Pull-up setup
Hang from a bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder width, overhand grip. The body hangs in a hollow position: ribs down, glutes squeezed, legs straight or knees crossed behind. Shoulders engaged, not passively dangling.
The starting position has the elbows fully extended, scapulae depressed (pulled down without yet bending the arms).
The pull
Pull the chest toward the bar by driving the elbows down toward the hips. Lead with the chest, not the chin. At the top, the chin clears the bar and the upper chest contacts or comes close.
Lower under control. A controlled negative is half the value of the rep. Never freefall down.
Pull-up vs chin-up
- Pull-up: overhand grip, more lat-dominant, slightly harder for most lifters
- Chin-up: underhand grip, more biceps involvement, slightly easier
- Neutral grip: hands face each other, balanced lat and biceps, easiest for most lifters
Coaches often start clients on chin-ups or neutral-grip pull-ups, then transition to wide-grip overhand once the lifter can do 6-8 strict reps.
Common faults
Kipping or swinging: using body momentum to shortcut the pull. Fix: pause briefly at the bottom of every rep, force a strict start.
Cutting range of motion: chin doesn’t clear the bar, or arms don’t fully extend at the bottom. Fix: lighter (assisted), full range, build back up.
Shrugging into the bar: shoulders ride up to the ears at the top. Fix: think about pulling the elbows down throughout, keeping the shoulders away from the ears.
Progression for clients who can’t do one yet
- Bodyweight rows (inverted rows, feet on floor): 4×8-12 for 4 weeks
- Negatives: jump to top, lower over 5+ seconds, 3-4 reps × 4 sets
- Banded or assisted pull-ups: gradually reduce assistance over 8-12 weeks
- First strict bodyweight pull-up: usually 12-20 weeks for new lifters
Programming
For strength once the lifter can do 5+ unweighted: weighted pull-ups, 3-5 sets of 3-6 reps.
For hypertrophy: 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps at RPE 7-9, with weight added once 12 reps becomes easy.
Pull-ups are the gold-standard vertical pull. Most programs benefit from 2-3 sessions per week of pull-up work in some form.