The Correct Way to Do Pull-Ups

Introduction:

You can’t build muscle if you don’t know how to do pull-ups correctly! Pull-ups are an important exercise because they help build your back, shoulders, and arms. If you want to make any significant gains in muscle mass, you’ll need to add pull-ups to your weightlifting routine as soon as possible! With that in mind, here are three simple ways to do pull-ups correctly.

Before You Start

The first thing you need to do before attempting pull-ups is determined whether or not you're strong enough. A dead hang is when your arms are fully extended and you're hanging from a bar. If you can't hold that position for 15 seconds, you don't have strength or endurance in your upper body, which means now's not a good time to start adding heavy weights or extra reps. Go back and focus on working your way up. Once you can perform 10 full dead hangs, it's time to move on. Also, make sure you have access to a sturdy pull-up bar. There are tons of great options out there—be sure to find one that fits into your home workout space easily. You’re Ready: Before you begin any exercise program, be sure to consult with your doctor! Start by warming up by doing jumping jacks or another cardio activity like jumping rope for five minutes. You should also stretch out any muscle groups that might be tight before starting an exercise routine.

Progressing From Horizontal Rows

If you’re just starting out with pull-ups, you can begin by doing horizontal rows. This will build your arm and back strength so that when you transition to pull-ups, it won’t feel as difficult. Start by gripping a bar in front of your hips and lowering yourself down, then pulling back up toward your chest until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Slowly let go of the bar and lower yourself again without touching it; repeat 10 times. As you get stronger, try lowering your legs while holding onto a dumbbell between them or holding weight plates around each knee for added resistance. Doing Chin-Ups: Once you can do 15 horizontal rows, move on to chin-ups. To start, grasp a bar overhand with palms facing away from you (supinated grip). Bend your knees slightly and hang from the bar with arms fully extended; look straight ahead. Now lift yourself up by squeezing your shoulder blades together, bending only at your elbow joints. Pause briefly before slowly lowering yourself down until your arms are fully extended again; repeat 10 times. If chin-ups are too difficult initially, use an underhand grip (palms facing toward you) instead—your palms should still be facing away from you but on top of one another—and work on building up strength in that position first before trying overhand grips again.

Warming Up And Cooling Down

As important as it is for any physical activity, warming up and cooling down isn’t something you want to overlook. It’s often easy to simply run through your workout without taking time for a proper warmup; however, doing so could lead to injuries—and definitely won’t do your pull-ups any favors. As well, you don’t want to disregard your cool down either—it can mean preventing soreness in areas like your shoulders and back that pull-ups work hard. Warm-up with some light cardio, such as jogging or jumping rope, and then move on to some mobility exercises. Some good ones include shoulder circles (where you rotate your arms in small circles), arm swings (where you swing your arms forward and backward), leg swings (where you swing one leg forward and backward), and walking lunges (where you lunge forward with one leg). Once warmed up, try a few sets of eight repetitions of standard pull-ups before moving on to more advanced variations. Then take at least three minutes of rest before beginning another set. Cooling down is just as important—you don’t want to stop exercising abruptly after an intense session or risk injury.

Common Mistakes And Fixes

Despite its reputation as a fitness staple, many people do pull-ups incorrectly. If you're trying to build muscle or just improve your fitness level in general, you must do pull-ups correctly. In fact, according to Fitness Republic (2005), more than 30 percent of individuals doing pull-ups perform them incorrectly. Whether doing pull-ups is part of your strength training routine or you're trying to meet a certain number for physical testing such as a Navy SEAL test or army airborne school/Pararescue physical ability and stamina test (PAST/PAST II), there are several things you can do to avoid common mistakes and find out how quickly and easily you can improve. To learn about these mistakes and fixes, read on. 

The top three mistakes most people make when performing pull-ups are 1) not gripping high enough 2) bending arms during movement 3) not looking at the bar throughout the entire movement. Let’s talk about why these tips will help you improve your pull-up performance. Here’s why grip matters: When gripping lower, one hand may slip off sooner than the other which could lead to cheating or even failure together resulting in wrist pain. Wrist pain is generally caused by gripping too low so be sure to grip higher up—between shoulder width and fist distance apart from hands depending on preference.

Alternative Exercises

While pull-ups are an incredibly effective exercise, they aren’t for everyone. That’s why it’s important to be flexible and offer other options so your clients can still get in a great workout without compromising their form or health. These alternatives will effectively build strength in a similar way to pull-ups, but they also allow you some insurance that your clients will be engaging their muscles safely and effectively while they strengthen them. These are excellent choices if you don’t have access to equipment or training spaces where you can accommodate pull-up bars. You can also use these exercises as part of a circuit routine with push-ups and squats. 2 sets x 10 reps/side each: Single Leg Bridges (AKA Single Leg Deadlifts) – Stand on one leg with your hips square and shoulders back. Bend over at your waist, lifting your free leg off the ground until both legs are straight. Keep your free hand on your hip or grab onto something stable like a chair or wall for balance. Lift up until you feel the tension in your hamstrings then slowly lower back down under control—it should take about 2 seconds to go up and 4 seconds to come down; that’s 1 rep.

The Correct Way to Do Pull-Ups