Training

How to work your way up to a Pull Up

When it comes to different gym exercises, pull-ups or chin-ups tend to be a bit of an achilles heel for many people starting out their exercise regimes. These exercises require a good element of physical strength but, if done properly, are fantastic exercises that should be a staple in any strength-based training plan.

For those who have not yet built the strength needed to physically do a pull-up or chin-up, Sportsshoes.com has enlisted PT James Butterfield to share advice for anyone wanting to incorporate these exercises into their plan.

Let’s start with the difference between a pull-up and a chin-up. Pull-ups used a pronated (overhand grip) with palms facing outwards, and just wider than the shoulders. Chin-ups on the other hand, use a supinated (underhand) grip just inside the shoulders with palms facing you.

Both exercises take place in the vertical pulling movement plane, and both primarily target the back (specifically the lats) and biceps. Pull-ups typically use shoulder adduction, where the elbows come down and back from the sides. Chin-ups however use shoulder extension, where the elbows come down and back from the front. This mean that both exercises train the lats in a slightly different way, and as such neither should be favoured over the other. Chin-ups put more emphasis on the biceps, and as such the majority of people will be stronger using this method, the position of your grip has a huge impact on this, the narrower your grip, the more your biceps will work.

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Photo by Anastase Maragos on Unsplash

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The muscles used during both exercises (albeit in different proportions) are the:

• Middle and lower trapezius

• Rhomboids

• Pectoralis major and minor

• Deltoids

• Lattisumus dorsi (lats)

• Biceps

• Erector spinae

For those who are not yet strong enough to do a full pull-up, there are many ways to work up to achieving one. These are the ones that I have used with success on a number of my clients.

The first is the assisted pull-up machine, if your gym has one, use it! This machine allows pull-ups to be performed against a stack of weights, which act as a counter balance against your body weight and reduce the effort required to perform said pull-up. If, for example, you weigh 75kgs and put 30kgs of weight on the assisted machine you will only be pulling up 45kgs of your own weight, but will still be working the same muscles and performing the exercise as discussed. The beauty of an assisted pull-up machine is that as you progress you can reduce the weight working to help you and therefore increase the weight you are pulling up. Over time this will lead to a full unassisted pull-up as the muscles required get stronger

An alternative to this is to use resistance bands. The band should be hooked around the pull-up bar and your knees or feet placed in it. By placing your feet in the band you are increasing the assistance it gives you as it will be stretched further. Progression towards a full pull-up in this way comes by using bands with less resistance over time, the thinner the band the less assistance it will offer.

Earlier in the article we looked at the muscles used when performing a pull-up. It would be prudent to strengthen these muscles using supporting exercises away from pull-ups to assist in building strength. The below is not an exhaustive list but includes a good variety of exercises to consider using to make your pull-ups stronger:

• Lat pulldowns

• Dumbbell rows

• Bicep curls (barbell or dumbbell)

• Seated rows

• Reverse dumbbell fly’s

• Barbell rows

As a final word, much like most things to get better at something you have to do it! Want to get better at pull-ups? Then do more!

Looking for some training tips and advice? Then head over to our Training category where our athletes and experts explain everything you need to know.