Vertical pull · Pull-up bar

Pull-Up

The pull-up is a bodyweight vertical pull from a dead hang until your chin clears the bar, using an overhand grip. It is one of the best lat and upper-back builders and a good strength benchmark for anyone who can manage a few reps.

Primary
Back
Secondary
Biceps
Starting rep range
6–12 reps
Target effort
2 reps in reserve
Progression
2.5 kg jumps

Muscles worked

The lats do most of the work pulling the elbows down, helped by the biceps, mid back, and lower traps. An underhand grip (chin-up) increases biceps involvement; a wider grip slightly emphasizes the lats.

How to set up

  1. Grip the bar overhand, slightly wider than shoulder width.
  2. Hang with arms straight and legs still, ankles crossed or legs together.
  3. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes to avoid swinging.
  4. Pull the shoulders slightly down away from your ears before the first rep.

How to do each rep

  1. Drive your elbows down toward your ribs to pull your chest toward the bar.
  2. Pull until your chin clears the bar.
  3. Lower under control to a full hang with straight arms.
  4. Avoid kicking or swinging to finish reps.

Common pull-up mistakes

Half reps

Start every rep from straight arms and finish with your chin over the bar.

Kipping and swinging

Keep legs still and core tight; if you can't finish without swinging, end the set.

Shrugging at the bottom

Lead each rep by pulling the shoulders down before the elbows bend.

Sets, reps, and progression

Surpass starts the pull-up at 6–12 reps with about 2 reps in reserve. As a compound lift it usually belongs early in the session, when you are fresh.

If you can't do one, use band-assisted pull-ups, an assisted machine, or slow negatives. Once you can do 3 sets of 8-10, add weight with a belt or dumbbell between the feet in small steps.

Know what to lift next time

Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.

Track it free in Surpass

Pull-Up alternatives

These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.

Assisted Pull-up MachineBack · MachineClose Grip Lat PulldownBack · CableHammer Strength Iso-Lateral PulldownBack · Plate-loaded machineHammer Strength PulldownBack · Plate-loaded machineLat PulldownBack · CableBarbell RowBack · Barbell

Programs that use it

Push Pull Legs (6-Day PPL)6 days a week · intermediateUpper/Lower Split (4 Days)4 days a week · beginnerArnold Split (6 Days)6 days a week · advanced5-Day Bro Split5 days a week · intermediatePPL + Upper/Lower Hybrid (5 Days)5 days a week · intermediate

Calculators

1RM CalculatorNext Set CalculatorPlate Calculator

Questions

How do I get my first pull-up?

Train 3-5 slow negatives (jump up, lower over 3-5 seconds) a few times a week, along with lat pulldowns or assisted pull-ups. Losing excess body weight also helps.

Pull-ups vs chin-ups?

Both train the lats heavily. Chin-ups (palms facing you) bring in more biceps and are usually a bit easier; pull-ups put slightly more demand on the back.