Pull · A pull-up bar
How to do
Pull-ups
The core vertical pull, and the movement most people find hardest to earn a first rep of. Lats, mid-back and biceps, with grip strength as the usual limiting factor early on.
| Movement pattern | Pull |
| Measured in | reps |
| Equipment | A pull-up bar |
| Effort weight in Alea | 2.0 per rep |
| Appears from | D4 exercise die upward |
How to do it
Setup
Grip the bar slightly wider than your shoulders, palms facing away, thumbs wrapped over the top. Hang with your arms straight but your shoulders active rather than slack, as if trying to pull them down away from your ears. Cross your ankles behind you and squeeze your glutes so the body stops swinging.
The movement
Start by pulling your shoulder blades down and back, then drive your elbows toward your ribs until your chin clears the bar. Lower under control until your arms are straight again. The descent is where most of the strength is built, so resist the urge to drop.
Common mistakes
- Starting the pull with the arms instead of the shoulder blades, which stalls you halfway
- Not returning to a full hang, quietly shortening every rep
- Kipping and swinging to generate momentum when the goal is strict strength
- Chin lifted over the bar while the chest never rises, which is a neck extension rather than a rep
Too hard? Scale it down
Inverted rows, which are also in the Alea pool, build the same pattern horizontally at a fraction of the load. After that, negatives: jump or step to the top position and lower as slowly as you can, aiming for five seconds. Three sets of three negatives, twice a week, brings most people to a first rep faster than anything else. Resistance bands under the feet work too.
Too easy? Scale it up
Slow tempo, pausing at the top, or moving toward the archer pull-up and eventually the muscle-up, which sits at the far end of the same pool.
Where this sits in the Alea pool
Alea draws exercises from an ordered pool of twenty, and the die size slices from the top of that list. Pull-ups is number 2 of 20, so it enters the draw once your exercise die reaches D4. Below that, you will never roll it.
Its effort weight is 2.0 per rep, which the app uses when it builds 100-rep sessions and tailored workouts, so a session containing pull-ups carries fewer total reps than one built from lighter movements.
Roll it now in your browser, or set your dice and let it come up on its own.
General information, not medical or fitness advice. Stop if you feel pain or dizziness, use the easier variation when in doubt, and see the full training disclaimer before starting.
Let the dice pick it for you
Alea draws pull-ups at random alongside nineteen other bodyweight movements. Free, no account needed.
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Related
Pull-ups FAQ
How do I get my first pull-up?
Negatives are the fastest route for most people. Jump to the top, then lower for five seconds. Three sets of three, twice a week, alongside inverted rows to build the pattern. Progress usually arrives in weeks rather than months.
Are chin-ups easier than pull-ups?
Generally yes. The underhand grip brings the biceps in more strongly, so most people manage a chin-up before a pull-up. Alea draws the overhand version, but training chin-ups first is a legitimate way in.
Why do my forearms give out before my back?
Grip is often the early limiter. Dead hangs for time, and simply not using straps, will bring it up. If grip fails mid-set your back has usually not been trained to failure at all.