The pull-up is an upper-body compound exercise that works muscles in the arms, shoulders, core, and entire back. They are necessary for exercise to build upper-body strength and power in athletes, build full-body strength in bodybuilders and weightlifters, and improve a person’s strength to bodyweight ratio.
There are numerous pull-up variations that can work for different people of various degrees of strength, such as the kettlebell pull-up variation, trap bar pull-up variation, all pull-up variations, and pull-up weight variation.
The pull-up exercise is a full-body exercise that works the latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, teres major, coracobrachialis, subscapularis, biceps, triceps, and rhomboids. Although it is mainly the upper body, it also works the core and the lower back, making this a highly useful compound movement for athletes, bodybuilders, and weightlifters alike.
1. Dead Hang
The dead hang exercise is a pull-up variation that targets the deltoids, trapezius rhomboids, core, and grip strength. This exercise is good for athletes who want to work on their core strength and grip strength during their sport or practice gripping the barbell during other exercises.
Alternatives to the dead hang include the pull-up, eccentric pull-up, jumping pull-up, chin-up, grip exercises, and bent-over rows for those who cannot hang onto the bar yet. One mistake to avoid during this exercise is to use an underhand grip or bend your elbows. Two tips to avoid these mistakes during the dead hand are keeping your core tight, keeping your body in one straight line, and looking forward during the hang.
The toughness level of this exercise is a 4 out of 10 since it is the easiest way to begin mastering the pull-up without putting too much strain on your back muscles or shoulder muscles. Beginners can begin with this exercise and see if they can build up to 60 seconds of a dead hang before trying the jumping pull-up or eccentric pull-up exercise.
2. Jumping Pull-Up
The jumping pull-up is a pull-up variation exercise that works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf during the jumping motion to get the bar, forearms for gripping the bar, latissimus dorsi for the pull-up, and core (abdominals, spinal erectors, and obliques).
This exercise is a good choice for weightlifters who want to get a stronger back and for athletes who want to build up to a bodyweight pull-up to get better strength to bodyweight ratio for their sport.
Alternatives of this exercise that can also build the back muscles include the bent-over row, cable row, eccentric pull-up, and band-assisted pull-up. Other exercises that can work the entire body include the burpee, push-up, and plank.
One mistake to avoid during this exercise is to jump too far over the bar and not make any pulling motion with your arms. Users can prevent this mistake by not stepping on a box to do the jumping pull-up and begin pulling with their arms before their head gets over the bar.
The toughness of this exercise is a 5 out of 10 since it is one step up from a jumping pull-up and requires some pulling motion from the arms and the back muscles.
3. Eccentric Pull-Up
The eccentric pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that works the latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, teres major, coracobrachialis, subscapularis, biceps, triceps, and rhomboids.
This exercise is helpful for beginners who want to build up to a pull-up and for weightlifters and bodybuilders who want to build a wider back and strengthen their arms and shoulders.
Alternatives of this eccentric pull-up include a band-assisted pull-up, chin-up, lat pulldown, underhand lat pulldown, cable row, and seated machine row. One mistake to avoid during this exercise is not going down slowly enough to get the benefits of growing your back muscles and taxing your endurance.
The toughness of this exercise is 6 out of 10 due to the constant tension on the arms, shoulders, and back.
4. Band-Assisted Pull-Up
The band-assisted pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that works the latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, teres major, brachialis, pectoralis minor, rhomboid, and triceps. This exercise is suitable for weightlifters, bodybuilders, and athletes who want to build their upper-body strength and size.
Alternatives to this exercise include the band-assisted chin-up, eccentric pull-up, non-assisted pull-up, kipping pull-up, lat pulldown, and underhand grip pulldown.
One mistake to avoid during this exercise is to use momentum to bounce back up to the top of the bar. Users can prevent this mistake by going slow, controlling their movement, and pulling with their arms.
The toughness of this exercise is a 6 out of 10 since it requires tension on the eccentric and concentric portions of the lift.
5. Chin-Up
The chin-up is a pull-up exercise variation that works the biceps more than the other variations, as the user will have an underhand grip. This exercise also taxes the brachialis, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, brachioradialis, and posterior deltoid.
This exercise is suitable for bodybuilders, weightlifters, and athletes working on their upper body strength.
The Alternatives of the chin-up include the band-assisted chin-up, band-assisted pull-up, seated cable row, seated machine row, lat pulldown, underhand lat pulldown, and bicep curls.
One mistake to avoid during chin-up is not bringing your head over the bar at the top of the range of motion. Users can avoid this by pulling with their biceps and keeping their elbows forward during the eccentric part of the lift.
