Pull Up Guide: Covering the Basics
I have coached many women to get their first ever chin up/pull up and it is by far the most rewarding part of my job. The excitement and confidence that radiates off a woman who just got her first chin up/pull up is unmatched. It is so fun to surprise and impress yourself with something that you’ve never been able to do before. It may seem impossible right now, but keep practicing, stay consistent, have patience and it will 100% be worth it.
What muscles do pull ups work? What are the benefits of pull ups?
A: Pull ups primarily work your Lats (our largest back muscle), biceps, and forearms. Pull ups help us build strength in these muscle groups. Having a strong posterior chain (back side of our body) helps us maintain good posture, reduce risk of injuries, and can translate into improved form and strength in other exercises such as a deadlift where having a strong back is also important. Grip strength is also a key indicator of longevity.
What’s the difference between a pull up and a chin up?
A: In both moves, you are pulling your body up. The only difference is your grip on the bar. For a Pull up, your palms are facing away from you with your hands outside shoulder-width. For a chin up, your palms are facing towards you with your hands inside shoulder width.
Chin ups tend to be easier because your biceps assist more than they do in a pull up. I highly recommend starting with trying to get your first chin up, because you will likely be able to do that quicker than getting your first pull up.
Why are pull ups and chin ups so hard?
A: Pull ups are a tough exercise because you are pulling up the entirety of your bodyweight with the strength of your lats, biceps and forearms. If you lack upper body strength, or have a higher body weight relative to your strength, pull ups will be a bigger challenge for you. Don’t worry if you can’t do a single pull up! There are plenty of ways to scale this exercise to your ability level and apply progressive overload principles in order to build strength and help you reach your goals.
With weighted exercises, like a dumbbell row, we can adjust the weight of the dumbbell to start with a weight you’re capable of lifting and progressively challenge you to get stronger, with slightly heavier weights. For example, you may start by lifting 15lb dumbbells and three months later you’re lifting 40 lb dumbbells.
We can apply the same concept to pull ups, by using bands, machines or your feet to take some of the load off of your hands. For example, you may start with pulling up 50% of your weight, and then progress to pulling up 75% of your weight and then eventually doing a full bodyweight pull up.
If you can't do a pull up, what are some alternative exercises that you can do?
Resistance Band Pull Ups/Chin Ups, Feet-assisted Pull Ups/Chin Ups, Machine Pull Ups/Chin ups are the best modifications if you cannot do a full bodyweight pull up. These variations mimic the exact same form as a regular pull up, they just reduce the overall load. You can easily progress the movement week to week to make it more challenging by decreasing the amount of assistance as you get stronger, until you are able to do a full bodyweight pull up.
Eccentric Pull Ups/Chin ups focus on the eccentric (the part of the movement where you’re lowering down) Eccentrics are a great way to build strength, and get your grip used to bearing your full weight. Aim for a slow 4-7 seconds on the way down.
Lat Pull Down variations like a Wide Grip Lat Pull Down, Close Grip Supinated Pull Down or a Single Arm Pull Down mimic the same motion as a pull up, but instead of pulling your body UP, you’re pulling a handle down. You can use a cable machine at the gym or a resistance band if you’re training at home. Pull down variations can be a great entry point for beginners or anyone who is too intimidated by the pull up variations above.
You can also add in exercises to help you master specific portions of the pull up, based on your individual strengths and weaknesses. If you lack grip strength, doing Dead Hangs can help build up your grip strength. If you struggle at the bottom of the pull up, adding in Scapula Pull Ups can help you build strength with the initial depression of your shoulder blades and activation of your lats. If you struggle to get full range of motion at the top, a Chin Up Hang Hold can help you build strength and solidify the top range of motion.
How often should you include pull ups in your routine? How many reps/sets?
The best way to improve at any exercise is to train it consistently. If your goal is to get better at pull ups, you should be doing them weekly and applying the principles of progressive overload.
Aim for 20 sets of Pulling (Back/bicep) exercises each week.
For example:
3-4 sets Pull Ups/Chin ups
3-4 sets Lat Pull Downs
3-4 sets Dumbbell or Barbell Rows
3-4 sets Cable Rows
3-4 sets Bicep Curls
3-4 sets Reverse Flys
These 20 sets can be split into one Pull Day (Back/Bicep Day) once/week, Two Upper body days (doing both pulling and pushing movements), or Three Full body days (that include pulling motions on each day). The specific reps will depend on the exercise, what your goals are, and what equipment you have available to you, but in general they will range from 3-15 reps for each set.
Should you ever add additional weight?
Once you master bodyweight chin ups/pull ups you can then make them harder by slowing down your tempo, increasing the number of reps you’re doing or by increasing weight. To increase weight you can use a weight belt, where a weight hangs securely from your hips, or you can hold a Kettlbell, Dumbbell or medicine ball with your feet.
How can you prevent injury?
To reduce the risk of injury, make sure you are warming up properly before each workout. Focus on form and effort in your workouts. Make a small progressive increase in the challenge of the exercise without pushing yourself too hard too fast. Listen to your body and never push through pain or injury.
ABOUT the author
Amy Potter is a Certified Personal Trainer and Holistic Health Coach. She loves helping women heal their relationship with their bodies, and with food. She guides women on a journey to feel strong, confident, and capable through weight lifting and intuitive eating. In her free time, she can be found taking long walks on the beach, petting dogs, or talking about politics.
