Pull-ups exercise: How to do? Variations, Muscle worked.
What is pull-ups exercise?
The pull-up is one of the most effective exercises for strengthening the upper limb and back muscles. A pull-up is an upper body strength training exercise. To perform a pull-up, you have to start by hanging onto a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you and your body is straight. then you have to pull your body up until your chin is reached above the bar.
Pull-ups exercises are different than chin-up exercises. In a chin-up, your palms and hands face toward your side. The pull-up is considered a more advanced exercise. It is a more difficult exercise than the chin up. But the pull-up can be modified or done on an assisted machine for beginners, and you will still get benefits from these variations.
- Pull-ups are so hard exercise because this requires you to raise your whole body with just your arms and shoulder muscles. pull-ups require so many muscles to perform in one exercise, you need to have the holistic upper-body strength to perform them.
- A pull-up is an upper-body strengthening exercise. The pull-up is a closed-chain exercise that needs your body in suspension by the hands and pulls up. when you do pull-ups the elbows are in flexion and the shoulders are in adduction and extension to bring the elbows to the trunk.
Which muscles are used in pull-ups exercise?
Latissimus Dorsi (Lats): This is a large muscle that runs from your low back to the front of the shoulder. this muscle action is to move the upper arm to the side of the body when doing a pull-up.
Teres major: This muscle runs from the lateral and lower part of the shoulder joint to the anterior of the shoulder and has a similar function to the latissimus dorsi but this is a small muscle.
Biceps: The main action of the bicep is to flex the elbow.
Trapezius (Traps) The trapezius is that large diamond-shaped muscle that runs from the neck to the lower thoracic spine. In a pull-up, this helps to move the shoulder blades.
Deltoids: The posterior fibers of the deltoid is the shoulder muscle working with the latissimus dorsi to extend the upper arm or to bring the arm behind the body.
Pectorals (pecs): Depending on the grip used for the pull-up, the pectoral muscle work depends to hold the arms into the sides of the body while the other main movers of the pull-up are working.
Core Muscles: The obliques and “deep” core muscles helps to stabilize the torso during the pull-up.
There has lot of benefits by doing pull-ups. some are explain below.
- Helps to strengthen the muscle of the back: The pull-up is one of the most relative exercises for strengthening the back muscles.
- Helps to strengthen the muscles of the arm and shoulder.
- Helps to Improve grip strength: Grip strength is more important for lifting weights and also important for performing tasks like opening jars, walking your dog on a leash, carrying groceries, and shoveling snow.
- Helps to improve overall body strength and your fitness performance: Strengthening or resistance training can improve your overall fitness level. When you are doing a pull-up, you are lifting your whole body mass with the movement. This can greatly increase your body strength and even improve your health.
- Strengthening training is also important for promoting bone development and improving cardiovascular health.
- Helps to Improve physical health
- Strengthening or resistance training with exercises like pull-ups may also improve your overall physical health. when you regularly do strengthening exercise may help to reduce visceral fat and help you to manage type 2 diabetes.
- It can also help to decrease resting blood pressure and may decrease back pain and discomfort associated with arthritis and fibromyalgia.
- Helps to Improve mental health
- Strengthening or resistance training is more beneficial for your mental health.
- Decrease anxiety symptoms improve cognitive function decrease fatigue.
- Helps to reduce depression
- Helps to improve self-esteem
- Helps to Challenge your muscles
- Pull-ups are a challenging strengthening exercise. Challenging your muscles with difficult movements will increase your overall fitness level also. If you have not done pull-ups before, adding them to your daily routine may improve how strong you feel and look.
- Pull-ups are Easy On The Joints
- This is an Effective Compound Exercise
- You Can Improve Easily
- It will use several muscles at once. it can be adapted to target some muscles more than others.
How to do Basic pull-ups?
- For this exercise you have to step up on a pull bar, grip the bar with the hand’s shoulder-width apart, shoulders pull away from the ears, the abdominal is braced. use a step stool or step chair to pull up the bar.
- Then smoothly move your body upward with the elbow flexed, until the collar bone touches the bar.
- Keep your head, shoulder, hips, and feet in the same straight alignment.
- When you doing pull-ups make sure you maintain proper posture and your core and glutes muscles should be tightened throughout the movement.
- Your grip strength should be stronger.in starting phase you have to do pull-ups repetitions with your comfort then gradually increase repetitions.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions in a day.
