Perfect Form: How To Do A Pull-Up

Wondering how to do a pull-up with perfect form or how to build the strength to be able to do one? I got you.

Pull-ups are a great body-weight exercise that targets multiple muscle groups and builds some really good strength. The problem is that most people do them with bad form, or they don’t have the strength to do one. But that is fine, because in this article I will teach you everything you need to know about pull-ups.

Here is what you will learn:

• The benefits of pull-ups
• How to do a pull-up with perfect form
• How to build the strength to do a pull-up
• How to make pull-ups harder

Benefits Of Pull-Ups

Pull-ups might not be easy and it might be frustrating to learn how to do them, but I promise you it is worth it. They have a lot of benefits and they help you with a lot of different things.

Builds Grip Strength

Grip strength can help you improve in a lot of different things like golf, tennis, rock climbing, etc. It can even help with everyday tasks like opening a jar or carrying groceries. And the great thing is that pull-ups help you build that grip strength. 

It Builds Your Back Muscles

Pull-ups are very effective for building back muscles. It targets most muscles in your back, like the Latissimus dorsi, Trapezius, Thoracic Erector Spinae, and Infraspinatus.

Compound Movement

Pull-ups are a compound movement, which means they train multiple muscles at once. Not only does pull-ups train your back muscles, it also train your biceps shoulders, core, etc. And because it is a compound movement, it builds some amazing upper-body strength.

You Can Do It Almost Anywhere

Pull-ups don’t require anything else than a bar or a surface to grab onto and your own bodyweight, so you can do them almost anywhere. When I just started, I even did pull-ups on my door.

Improves Your Posture

Good posture is super important, and pull-ups can help you improve it. Pull-ups strengthen your back, enabling you to walk taller and look leaner.

How To Do A Pull-Up With Perfect Form

If you want the best results from pull-ups, you have to make sure that you do them with perfect form and full ROM (range of motion). 

Here are the steps to doing a perfect pull-up:

Step 1: Start by standing underneath a pull-up bar and grabbing it with an overhand grip (palms facing away). Keep your hands shoulder-width apart and your body straight; unless the bar is too low, then you can bend your knees. This is the starting position.

Step 2: Pull your shoulder blades down, engage your back and your core, and start pulling your body up until your chin crosses the bar.

Step 3: Lower yourself back down slowly and controlled until your arms are completely straight. Repeat for your desired number of reps.

Note: Make sure you engage your core throughout the entire movement

What If You Can’t Do A Pull-Up Yet?

If you can’t do a pull-up yet, that’s completely fine, because just like any other exercise, you can build up to it. The way you build the strength to do your first pull-up is by doing easier variations of the pull-up.

Here are some of those easier variations:

Band-Assisted Pull-Ups

Band-assisted pull-ups are probably the best way to build upper body strength for the pull-up because you still do the entire pull-up movement, except it is just a bit easier.

How to do it:

1. Attach a resistance band to a pull-up bar.
2. Place one foot on the resistance band.
3. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended.
4. Pull yourself up until your chin crosses the bar.
5. Lower yourself with control, and repeat for your desired number of reps.

Negative Pull-Ups

Negative pull-ups focus on the eccentric (lowering) phase of the pull-up. They are amazing for building the strength to eventually do a normal pull-up.

How to do it:

1. Stand on the ground or on a platform and grab the bar.
2. Jump up until your chin crosses the bar.
3. Slowly lower yourself down. The lowering phase should take 5–10 seconds.
4. Once your arms are fully extended, repeat the movement for your desired number of reps.

Pull-Up Isometric Hold

The pull-up isometric hold is when you just hold yourself in the pull-up position for as long as possible.

How to do it:

1. Stand on the ground or on a platform and grab the bar.
2. Jump up until your chin crosses the bar.
3. Pause up there and hold that position for as long as possible.

Leg-Assisted Pull-Ups

With leg-assisted pull-ups, you use your legs to assist you and make the pull-up easier.

How to do it:

1. Place a platform under and a bit behind the bar.
2. Put your feet on the platform.
3. Do your pull-ups, but assist yourself with your legs.

What If The Pull-Up Becomes Too Easy?

If pull-ups become too easy for you, then it is time to make them more difficult. I would suggest trying more difficult pull-up variations when you are able to do about 12 pull-ups in a row. There are actually quite a couple of ways to make them more difficult, like adding weight or doing a more difficult variation.

Here are some variations to make the pull-up more difficult:

Weighted Pull-Ups

Weighted pull-ups are a great way to make pull-ups more difficult because you can choose the difficulty level. You can add 5 kg if you don’t want to go heavy, or you can add 20kg if you want to go heavy.

How to do it:

1. Use a dip belt or weighted vest to add weight to yourself.
2. Hang from the pull-up bar with your arms fully extended.
3. Perform the pull-up by pulling yourself up until your chin crosses the bar.
4. Lower yourself with control, and repeat for your desired number of reps.

Wide-Grip Pull-Ups

Wide-grip pull-ups target the lats and outer back muscles. They involve a wider hand placement on the pull-up bar.

How to do it:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands placed wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Perform the pull-up by pulling yourself up until your chin crosses the bar.
3. Lower yourself with control, and repeat for your desired number of reps.

Archer Pull-Ups

Archer pull-ups are a challenging exercise that emphasizes one arm more than the other. They involve reaching one arm out to the side while the other performs the pull-up.

How to do it:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with a wider than shoulder-width grip.
2. Pull yourself up to one arm while extending your other arm
3. Lower yourself with control, and repeat while alternating the extended arm.

Commando Pull-Ups

Commando pull-ups, also known as side-to-side pull-ups, work the biceps and lats differently from standard pull-ups.

How to do it:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands close together, one in front of the other, and your hands should be facing different directions.
2. Perform the pull-up by pulling yourself up to one side of the bar.
3. Lower yourself with control, and repeat while alternating between sides.

Common Pull-Up Mistakes

Cheating

Do not cheat on your pull-ups! Cheating on a pull-up is basically when you shorten the range of motion to make it easier. It is important that your pull-ups start with straight arms and then when you pull up, your chin has to cross the bar. Doing it this way builds the most muscle and strength.

Not Pushing Your Shoulder Blades Down

When you do a pull-up, you have to make sure you are pushing your shoulder blades down. Imagine pinching them together. They are done this way to maximize the engagement of your back muscles, which will help you do more pull-ups, hit the right muscle groups, and keep your shoulder safe and injury-free.

Not Resting Enough In Between Sets

Rest is super important. After you have done a set, your muscles are tired and fatigued, and they need time to recover so that you can do your next set with maximum strength. Do not rest less than 2 minutes and do not rest longer than 4 minutes.

Kipping

Kipping is also a way of cheating; it is when you throw your legs up in order to create momentum so that the pull-ups are easier. Not only does this not maximize strength and muscle building, but it also increases your risk of injury, so stick to a strict pull-up form.

FAQ – Pull-Ups

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