Physical Fitness Stack Exchange
Physical Fitness Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [pull-ups]

Exercise to lift the body using the arms with a supinated grip (palms facing away).

Pull-ups use the opposite grip from chin-ups. The basic version is the dead-hang pull-up, which starts at full rest and extension at the bottom and finishes with the chin above the grip, with the arms in full contraction, moving across the entire range of motion and using no kicking or swinging to create momentum.

Variants include kipping pull-ups (kicking or swinging the body), assisted pull-ups (using a band, having another person push, or using an assistance machine), one-arm pull-ups, and partial range-of-motion pull-ups. Changing the grip also creates many variants. Fat-grip, towel-grip, and gi-grip (for martial arts like judo or jiu-jitsu) pull-ups are all useful for focusing on grip strength.

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How do I get higher in a pullup?

When performing a pullup, what techniques would be ideal for getting higher than chin-even-with-bar? When I perform pullups, I can get the bar to the base of my neck / my collarbone if I pull explosively in the lower part of the movement. I can do…
DavidR
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How to Practice Pull-ups without Equipment

I want to work up to doing more pull-ups, but have access to only a very minimal gym (i.e., without a pull-up bar), and then no gym after that, for a month. What are the best ways to work the muscles needed for pull-ups without access to any…
rubergly
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Are pullups still a good way to build muscle before you're able to do many of them?

I can only do about 3 full pullups (from completely extended to head above bar). I hear that pullups are a great way to build muscle, but I wonder if this could really be true if you can't do very many yet. Are pullups still a great workout if you…
Samuel Handwich
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Is there any objective reason for the hatred towards the pulldown machine?

While I agree that a compound movement with free weights against gravity must recruit more muscles (and in a more balanced way) than a forced path on an isolation machine, I cannot understand certain extremes like the hatred towards the lat pulldown…
Mephisto
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How to increase muscles for a pull-up

I'm trying to get better at pull-ups. Currently I can do 3-4 unassisted* pull-ups, but would like to be able to steadily 3x10 pull-ups. What's the best way to achieve this? I attend a gym which grants me access to the following: Pull-up…
Tas
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When to start weighted pullups?

Why is it recommended to be able to do 10 pullups before adding weight? I never really understood that.
moh abdi
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Pull-ups question: look up at the bar or look straight ahead?

When doing pull-ups (not chin-ups), I find it harder to get up when I look up and my chest is sticking out and back is titled. On the other hand, these harder pull-ups feel more intense and satisfying, for the few reps that I can do. I feel pumped…
user30645
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Swinging lower body in pull-ups

Sometimes my lower body swings when I'm doing pull-ups. Is it bad to swing the lower body when doing pull-ups? Are there any benefits to keeping it immobile?
amphibient
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Do Inverted Rows prepare you for Pull Ups?

Among other stupid injuries a year ago I got wrist tendinitis after trying negative and chair-assisted pull ups, and so those things are out of the menu. My road towards pull ups must cross either the Lat Pulldown Machine village, or the Inverted…
Mephisto
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Would doing deadhangs for extended periods of time help someone do a pull up?

My friend found he couldn't do a pull up, and came up with this plan for being able to do one: keep doing dead hangs every day until he could pull himself up the bar at some point. Would this strategy actually work? I am suspecting it won't, because…
tryst with freedom
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What are the effective differences of negative vs. assisted pull-ups?

In order to learn pull-ups one has (omongst others) two options if xe can't do real pull-ups, yet: Negative pull-ups and assited pull-ups. With negative pull-ups one basically omits the contraction and focuses on the eccentric movement, be it with…
Paul K
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Why is a lateral pull-down machine easier than pull-ups?

Today at the gym after only being able to do about 3 pull-ups in a row, I decided to try the the lateral pull-down machine (this one has separate hand grips, not a single bar). After messing with different weights, I set it to about 10 lbs more than…
FreakyDan
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Is moving the legs forward on pull-ups a bad thing?

I always do my pull-ups with my legs stretched out, no matter the height of the bar. But, the thing that bothers me is that I can't manage to keep my legs in a straight line with my upper body during the workout — they almost always move forward…
Abdullah Hamzic
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Hand pain during hanging on the pull-up bar

I have recently started hanging on the bar. Doing one pull-up is yet beyond my ability. My hand starts hurting badly after 10 seconds of hanging. I tried putting a towel on the bar to feel soft on the hands. But still at max 15 seconds and my hand…
nick pensee
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What are the pros and cons of a rotating Vs fixed pull-up bar?

Nearly all pull-up bars I've seen are fixed, but I wondered about a bar that is able to rotate/twist. I'm considering building my own pull-up station so I could design a bar that can spin or be locked in place, are there any benefits to a spinning…
Mr. Boy
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