do even a single chin-up or pull-up. Don’t get upset though. There are some useful tips and techniques you can use to get your first repetition. After that your progress will be faster.

• Assisted pull-ups. For this exercise you will need another person to help you. Grab the bar and let the other person hold your hips or legs. When you pull yourself up he should use his arms to push you up as well. The assistant should push you just a little so that you have plenty of work to do yourself. If you prefer to work out alone you can buy elastic resistance bands. Just throw them over the bar and put your knee or foot in the loop. That will help you a bit.

• Jumping pull-ups. For this exercise you will need a bar that you can easily reach while standing on the ground. In a pull-up exercise the hardest part is pulling yourself up. Letting yourself down is the easy part. Grab the bar with both hands. Use your legs to jump up so that your chin is above the bar. Don’t drop down. Use all the strength you have to make the down going motion as slow as possible. Repeat this exercise until you can no longer jump high enough or your back muscles can’t carry your weight anymore.

• Holding the position. For this exercise you will need a chair or something else to stand on. Step on the chair and grab the bar. Make sure that your chin is above or at least at the same level as the bar. Lift your feet a bit and hold the position for as long as you can. Don’t let your body drop.

• Body row. If you can’t do a single pull-up there is a chance you can do at least one repetition of body row. You will need a bar that is close to the ground, you may even use an edge of a table. When your arms are straight your body should be almost parallel to the ground. Pull yourself up until your chest touches the bar. If it is still too hard you may tray to do a 45 degree body row. In this exercise you will need a bar that is higher from the ground so that your body is at a 45 degree angle to the ground when your arms are extended.

Regular pull-up technique

Grab the bar a bit wider than shoulder width. Don’t think about the hand placement too much. Your body will tell you if it’s a natural position or not. Start the pulling movement in your back, so that your shoulders kind of sink in. Only then your arms join. Think of your body as a chain. The movement starts in upper back and transfers to shoulders and finally arms. Keep your abdominals tight. Your body should be perfectly straight. Make sure you don’t make any side to side or back and fourth movements. Continue the motion until your chin touches or is above the bar. Slowly lower yourself down, don’t let your body drop.

Pull-ups vs. chin-ups

People always ask “what is better, pull-ups or chin-ups?” There is no real answer, because these are two different exercises. They train similar muscles but movements aren’t the same.

For most people chin-ups are easier. People often call them reverse or opposite pull-ups. That’s because for a pull-up you use overhand grip, but for chin-up - underhand grip. When you do chin-ups a lot of work is taken away from upper back and given to biceps.

A well rounded upper back routine shouldn’t only consist of traditional pull-ups. Every pull-up variation trains your muscles slightly different. Using different pulling exercises in your workout routine will help you achieve better results than focusing only on one exercise.

Advanced pull-ups

After a while you may come to a point when traditional pull-ups and chin-ups aren’t a challenge for you anymore. Luckily there is a huge variety of different pull-up and chin-up exercises.

In the video below you can see me performing some easy as well as advanced pull-up exercises. If you can't do even a single pull-up you definitely should check it out.

Pull-up mistakes

• Too wide or too close grip. Don’t put your hands extremely wide or close to each other on the bar. Especially if you are a beginner your joints aren’t used to that kind of punishment so you can easily damage them.

• Swinging for momentum. Don't swing for momentum. If you are an advanced athlete you may use this technique. It’s actually an exercise called kipping pull-up. It’s used to teach your body to generate momentum. But if you are still a beginner you should look at it as a bad habit. Make sure you learn a proper technique, build your strength and endurance and only then try advanced movements.

• More complicated is better. The fact is - it's not. Over the years I have come to a conclusion that simpler is better. I would apply it to everything in fitness: from nutrition to proper training technique and exercises. In fitness magazines I often see articles that claim to reveal the most sophisticated and best exercises out there. I say that it’s total BS. It’s hard to find better upper back exercises than traditional pull-ups and chin-ups. So please don’t get in some weird stuff like behind the head pull-ups etc. The results will be that you will only pull your tendons and screw up your joints. Perform only those exercises that feel natural to your body and doesn’t cause any discomfort.