The Ever-Underrated Pull-Up Has So Many Benefits You Didn't Expect, Right?

if we film the pull-ups, where do you think the force is borrowed?
It really doesn't look like there's any way to lend a hand! Have you ever noticed your legs?

don't look at pull-ups as an upper body movement, many of our guys have an even better lower body wobble. In fact, the legs should never bounce or jerk, with the knees facing the floor throughout the movement.
Other common mistakes include moving too fast, incomplete movements, swaying the body, bending the torso, moving the elbows forward to get help from the chest muscles, bending the knees to gain momentum, holding too much power and having the arms fully extended at the end of a downward movement.
If you have one of these "Glitches", then don't say you already know this movement. Today we'll refresh your knowledge of the old pull-ups to help you regain it.

the pull-up is considered by many experts to be the king of back training. It has been proven for decades to be a very helpful movement for building back muscles and is definitely the best way to build back width.
The wide grip pull-up is a compound movement. It causes the shoulders to tuck in during the movement and therefore tends to train the lateral latissimus dorsi, thus making the back wider. Guys of all levels use pull-ups as a staple in their back training. The pull-ups form a great inverted triangle shape.

one of the most effective back strength movements, this challenging movement is great for gripping and grappling.
Whether you are unable to complete 1, or have been able to complete 10+ or even deadlifts in one go, we recommend relearning the details associated with the perfect wide grip pull-up technique.
Starting position: Hold the bar with a grip wider than shoulder width and palms forward (square grip). Begin by hanging straight over the bar with your arms extended. Keep your legs straight, or bend your knees and place your feet crossed at the ankles.

wide-grip pull-ups
exercise: Using the muscles of the back, bend the elbows and pull the upper part of the chest upwards to the height of the bar (chin above the bar). In other words, you must squeeze your shoulder blades together and contract your latissimus dorsi until your chin is over the bar. Slowly lower your body to the starting position without letting it sway.
Which muscles are engaged during the pull-up?
This is a great movement that targets the entire back muscles (especially the latissimus dorsi), as well as the biceps and forearms.
Primary stimulation muscles: Latissimus dorsi, biceps (short head), rhomboids
secondary stimulation muscles: Pectoralis major (lower and outer), triceps (long head), teres minor, rhomboids, biceps (long head), deltoids (anterior and posterior fascicles)
antagonist muscles: Deltoid, pectoralis major (upper)

pull-up variations and alternative movements
wide-grip pull-ups are the most common and contribute most to a v-shape, but you should try other grips to stress your muscles in different ways.
Wide-grip pull-ups. A grip wider than shoulder width to grab the bar.
Opposite grip pull-ups. If your gym has parallel handles, grab them and do pull-ups. If not, take a triangle handle from a rowing or pull-down machine and place it on the pull-up bar.

opposite grip pull-ups
behind-the-neck pull-ups. Do this movement behind your head. As you lift your body, lean forward slightly so that the back of your neck is in contact with the bar at the top.

behind-the-neck pull-ups
weighted pull-ups
when you can complete a set with your own weight, you need to increase the weight to make the exercise more challenging. Otherwise, pull-ups become push-ups because at a certain point, more pull-ups will not build muscular strength, but increase muscular endurance. If you need to use more weight, you can use a weight belt (this looks like a normal weight belt but has a chain on the front to attach weight plates or dumbbells), or dumbbells clamped between your feet.

weighted pull-ups
reverse grip pull-ups. Reverse grip the bar with a grip equal to or slightly less than shoulder width, then pull up the body in the same way. Wide grip high pull-down apparatus high pull-down assisted pull-ups
advanced techniques
the more experienced can do weighted pull-ups, but it is better to slow down the movement and increase the number of reps, as too heavy a load may damage the joints and even the spine.

for better training of the back muscles, we recommend gripping wider than the shoulders, putting the biceps in a weaker position and further increasing the stimulation of the latissimus dorsi as you pull up.
The difference between forward and reverse grip pull-ups
with a forward grip pull-up, the back of the hand is facing the body, which is a forward grip, while with a reverse grip pull-up, the palm is facing the body. For most little ones, the reverse grip is much easier than the forward grip as it puts the biceps in a stronger position. In addition, due to the difference in palm position, the lower trapezius and lower edge of the latissimus dorsi are more involved in reverse grip pull-ups, while the posterior deltoid, middle trapezius and upper latissimus dorsi are trained more in a forward grip.

a myth that many veterans have also been having is whether the body needs to be pulled over the bar?
This is also a great way to train upper body strength and muscles. It is also a great movement to expand the muscles in the mid-back (although the results always depend on individual physical characteristics). Every muscle from the fingers to the hips must be involved, the only problem is that very few people get it right.

the fact that the high pull-down is becoming popular as a vertically oriented pulling movement means that even professional exercisers have given up on pull-ups as they have other, easier ways to work the latissimus dorsi.
But the high pull-down is not the same as the pull-up. It locks the lower body in place, so all you have to do is pull down with the muscles of the shoulders. During a pull-up, the abdominals need to be tightened so as to keep the body all along an effective path upwards.

finally, we would like to give some advice to the novice. The pull-up is, in the end, a self-weight training movement and is not friendly to many people who are slightly overweight. The heavier you are the more work you do and there is a clear contradiction between this and your fitness. Therefore, we recommend that newcomers don't die trying, but try other great mid-back movements every once in a while and you'll find that one day you'll suddenly be able to do them!