How to Do Pullups: Proper Form, Variations, & Training Plan (2024)

Co-authored byMichele Dolanand Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: May 2, 2024Fact Checked

Perfect Pull-Up Form

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   Grip a pull-up bar with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. For a classic pull-up, hold the pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you.^[1] Keep your arms extended and hang from the bar with your feet off the ground, either straight or with your knees bent slightly.

   • Or, for a slightly easier variation, position your hands so your palms are facing you. This is also called a “chinup” and more intensely works your lats.^[2]
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   Use your arms to pull your body up until your chin is just above the bar. While only moving your arms, pull yourself straight upwards while exhaling. Imagine yourself pulling your elbows downward. Aim for a smooth and unhurried ascent (count “one Mississippi” to help pace yourself) and pull until your chin only just clears the pull-up bar.^[3]

   • To keep your bodyweight centered, cross your feet beneath you as you lift yourself up and engage your core. Pull your shoulder blades down and inward.
   • Avoid kicking your feet or arching your back to complete a pull-up. It doesn’t improve your strength, and may lead to injury.

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   Lower yourself until your arms are fully extended. After just a moment, inhale and lower yourself back down until your arms are fully extended once more.^[4] As on the way up, move at a controlled pace to work the muscles harder and prep yourself for the next pull.

   • Start with a single pull-up, and work your way up to about 5. Then, each day, try 2-3 sets of 5, gradually increasing the reps until you can do sets of 10.

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   Negative pull-ups A negative pull-up is only the downward portion of a pull-up, and is a good way to get your arms used to holding your weight. To do one, stand on a platform or chair so that your chin starts above the bar. Engage your arms, and lower yourself as with a normal pull-up, then step back onto the platform and repeat.^[5]

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   See Also

   Klimmzüge – Alles, Was Du Darüber Wissen Musst & Die Top TippsGetting Started With Pullup Bar ExercisesMaster the Pull-Up for Back Muscle, Strength, and Full-Body Control | BarBend7 Benefits of Pullups, Plus Beginner and Advanced Options

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   Assisted pull-ups These are done using a bar that’s lower to the ground, about 3–4ft (0.91–1.22m) from the floor. Start from a sitting position and complete a pull-up as usual, lifting your body off the ground with only your arms. These enable you to build up strength by lifting only part of your body weight with each rep.^[6]

   • Or, wrap elastic workout bands around your feet and the pull-up bar, to help you keep your body weight aloft.
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   Jumping pull-ups When you jump into a pull-up, the momentum you gain with the jump helps propel your body up so you can lift your chin over the bar much more easily than you'd be able to otherwise.^[7] Then, slowly ease your body weight back down, until your arms are extended. This is great practice for doing classic pull-ups.

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   Wide and narrow grip pull-ups Perform a wide-grip pull-up by placing your hands 3–4in (7.6–10.2cm) wider than usual, which more intensely engages your lats and helps strengthen and broaden your upper back. A close-gripped pull-up place your hands 3–4in (7.6–10.2cm) closer to each other than usual, and strengthens your biceps and grip strength.^[8]

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   Weighted pull-ups A weighted pull-up is just like a standard pull-up, but with added weight, making your muscles work overtime to build strength faster and more effectively. Strap on a 5–10lb (2.3–4.5kg) weighted workout belt and perform your usual pull-up, and add weight a little at a time when you acclimate to the current weight.^[9]

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   Ring pull-ups These use gymnastic rings instead of a standard pull-up bar, which adds a level of instability that forces you to engage more muscles throughout your body in order to stay balanced and in control.^[10] You may hold the rings with your palms facing away, toward you, or in neutral position—whatever you do, try not to move the rings at all during the exercise, keeping your hands stationary.

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   One-handed pull-up This is exactly what it sounds like: a pull-up using just 1 arm. It’s great to more intensely work the muscles on one side of your body, improve grip strength, and train for things like climbing.^[11] It’s not for the faint of heart, and only adept pull-up pros should attempt it. Otherwise, you may risk injury.

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   Start by hanging from the bar for 10-20 seconds. Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Adam Shuty recommends starting your pull-up journey with simple bar hangs. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width on the bar with your palms facing away, then bend your knees slightly to lift your feet off the ground and hang your body weight from the bar, with your arms extended.

   • Hang for 10-20 seconds at a time, and increase your time in intervals of 10 seconds once it becomes easy.
   • Certified personal trainer Monica Morris recommends flexing your shoulders up and down while you hang to prepare them for a proper pull-up.
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   Perform bicep curls to increase your arm strength. To perform a bicep curl, hold a dumbbell low at arm’s length with your palm facing away from you. Then, while keeping your elbow close to your torso, bend it so that the dumbbell comes up near your shoulder. Finally, slowly lower the dumbbell until your arm is extended.^[12] Repeat for 3 sets of 10 curls.

   • Start with a weight you can lift 10 times without much fatigue, then move up to the next available weight.
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   Perform inverted rows to strengthen your upper body. This exercise simulates a pull-up, but is easier to do since most of your weight is on the ground. It's an excellent way to start building up enough strength to do a pull-up. Lie on your back under a dip bar or a secured barbell, and grip the bar with your palms facing down and just wider than your shoulders. Then, use your arms to pull your chest up to the bar, and gradually lower yourself back down.^[13]

   • Complete 2-3 sets of 10 inverted rows per workout.
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   Use a pulldown machine to simulate pull-ups. A pulldown machine strengthens your upper body, lats, and backs, which are major muscle groups employed during a pull-up. Stand or sit under a pulldown bar and grip it with your palms facing away. Then, use your arms to pull the bar down to your collarbone, and steadily let it raise back up.^[14]

   • Perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps each, increasing reps and weight when it becomes almost effortless.
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   Practice easier pull-up variations, like chin-ups. Shuty recommends building up your arm, chest, and back strength with easier pull up variations, like those in the section above: chinups, negatives, assisted pull-ups, and jumping pull-ups. These will help ease you into a proper, unassisted pull-up. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps per exercise, until you can do them without strain. Then, attempt a full pull-up!

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1. ↑ https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2014/06000/the_pull_up.14.aspx
2. ↑ https://blog.nasm.org/chin-ups-vs.-pull-ups-the-difference-the-benefits-muscles-worked
3. ↑ https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2014/06000/the_pull_up.14.aspx
4. ↑ https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/191/pull-ups/
5. ↑ https://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/tips-for-better-pullups
6. ↑ https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2014/06000/the_pull_up.14.aspx
7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKe5S1dd0fw&t=66s
8. ↑ https://blog.nasm.org/chin-ups-vs.-pull-ups-the-difference-the-benefits-muscles-worked#variations
9. ↑ https://barbend.com/weighted-pull-up/

More References (6)

10. ↑ https://barbend.com/5-awesome-benefits-of-ring-chin-ups/
11. ↑ https://www.climbing.com/skills/how-to-do-a-one-arm-pull-up/
12. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/multimedia/biceps-curl/vid-20084675
13. ↑ https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2014/08000/the_inverted_row.13.aspx
14. ↑ https://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/tips-for-better-pullups
15. Videos provided by Calisthenicmovement

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