Vertical pull

Pull-up

The best bodyweight back exercise. Builds back width and grip strength at the same time.

Pull-up — exercise illustration

Vertical pull · Advanced

Pull-up

Bodyweight · AI visualisation, illustrative only

Equipment
Bodyweight
Level
Advanced
Primary muscles
Lats, Teres major
Secondary muscles
Biceps, Traps, Forearms
Working range
4–12 reps · RIR 2

Step by step

Movement diagram: Pull-up
A movement diagram, not a photograph. It shows the sequence of joint angles and the path of the load — body proportions are schematic. If you have reduced motion enabled, you will see both positions side by side.
  1. 1Grip the bar overhand, hands slightly wider than shoulders.
  2. 2From a dead hang, first pull the shoulder blades down — the movement starts there, not at the elbows.
  3. 3Pull up by driving the elbows down and slightly back, chest towards the bar.
  4. 4Clear the bar with your chin without craning your neck.
  5. 5Lower under control to a full hang — that is half the stimulus.

What makes the biggest difference

Common mistakes

Kipping and swinging

Momentum does the work instead of the back. Squeeze the glutes and brace the abs to stay rigid.

Not returning to a full hang

You lose the most valuable part of the range. Straighten the arms fully — the shoulder handles it fine if the blades stay active.

Craning the neck instead of pulling the chest up

Think about touching the bar with your sternum, not your chin.

What to do instead

You cannot do a single rep yet

Lat pulldown →

Same pattern with adjustable load. Once you can pull your bodyweight for 8 reps, go back to the bar.

Elbow pain

Chin-ups or neutral-grip pull-ups

Changing forearm position often removes the pain without giving up the exercise.

Contraindications

  • A rotator cuff or labrum injury — a full hang loads the joint at end range.
  • Acute epicondylitis (tennis elbow).

This is not medical advice. If any of these apply to you, or the exercise causes pain, talk to a doctor or physiotherapist before returning to training.

Similar exercises

Lat pulldown

Log your sets and watch the progression

You enter weight, reps and RIR — the app computes your estimated 1RM, plots the strength curve and suggests the next session’s load along with the reasoning.

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