This exercise has a toughness level of 7 out of 10 due to the constant tension, rigidity in the body, and compound exercise.
6. Kipping Pull-Up
The kipping pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that uses momentum and full-body coordination to perform multiple pull-ups simultaneously. This exercise involves the splenius, extensor carpi, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, deltoids, scapulae, core, and forearms.
Crossfit athletes use this exercise during training and competition to perform pull-up reps quickly.
Alternatives to this exercise include banded kipping pull-ups, strict pull-ups, banded pull-ups, underhand chin-ups, and muscle-ups. One mistake to avoid during this exercise is not bringing your chest through at the bottom of the movement to gain enough momentum to get over the bar. Users need to keep their arms straight during the bottom portion of the lift and use their body momentum to pull themselves over the bar.
The toughness of this exercise is an 8 out of 10 due to the coordination, full-body strength, and cardiovascular endurance required.
7. Isometric Pull-Up
The isometric pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that taxes the rhomboids, trapezius, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, deltoids, core, and erector spinae. This exercise is suitable for weightlifters and athletes who want to build their upper body and core strength.
Alternatives to his exercise include the strict pull-up, kipping pull-up, eccentric chin-up, and dead hang.
One mistake to avoid during this exercise is not keeping your head over the bar during the isometric hang. Users can prevent this mistake by squeezing their upper back and keeping their heads upright.
The toughness of this exercise is a 7 out of 10 due to the muscular endurance and the strength required at the top of the motion.
8. Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
The chest-to-bar pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that taxes the rhomboids, trapezius, biceps, deltoids, core, and obliques. This exercise is suitable for CrossFit athletes and weightlifters who want to build their latissimus dorsi more than regular chin-ups or pull-ups.
Alternatives of this exercise include the pull-up, kipping pull-up, pull-up dead hang, lat pulldown, chin-up, lat pulldown with an underhand grip, and isometric pull-up.
One mistake to avoid during this exercise is not to go high enough over the bar. Two ways that users can avoid this mistake are to focus on keeping their head high enough during the lift and to pull with their latissimus dorsi during the entire motion.
The toughness of this exercise is an 8 out of 10 since users have to pull even higher to get over the bar than the regular pull-up exercise.
9. Typewriter Pull-Up
The Typewriter pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that taxes the hips, core, quadriceps, forearms, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and triceps brachii. This exercise is good for bodybuilders and weightlifters who want to focus on the entire body in one bodyweight exercise.
Alternatives of this exercise include the strict pull-up, banded pull-up, chin-up, dead hang, isometric pull-up, and chest-to-bar pull-up.
One mistake to avoid during this exercise is not keeping your chest upright and body in one straight line. Two tips to avoid this mistake are not moving your legs in an alternating fashion and keeping your body rigid.
The toughness of this exercise is a 9 out of 10 due to the full-body tension, core strength, and coordination.
10. L-Sit Pull-Up
The l-sit pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that works the core, lower abdominal muscles, hip flexors, quadriceps, forearms, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and triceps brachii.
This exercise is good for bodybuilders and calisthenic athletes who want to work their entire bodies.
Alternatives of the l-sit pull-up include the strict pull-up, kipping pull-up, isometric pull-up, typewriter pull-up, and eccentric pull-up. One mistake to avoid during this exercise is to bend your legs. Users can avoid this by trying lying leg raises first and v-sits to build core strength.
The toughness level of this exercise is a 9 out of 10 due to the core strength and upper body strength required.
11. Archer Pull-Up
The archer pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that works the rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, biceps, forearms, mid-back, shoulders, and core. This exercise is good for calisthenic athletes who want to work on their bodyweight conditioning and weightlifters who want to build a bigger back.
Alternatives to this exercise include the one-arm pull-up, l-sit pull-up, typewriter pull-up, lat pulldown, and underhand pulldown. One mistake to avoid in this exercise is not keeping one arm straight over the bar. Users can avoid this exercise by pulling with one arm and straightening the other arm simultaneously.
The toughness level of this exercise is a 10 out of 10 due to the one-arm strength and coordination.
12. One-Arm Pull-Up
The one-arm pull-up is a pull-up exercise variation that works one side of the body, focusing on the latissimus dorsi, triceps brachii, biceps brachii, rhomboids, trapezius, core, and forearms. This exercise is good for calisthenic athletes, bodybuilders, and weightlifters who want to even out both sides of their bodies.
