Why Pull-Ups Are the Ultimate Test of Upper-Body Strength

When it comes to building upper body strength, pull-ups are often overlooked. That's because other exercises like rowing and lat pull-downs prove to be less challenging.

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But if you've aced those other exercises and you're ready for a new challenge, pull-ups could be the next addition to your physical fitness routine.

Physical therapist Scott Malik, DPT, shares how to do them and avoid injury.

What's a pull-up?

Traditional pull-ups are an upper-body exercise that involves pulling your body up off the ground while holding onto an overhead horizontal bar. Depending on your setup, the bar could be fixed. Or you can use an adjustable power rack.

Muscles worked

Pull-ups work your:

• Lats (the large, fan-shaped muscles in your mid-to-lower back)
• Traps (the large, triangular muscles that run from your neck down to your mid-back)
• Elbow flexors
• Shoulders
• Forearms
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Abdominal muscles

Different muscles also take on more stress than others depending on how you grip the bar:

• Traditional pull-ups use an overhand grip that makes it harder for your biceps to pull their weight. These work more of your lats, traps and shoulders.
• Chin-ups use an underhand grip that allows greater elbow flexion, working more of your biceps and upper chest.

"If you're not doing a good job of controlling the socket, you'll end up with pinching in your shoulder," cautions Dr. Malik. "You want to pull your shoulder blades down and in."

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How to do a pull-up

Good core stability is key to doing a pull-up. You want to focus on building your strength instead of building momentum. So, let your muscles do the heavy lifting instead of swinging your body into position as you pull yourself up.

"You want to keep everything slow and controlled," advises Dr. Malik. "Try not to arch your back or move your trunk and torso, and keep some tension throughout your body. If you're not able to do that, you could end up with pinching in your shoulders."

Here's how to do a basic pull-up:

1. Make sure the bar is at the appropriate height. It should be high enough that you can jump up and hang from it without touching the ground.
2. Stand below the bar with your feet hip-width apart.
3. Raise both of your arms overhead and pull your shoulders back and down away from your ears to "pack" your shoulders.
4. Grab onto the bar with both hands, keeping your arms fully extended, and hang there for a couple of seconds. For extra stability, bend your knees and/or cross your legs.
5. Adjust your grip as needed, until you're ready to lift.
6. Exhale as you slowly lift your chest up so that your chin passes above the bar.
7. Inhale as you lower yourself back down to your starting position.
8. Repeat for 10 to 15 reps.

Adaptations

You can do pull-ups in a couple of different ways.

For example, you might have heard about a kipping pull-up, where you rapidly swing your lower body to kick yourself up and push your chin past the bar with momentum. But Dr. Malik warns against doing these, unless you learn how to do the correct form from an athletic trainer or other qualified professional.

"Kipping pull-ups can be a common cause of arm and shoulder injury, so I wouldn't advise trying them unless you've perfected your pull-up form first," he adds.

Other variations involve:

• Wearing a weighted belt or vest: Make it more challenging by increasing the amount of weight you're lifting, while reducing the number of reps you do.
• Increasing your speed: Set a timer for three to five minutes and do as many pull-ups as you can within that time frame. Just make sure you maintain proper form over time, as you increase your reps and decrease your time target.
• Static pull-ups: Hold your chin above the bar for as long as you can to improve your grip strength and back muscle endurance over a longer period of time.
• Assisted pull-ups: Assisted pull-up machines are designed with an adjustable platform that changes height, weight and resistance so you can focus on perfecting your form. Stepping on a resistance band attached to a pull-up bar also has the same effect.

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How to get better at pull-ups

Pull-ups aren't for everyone. They require enough upper-body strength to lift your bodyweight above the bar.

If you're not quite there yet or you're not ready to tackle a pull-up, you can get there by focusing on increasing your strength in other ways.

"You really have to approach it gradually and strengthen your muscles first, keeping your arm below shoulder height," says Dr. Malik. "As you start doing things above your shoulders, you increase the likelihood of pinching. So, it helps to work on your form with other exercises that teach you to stabilize your shoulders first."

Here are some alternatives to a traditional pull-up that will get you geared up for the overhead bar:

• *Rowing*: A rowing machine involves similar movements to a pull-up, but with more stability and an increased focus on core strength. "As you get really good at these, you can increase your number of daily reps or increase your amount of resistance to build your strength," says Dr. Malik.
• *TRX straps*: Suspension trainers use straps and anchors to put your body in different positions as you engage your core and other muscles. "These are much more approachable than a pull-up because you can adjust them appropriately," he notes.
• Lat pull-downs: These exercises achieve the same results as a pull-up without the extra difficulty of moving all your body weight against gravity. "With lat pull-downs, you want to touch the bar to the front of your chest," says Dr. Malik.

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"Once you're able to do these exercises and you're upping your resistance without issues, then I would just hang from the bar without trying to pull yourself up," he continues. "These are all ways to increase your strength so that you can pull yourself up above the bar effectively."

Like any exercise, pull-ups take patience, persistence and strength. It's OK if you can't do a pull-up right now. But if that's your goal, you can get there the more you work on strength training and technique.

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