Pound for pound, few bodyweight exercises rival the pull-up in terms of building strength and lean mass. That’s because pull-ups work so many muscles at once: To successfully get your chin above the bar, you need a strong upper body, core, and grip.
But lifting your entire body as you dangle from a bar is no easy task, which is why pull-ups can be, well, hella intimidating. Still, don’t shy away from the challenge—they’re infamously tough (and for good reason), but pull-ups are not impossible.
With commitment and consistency, you can achieve one rep, and then another. And another. Until you’re cranking out a whole set.
Whether you’re training for your first (or 20th) pull-up, read on to learn how to nail the move with perfect form, exactly which muscles pull-ups work, and all the bonuses they offer for your body (spoiler alert: there are a lot).
How to do a pull-up with perfect form every time
Like any exercise, you need proper form to make the pull-up effective and to reduce your risk of injury. Here’s how to perfect your pull-up technique.
- Hang from a bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart or a little wider.
- Keep your shoulders back and down (imagine tucking your shoulder blades into your back pockets).
- Pull your chin toward the bar, focus on bringing your elbows down to toward your lats (instead of concentrating on getting your chin over the bar).
- Slowly lower yourself to the starting position.
Pull-ups: muscles worked
Part of the reason pull-ups are so tough? They target a ton of upper-body muscles.
The primary muscles are the lats (i.e., the latissimus dorsi, the largest muscle in your back known for its “V” shape) and the biceps, says Ben Lauder-Dykes, a NYC-based personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and run coach.
But pull-ups also work these muscles:
- Trapezius (another large muscle in your back that runs from the base of your neck, across your shoulders, and down to the middle of your back)
- Rhomboids (upper-back muscles that connect between your spine and your shoulder blades)
- Rear deltoids (muscles on the backside of the shoulders)
- Forearms (the group of muscles between your elbow and your wrist)
Who should and (shouldn’t) do pull-ups
Anyone looking to level up their fitness, build muscle, and improve functional strength should give pull-ups go (including gym newbies starting from scratch). Though a “good baseline upper-body strength” and healthy shoulders (read: no injuries) will give you a solid advantage, says Keri Anderson, a personal trainer at Life Time Plymouth in Minnesota.
On the other hand, pull-ups can be problematic for certain people, Anderson says. These groups include:
- People with shoulder impingements
- People with severe joint issues
- People with insufficient baseline strength
If you fall into any of these categories, you might want to avoid or modify pull-ups (more on this later) to prevent potential injury.
7 benefits of pull-ups
“Pull-ups offer a multitude of benefits, making them an essential exercise in any fitness routine,” Anderson says. Here are a few:
1. Stronger back and arms
Want to develop a strong, muscular back and well-defined arms? Pull-ups are a great way to build upper-body strength as they’re a “comprehensive upper-body workout,” Anderson says.
“In order to build muscle, we want to take muscles through greater ranges of motion, and the pull-up is arguably one of the greatest ranges of motion for the lats and biceps,” Lauder-Dykes says. “More importantly, [it] places the biggest effort/stress on those muscles in their lengthened/stretched position.” This is where the real muscle growth happens.
2. Better shoulder health
While “pull-ups primarily target the latissimus dorsi, the large muscles in your back,” they also engage the shoulder muscles “by working the stabilizing muscles around the shoulder joint,” Anderson says. In doing so, “they promote better shoulder health,” she says.
Strong shoulders are key if you’re trying to prevent shoulder pain, especially as you age. Even if your shoulders feel OK now, shoulder weakness can creep up on you when you spend a lot of time sitting (read: slumped in front of a screen). Shoulder pain is incredibly common (more than 2 million Americans see their provider for it every year, per the Cleveland Clinic), so adding pull-ups to your upper-body days might be a smart strategy as far as pain prevention.
3. Stronger core
Not only can pull-ups give you a sculpted back and arms, but they can also help you get a strong core too.
“While performing pull-ups, the core muscles are activated to stabilize the body,” Anderson says. “This engagement strengthens the abdominal muscles and helps in developing a solid core, essential for overall body strength and stability.”
Keep in mind, though, pull-ups won’t work your midsection the same way that core-focused exercises do, Lauder-Dykes says. Think of the ab-activation as more of an added bonus, not the main benefit.
4. Improved grip strength
“Your grip is obviously important in a pull up [you’re hanging from a bar, after all] and is challenged during the movement,” Lauder-Dykes says.
