Pull-Up
Pulling your chin over a bar from a dead hang — the benchmark upper-body pull. Chin-ups (palms toward you) are the slightly easier sibling.
Also called: chin-up, wide-grip pull-up, assisted pull-up, band-assisted pull-up, negative pull-up, tractions supination, tractions, pull-ups
Illustrations: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co)
Setup
Hang from the bar, hands just outside the shoulders (pull-up: palms away; chin-up: palms toward you). Arms long, body quiet.
How to do the Pull-Up
- Start each rep by pulling the shoulder blades down — break the dead hang first.
- Drive the elbows down toward the ribs.
- Chin over the bar without kicking or swinging.
- Lower all the way to straight arms — full range both directions.
Pull-Up muscles worked
The Pull-Up works the lats, upper back, biceps and core.
Common Pull-Up mistakes
- Kipping/swinging for extra reps.
- Half-range reps that never reach a full hang.
- Chin poking desperately at the bar instead of the chest rising to it.
Scale it
Easier: Band-assisted pull-ups, feet-supported rows, or slow negatives (jump up, lower over 5 seconds).
Harder: Add weight, or slow every phase of the rep.
Pairs well with
Inverted Row
A horizontal bodyweight pull under a bar or table edge — the pulling twin of the push-up and the on-ramp to pull-ups.
Bent-Over Row
Pulling weight to the torso from a hip hinge — upper-back and lat strength that balances all the pressing and hunching in daily life.
Lat Pulldown
The cable version of the pull-up — same back-building pull, fully adjustable load.
Around the World
Circling a light weight around the head or body — shoulder mobility and control through a full circle of positions.