There has different variation of pull-ups:
Close-grip pull-ups
How to do?
- For this exercise, you have to close your grip on the pull bar.
- Take your hands inside then shoulder width, with this you have to jump to the pull bar with your palms face forward side.
- Only you take a distance of 6 to 8 inches in between your hands.
- Tighten your core muscles and back should be straight, pull your body upward side until chin in at higher than the bar.
- Hold this for 2 seconds, then lower down your body.
- This is one repetition, in this way you have to complete another repetition this way.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions
Side-to-side pull-up
How to do ?
- For this exercise, you have to grip on the middle of the pull bar with both hands almost touching, as with Tarzan pull bar but you have to raise your body high as possible so your head should be clear the bar from each shoulder for the next reps.
- Ideally, your chest is touching to the bar then move your body ide to the side then lower down and go for next reps.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions
Toes to Bar
How to do ?
- For this exercise you have to grip on the middle of the pull bar with both hands this, variation requires a great amount of core and grip strength, and total body awareness.
- Then by strong grip, you have to move your both foot towards the bar as much as possible.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions
Weighted pull-up
- When you mastered basic pull-ups then go for this variation .this variation is a little bit more difficult than basic pull-ups.
How to do ?
- For this exercise, you have to tight grip the pull bar.
- Then add some weight cuff over your foot or the torso. the comfortable weight you have to use for completing the weighted pull-ups.
- With the weight cuff, you have to pull your body upside with flexing the arms hold for two seconds.
- Then lower down the body.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions
negative pull-ups
How to do ?
- For this exercise, you have to stand on a stable chair or exercise box (stand on any secure objects).
- Then hold a pull bar and take your shoulder blade together.
- Take your chin uplift your chest slightly up then bar your legs in the air, then slowly lower your body by extending your arms and either your feet touching to the ground or stable chair.
- You have to complete 2to 3sets of 10–12 repetitions
The Archer Chin-Up
How to do ?
- You will perform this exercise on a ring bar or on a pull-up bar you have to take a position like standard pull-ups.
- Then you pull yourself up with one arm only the other arm moves away from the body..
- Hold pull bar with right arm at shoulder width and the left arm is wider than shoulder-width.
- You pull your body up until your neck touches the bar and your elbow is at the side to the body..
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions
The Takeaway
How to do?
- For this exercise you have to take a standard pull-up position then you have to move your body up with elbow flexion then move your body right and left with elbow flexion.
- Then slowly lower your body down towards the floor.
- This exercise is great for the arm, core, and back.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions
Tarzan pull-up
How to do?
- For this exercise you have to close your grip on the pull bar take your hands inside then shoulder width, you have to grip the middle of the bar, pull your body upward side when you reach the topmost then twist your trunk to go up and to the right, before lower down and then repeat this on another side.
- For this variation your core muscles should be stronger enough to swing a body.. you have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions
Walking pull-up
How to do?
- For this exercise you have to take a standard pull-up position then you have to move your body up with knee flexed and ankle planter, dorsiflexion.
- You have to raise your body in a walking motion.
- This one repetition then lowers your body then again in this same manner you have to raise your body for the next repetitions.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 10–12 repetitions.
Towel grip pull-ups
How to do?
- For this exercise, you have to need one medium size towel, which is wrapped on the pull bar.
- You have to stand on a stable stool then hold the towel and move your body upside with elbow flexion .
- Move your body up until your collar bone touches the bar, then slowly lower down your body until the elbow is fully extended.
- You have to complete 1 to 2 sets of 8–10 repetitions.
When you not to do pull-ups?
- If you are already suffering from pain.
- If You are not doing back exercises.
- Your back is critical for doing perfect pull-ups.
- If Your hang position is not proper.
- If You are too straight.
- If You are not progressing in this exercise
- If Your mind gives up before your body starts doing pull-ups.
- If Your chin is not getting above the bar.
- If You are only swinging on the bar then doing a pull-up.
- If Your hands are too far apart.
- If you feel pain during this exercise
- If your doctor advice to take rest.
Common Mistakes occur while performing pull-ups. You Need to Avoid these mistakes.
- If You are not using a full range of motion (ROM).
- It is important to remember that the back muscles are supposed to be the primary targeted muscle while doing pull-ups.
- If You are not letting your elbows flare.
- If You are not setting your shoulders.
- If You are staying straight as an arrow.
