How to Do a Pull Up With Proper Form

You hang from a bar with an overhand grip and pull until your chin clears it. It builds the lats, the upper back and the biceps, and it is a simple test of strength for your size. Below is how to do a pull up step by step, the mistakes that cost you reps, how pull ups compare to chin ups and a simple way to get your first one.

The latissimus dorsi do most of the work, pulling your elbows down to your sides. The lower traps and rhomboids hold your shoulder blades down and back. The biceps and forearms bend your elbows and keep your grip, and your core stops your body from swinging.

If you can do 5 or more, do 3 to 4 sets and stop each one with 1 or 2 reps left. Aim to add a rep or two each week. Once you can do 3 sets of 10, add weight with a dip belt or a dumbbell held between your feet. Cannot do one yet? Start with slow negatives: jump or step up so your chin is over the bar, then take 3 to 5 seconds to lower. Do 3 sets of 3 to 5. Add band assisted pull ups or lat pulldowns on the same day. Most people get their first strict rep within a few weeks to a few months.

The pull up uses an overhand grip, palms away from you. The chin up uses an underhand grip, palms toward you, and usually a slightly narrower one. Chin ups bring in more biceps, so most people can do a few more of them. Pull ups put a bit more of the work on the lats and upper back. Both are great back exercises, and switching between them keeps your training fresh.

No bar at home? Do inverted rows under a sturdy table, or use a resistance band anchored in a door. At the gym, an assisted pull up machine or a band looped over the bar takes some of your body weight off so you can train full reps.

The pull up is the swap for the cable pulldown on Day B of Full Body Foundation and Curves & Confidence. Log your reps every session and see them go up week by week. On iPhone and Android.

Full Body Foundation · Curves & Confidence · Dumbbell Home Essentials

There is no single number. One strict rep is a great first goal, and 5 to 10 strict reps is a solid level for most adults. Your body weight and arm length matter a lot.

Mainly the lats. The biceps, rhomboids, lower traps, rear delts, forearms and core all help.

Usually your pulling strength is not yet high enough for your body weight. Slow negatives, band assisted reps and lat pulldowns two or three times a week close that gap.

Neither. Chin ups use more biceps and are a bit easier, pull ups put more focus on the lats and upper back. Do both if you can.

Both build the lats. Pull ups also train grip and core and need only a bar. Pulldowns are easier to load in small steps. Use both if you have the machine.

Two or three times a week works well, with a rest day between hard sessions.