Pull-ups are the ultimate test of upper-body muscular strength. Its about the toughest bodyweight exercise you can do. If you’re in the Royal Marines, you need to be able to do six perfect pull-ups to keep your job. The hard core guys do them with a dumbbell between their ankles. Of course the effort you put in results in an absolutely shredded chest and upper-body so you get an awesome reward for all that pull-up torture.
Lets blast those lats and biceps
The pull-up trains almost the entire upper body with a real focus on the lats and biceps. These are the muscle groups that love it when you hit the pull-up bar.
- Lats
- Large round muscle
- Major pecs
- Small pecs
- Abs
- Two-headed upper arm muscle
- Upper arm muscle
- Hood muscle
- Three-headed upper arm muscle
- Upper arm spoke muscle
Don’t put off starting pull-ups?
While we know pull-ups are challenging, it doesn’t mean you have to be a super-fit gym junkie before you can get started. You have to start somewhere and there are pull-up machines and lat-pull up towers that are designed to help you graduate over time to full-blown pull-ups.
If you’re trying pull-ups at home. Be persistent. Just completing one is an achievement. If you train with a friend, they can support a lot of your weight, giving you a slight boost up until you get stronger and can complete a pull-up independently. Legend!
What exercises can be done on the pull-up bar?
Pull-up bars are easy-to-use, affordable and practical. As well as the classic pull-up with the wide overhand grip, you can also do chin-ups with the narrow underhand grip. Watch that upper-body widen.
Here are some variations advanced trainers can do :
- Windshield wipers
- Rowing overhead
- Skin the cat
- Toes to bar
- Front and back levers
- Archer pull-up
- Muscle up
Pull-up bars are also perfect for abs training and leg raises. Did you know the leg raise is an awesome ab exercise that shouldn’t be missing from any six-pack workout plan.
Pull-up bars are perfect for home workouts
Pull-up bars are inexpensive and space-saving training equipment. Even you live in a small apartment, there’ll be a space for your pull-up bar. If you don’t have a home gym or you travel a lot, then a straight pull-up bar is ideal for you. It can be installed in a door frame quickly, easily and without screws.
If you do have a home gym or workout space, permanently installed pull-up bars are ideal. You’ll find pull-up bars that can be anchored to the ceiling as well as to the wall in the Gorilla Sports shop
What does a pull-up training plan look like?
From beginners thrilled at completing their first pull-up to hardcore pull-up pros, you’ve gotta have a plan. Here’s what they look like.
Pull-up training for beginners
As you work your way to nailing your first pull-up, its a good idea to add exercises to your workout that also target the areas that will help you become a pull-up master. A good example of this is oblique pull-ups, which can be done with a pull-up bar mounted in the door frame at hip height. This is ideal for beginners because oblique pull-ups are easier than pull-ups yet they train the right muscles to prepare you to eventually pump out pull-ups like a pro.
Pull-up training for advanced users
No matter who you are, pull-ups are a challenge for the most advanced athletes. When regular pull-ups are no longer the holy grail and you need a challenge, try pull-up training with additional weights. Durable dip belts with weight plates secured are ideal for this.
When you hit elite level, you can either challenge yourself with one-armed pull-ups or one of the pull-up variants at your gym. For example, the Archer Pull Up, which is a kind of side pull-up.
Which muscle groups do I train with pull-ups?
The pull-up is a bodyweight exercise that trains almost the entire upper body. The classic pull-up, which is performed with an overhand grip that is a little more than shoulder-width apart, primarily trains the lats and the biceps.
What is the best way to train for pull-ups?
On the way to your first pull-up, its a good idea to try related exercises such as oblique pull-ups which target muscles you need for pull-ups. To do these in the home gym, a pull-up bar should be mounted at hip height (e.g. in the door frame).
What exercises can be done on the pull-up bar?
In addition to classic pull-up exercises, there are other variations perfect for advanced athletes
These include:
- Windshield wipers
- Overhead rowing
- Skin the cat
- Toes to bar
- Front and back levers
- Archer Pull Up
- Muscle Up