Alternatives to this exercise include the two-arm pull-up, dead hang, one-arm eccentric pull-up, one arm lat pulldown, and one arm push-up. One mistake to avoid during this exercise is to tilt your body and not keep a tight core. Two tips to avoid this mistake are to brace your core and keep your hips pointing forward.
The toughness level of this exercise is a 10 out of 10 due to the single-arm strength required to lift your entire body weight.
What to know about Pull-Up variations?
Pull-up variations are an excellent alternative to the strict pull-up for those who cannot pull their entire body weight over the bar, such as beginner gym-goers-, athletes who focus on lower-body strength, and bodybuilders who are too heavy to lift themselves.
Pull-up variations are good ways for athletes and beginner gym-goers to focus on other muscles at different proportions. Since pull-ups focus extensively on the upper and mid-back muscles, pull-up variations can tax other muscles to make the exercise easier (ex: biceps, shoulders, core, etc.).
What are the common mistakes in doing the Pull-Up Variations?
Common mistakes to avoid during pull-up variations are not bringing your head over the bar, not pulling evenly with both arms, not keeping a tight core, and not slowly lowering back down to the starting position. Users should avoid doing these mistakes as it can lead to incorrect form, overuse injuries, muscular imbalances, and lack of progression when it comes to achieving bodyweight pullups.
Which type of Pull-Up variation is beginner-friendly?
The best beginner pull-up variations are dead hang, jumping pull-up, eccentric pull-up, and band-assisted pull-up. These are the best variations for beginners because the dead hand works the shoulders, core, and grip strength, making it easier than pull-ups. The eccentric pull-up can help with muscular growth and endurance without needing the strength to perform a concentric motion of the pullup. Lastly, the band-assisted pullup makes the entire range of motion easier but gets the person used to the bodyweight motion of the pullup.
Which type of Pull-Up variation is good for weightlifters?
The best pull-up variations for weightlifters are the chin-up, isometric pull-up, and l-sit pull-up. These are the best variations for weightlifters because these athletes need to work on their full-body strength and their body-to-weight ratio. These exercises focus on core strength, bodyweight strength, and building the entirety of the upper body muscles.
Which type of Pull-Up variation is good for athletes?
The best pull-up variation for athletes is the chin-up, isometric pull-up, l-sit pull-up, and dead hang. Athletes need to focus on functional and foundational movements that help with their sport. These exercises help work the core strength, balance, and bodyweight strength that is relative to sports. Athletes need to have a high level of strength in relation to their percentage of body fat and total weight.
Which type of Pull-Up variation is good for bodybuilders?
The best pull-up variations for bodybuilders are the band-assisted pull-up, chin-up, and l-sit pull-up. The best pull-up variation for bodybuilders is the assisted pull-up and chin-up because these tax the upper body muscles to a high degree and work for large muscle groups. Since bodybuilders need to tone and strengthen their entire body, they need to balance pull-ups with chin-ups.
Which Pull-Up Variation is more difficult than Regular Pull-Up?
The variations that are more difficult than regular pull-ups are the kipping pull-up, isometric pull-up, chest-to-bar pull-up, typewriter pull-up, l-sit pull-up, archer pull-up, and one-arm pull-up. These exercises are harder than the regular pull up because they require more grip strength, a higher relative strength, more back muscles, and more core activation than the typical pull-up.
Which Pull-Up Type Exercises the Back more?
The pull-up type exercises that work the back more include the chest-to-bar pull-up, l-sit pull-up, archer pull-up, and one-arm pull-up. The chest-to-bar pull-up works the latissimus dorsi, biceps, rhomboids, obliques, and trapezius, whereas the l-sit pull-up works the core to a high degree. The archer pull-up works the latissimus, biceps, forearm, mid-back, shoulders, and traps to a higher degree than regular pull-ups. The one-arm pull-up requires extensive single-arm strength and core strength.
Do Pull-Up Variations act on Different Muscles?
The pull-up variations work different muscles to different degrees. The l-sit pull-up works the core, the chest-to-bar pull-up emphasizes the latissimus dorsi, the isometric pull-up works on the deltoids, and the archer pull-up works on the rhomboids.
What are the alternatives of Pull-Up Exercises?
Here you can see the alternatives of Pull-Up exercises that one can perform.
- Dead Hang
- Jumping Pull-Up
- Eccentric Pull-Up
- Band-Assisted Pull-Up
- Chin-Up
- Kipping Pull-Up
- Isometric Pull-Up
- Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
- Typewriter Pull-Up
- L-Sit Pull-Up
- Archer Pull-Up
- One-Arm Pull-Up
