How to do the pull up
The pull-up is the cheapest strength test there is: a bar and your own body. It is also one of the few lifts where the first rep is the hardest milestone and everything after it is arithmetic.
- Type
- Lift
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Pull-up bar
- Works
- Lats
- Also worked
- Biceps, Mid-back, Rear deltoids, Forearms, and Abdominals
- Also called
- Chin Up and Bodyweight Pull Up
Set up
- Grip the bar slightly wider than your shoulders with your palms facing away.
- Hang with your arms straight, then pull your shoulder blades down away from your ears.
- Cross your ankles and squeeze your glutes so your body is one rigid line.
The rep
- Pull your elbows down toward your ribs and think about bringing your chest to the bar.
- Continue until your chin clears the bar without craning your neck.
- Lower under control all the way back to straight arms.
- Reset the shoulder position before starting the next rep.
Cues that help
- Start the pull with your shoulder blades, not your elbows.
- Chest to the bar, not chin over the bar — the chin follows on its own.
- Stay hollow: ribs down, glutes tight, no swinging.
Common mistakes
Half reps from a bent-arm hang
Not returning to straight arms cuts out the hardest part of the movement and makes rep counts across sessions incomparable.
Kipping without meaning to
A swing recruits the hips to do the work. If you want strict pull-ups, keep the body rigid; if you want kipping pull-ups, log them as their own exercise.
Only ever doing bodyweight reps
Once you can do ten clean reps, adding weight progresses you faster than adding reps into the twenties.
How to progress it
If you cannot do one yet, work in this order — dead hangs for time, then slow negatives from the top, then band-assisted or machine-assisted reps, then singles. Once you can do eight to ten clean reps, hang weight from a belt and treat it as a loaded lift.
How to track it
Log bodyweight pull-ups as sets and reps with no weight. Once you start adding a belt, log the added weight only and keep it consistent, so your chart shows the added load climbing rather than jumping when your bodyweight changes.
Log your pull up
Opens the lift form with Pull Up already filled in. Free account, no card.
Pull Up questions
Pull-up or chin-up — what is the difference?
A pull-up uses an overhand grip and leans on the lats. A chin-up uses an underhand grip and involves the biceps more, so most people can do more of them.
How do I get my first pull-up?
Negatives are the fastest route. Jump or step to the top position and lower yourself as slowly as you can, three to five reps, a few times a week.
Are band-assisted pull-ups worth doing?
Yes, with one caveat — a band helps most at the bottom, where you are weakest, and least at the top. Pair them with negatives so the top of the range gets trained too.