Exercise guide
Pull-Up
- Advanced
- Compound
- Rep-based
- Back
- Shoulders
- Upper arms
The pull-up is a fundamental upper-body compound movement that builds exceptional back width and grip strength by targeting the latissimus dorsi and trapezius. It challenges your ability to move your own body weight through a full vertical range of motion while engaging the core for stability.
Reviewed by the Crucible team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Setup
- Grip the bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Hang freely from the bar with arms fully extended in a dead hang position.
- Engage your core and glutes to stabilize your lower body and prevent swinging.
- Depress your shoulder blades by pulling them down and away from your ears to engage the lats.
How to do it
- Exhale as you pull your body upward by driving your elbows down toward your hips and pulling your chest toward the bar.
- Continue pulling until your chin is clearly above the bar, keeping your elbows tucked slightly forward rather than flared out.
- Inhale as you lower yourself back down with a controlled tempo until your arms are fully extended.
- Maintain a steady 2-0-2 tempo, avoiding any pause at the bottom to keep tension on the muscles.
Form checklist
- Keep your chest up and shoulders back throughout the entire movement.
- Avoid using momentum or 'kipping' with your legs to reach the bar.
- Ensure a full range of motion: chin over bar at the top and full arm extension at the bottom.
- Keep your neck neutral; do not reach with your chin to clear the bar.
Pro tips
- Imagine your hands are just hooks and focus on pulling from your elbows to maximize lat engagement and minimize bicep dominance.
- Try to 'break the bar' by externally rotating your shoulders to create more stability in the shoulder joint and better lat recruitment.
Make it harder
- Add a weighted belt or hold a dumbbell between your feet to increase resistance.
- Perform 'L-sit' pull-ups by keeping your legs extended straight out in front of you to significantly increase core demand.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the pull-up work?
- The pull-up primarily targets the lats and trapezius, and also works the abs and obliques as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the pull-up?
- The pull-up uses pull up bar.
- Is the pull-up good for beginners?
- The pull-up is rated advanced. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.