Pull-Up

The gold standard for upper-body pulling strength. It builds massive lats, rhomboids, and biceps while improving grip and shoulder stability.

Exercise Details

Level
Intermediate
Body Area
upper
Type
pull
Mechanics
Compound
Required Equipment
Pull-up Bar
Pull-up Bar
Target Muscle Groups
Primary
Back
Secondary
Biceps

Setup

Grip a pull-up bar with a wide pronated grip. Hang with arms fully extended and perform a slight scapular retraction to pack the shoulders.

Instructions

1. Pull your body upward until your chin clears the bar.
2. Focus on driving your elbows down toward your ribs.
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
4. Lower yourself slowly back to the start.
5. Maintain a proud chest.

Common Mistakes

1. Using momentum or "kicking" with legs.
2. Shrugging at the top.
3. Not reaching full extension.

Alternative Exercises

Zottman Curl
Beginner / Dumbbells / Biceps / pull
A unique arm exercise that combines a standard curl with a reverse curl. It targets the biceps on the way up and the forearms on the way down.
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Suspended Row
Beginner / Rings / Back / pull
A functional pulling exercise. It builds back thickness and improves posture while the suspension trainer adds a core stability challenge.
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