Pull-Up

If I could only give someone one back exercise, it's this. Can't do one yet? That's normal — the progressions below get everyone there.

Tips

• Start every rep from a dead hang, then set your shoulders by pulling the blades down and back before the arms bend.
• Think "drive elbows to hips," not "pull chin over bar" — it turns the movement into a lat exercise instead of an arm exercise.
• Full range: chin clears the bar at the top, arms straight at the bottom. Half reps build half a back.
• Squeeze your glutes and keep legs still — swinging steals the work from your back.
• Building to your first rep: slow negatives (jump up, lower for 5 seconds), band-assisted pull-ups, and inverted rows.

Common Mistakes

• Kipping/swinging — momentum robs the lats and wrecks the shoulders. Strict reps only until you're strong.
• Skipping the dead hang — staying half-bent at the bottom cuts the hardest, most productive part of the rep.
• Reaching with the chin — craning the neck over the bar instead of pulling the chest up. Fake range of motion.
• Death-gripping a too-wide bar — extra-wide grips cut range and strain shoulders. Just outside shoulder width is plenty.