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Technique

  1. Grab a bar with both hands shoulder width apart, keep your shoulders engaged, jump up and lock out elbows in 90-degree bend; this is the starting position.
  2. Pull yourself up smoothly initiating the movement using back muscles and finish the motion bending the arms; your chin should be clear above the bar.
  3. Pause and slowly reverse the movement back to starting position.
  4. This progression can be useful if you don’t have the strength to pull yourself up from the bottom position yet.

Form tips

  • Do not stretch your neck up to barely clear the bar: focus on quality range of motion by pulling your elbows back and shoulder back to get your whole body higher.

Muscles

Strength

Primary

  • Biceps
  • Forearms
  • Back
  • Serratus anterior
  • Chest
  • Biceps brachii (short head)
  • Brachialis
  • Brachioradialis
  • Lower trapezius
  • Serratus anterior
  • Latissimus dorsi
  • Pectoralis minor
  • Rhomboid major
  • Middle trapezius
  • Teres major

Equipment

Appears in

Joint movements
Elbowflexion
trains stretches

Progressions

e085

Pullup

Intermediate
e0hv

Neutral grip pullup

Intermediate
e0hw

Chinup

Intermediate
e11t

Rings pullup

Intermediate
e12l

Weighted pullup

Intermediate
e12i

Pullup eccentric

Novice
e021

Band-assisted rings pullup

Novice
e14p

Band-assisted pullup

Novice
e1ai

Weighted chinup

Intermediate
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