Anderson agrees: “The act of hanging from the bar and pulling your body weight up significantly enhances grip strength,” i.e., the amount of force applied when you clench your hand around something. A strong grip is a great thing to have, “not only for other exercises but also for daily activities requiring a firm grip,” she says. Think about it: You can’t open a pickle jar without good grip strength.
What’s more, grip strength is a pretty accurate predictor of overall health (and even longevity), according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s true: People with stronger grips tend to live longer.
5. More relative strength
A lot of gymgoers focus on maximal, or absolute, strength, i.e., the type of strength it takes to move a heavy object (like the heaviest weight you can lift for one rep). But relative strength (the strength you have to move your body, aka how strong someone is compared to their size) “is just as important for overall fitness,” Lauder-Dykes says.
“Pull-ups are an excellent way to increase relative strength, as they require lifting one’s body weight,” Anderson says. “This is particularly important as it enhances functional fitness, making everyday tasks easier and improving overall athletic performance.”
On top of that, “improving relative strength is often safer, more accessible, and can be performed more frequently to allow for more consistent progress,” Lauder-Dykes adds.
6. Improved posture
Hunched over a computer most of the day? Yep, us too. If your posture is taking a hit from too much sitting, pull-ups are your friend. “Pull-ups also improve posture by strengthening the upper-back muscles, which can help counteract the effects of prolonged sitting,” Anderson says.
7. Minimal equipment required
You don’t need an expensive gym membership or any fancy fitness gear to do a pull-up. All it takes is you and a sturdy bar of some sort. “You can really do this exercise anywhere, anytime, as long as you can find something to hold onto,” Lauder-Dykes says.
“You can really do this exercise anywhere, anytime, as long as you can find something to hold onto.” —Ben Lauder-Dykes
Anderson agrees: “This makes it an accessible exercise that can be performed almost anywhere, whether at the gym, at home, or in a park.” Talk about convenient.
4 common mistakes when doing pull-ups
Whether you’re new to pull-ups or an old pro, it can be easy to form bad habits. But poor technique can negate all the body bonuses, maybe even lead to injury over time, and actually change the ideal muscles worked when doing pull-ups. Avoid these common mistakes the next time you’re up at the bar.
1. Letting your arm muscles do all the work
“This happens when the elbows move too far forward at the start of the pull up, making it harder to use the powerful lat muscles,” Lauder-Dykes says. Without your lats, it’ll be even tougher getting your chin above the bar, he says,
“You can correct this by using a band to practice the movement pattern,” Lauder-Dykes says. Or you can try cluster reps. This involves doing 1 to 2 reps, resting for 10 to 15 seconds, and repeating 3 to 4 times (to complete 6 to 8 reps total). “This helps to avoid compensating as you get fatigued so you can keep the quality of the reps high during the whole set,” he says.
2. Using momentum (kipping)
A lot of people tend to fall into a trap of kipping, Anderson says. This happens when you rock or swing your body (or kick yourself up) toward the bar. But when you use momentum, you’re not using muscle. This means you won’t build as much strength.
Look, we get it. Pull-ups are no joke. But don’t cheat yourself out of the benefits by kipping. To avoid this, do fewer reps at a time (to fight off fatigue and the urge to use momentum) and consciously focus on controlled movement.
Still kipping? Use modifications (more on this in a bit) to help you build the baseline strength in your upper body.
3. Not going through the full range of motion
Avoiding full extension is another common mistake, Anderson says. Again, fatigue is often to blame. When you get tired, you might sacrifice range of motion to get more reps. But, remember, the best way to build your lats and biceps is by taking these muscles through greater ranges of motion.
So if you find yourself shortening your pull-ups (i.e., you don’t lower yourself all the way to the bottom), listen to your body. It might be time to take a break. Fewer quality reps (over quantity) is always better.
4. Flaring your elbows
If your elbows spread out to the sides like chicken wings, you won’t maximize your lats or generate enough force to pull efficiently. The trick: Keep your elbows tucked at your sides, slightly forward and under the bar, Anderson says.
Modifications for pull-ups
Real talk: Pull-ups are hard AF. Even the strongest people struggle to crank out more than a couple at a time. For most of us, pull-ups take time to master.
Before you can be a badass at the bar, you might need to modify the movement or do pull-up alternatives to meet your current fitness or strength level. These modifications will help you grow muscle and upper-body strength. Plus, they allow you to focus on practicing good form.
“Gradually [you can] build up to full pull-ups by increasing the difficulty of these modifications,” Anderson says. Trust us, in no time, you’ll be banging out a bunch of pull-ups at the bar.
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