Read more: 10 Exercises to Help You Conquer the Pull-Up. This exercise has the knack of working more muscles than you would expect. The following example is given using an overhand grip, but otherwise applies to any hand position. Those words may be dreaded, but the pushup is actually one of the simplest yet most beneficial exercises you can perform to gain strength and muscle. An exercise using more than one muscle group or joints at the same time are called compound exercises. Your latissimus dorsi is the most powerful pulling muscle in your back, and during a pull-up, it's the primary mover, or the muscle that provides most of the power to bring your body up to the bar. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 10 Exercises to Help You Conquer the Pull-Up, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Council on Exercise: "ACE-Sponsored Research: What Is the Best Back Exercise? Muscle-up involves pushing and pulling of the upper body. However, this exercise is very physically demanding and can be difficult for some people to perform. There’s a reason personal trainers worldwide include pull ups in just about every strength training regimen; it’s a primal movement that recruits muscles from all over your body to act in harmony and perform a dynamic compound movement. The main muscle worked to execute a pull-up is the latissimus dorsi (lats). Pull ups/chin ups are probably the most commonly performed movements on the pull up bar. Although pull-ups are an excellent back exercise, they're also very challenging — and many people can't do one pull-up unassisted, much less a full set. Have your buddy stand just in front of or beside you and press up on your knees as you lift yourself up toward the bar. The pull-up exercise helps you to develop strong and powerful forearms, as well as improve your finger and hand strength. During a pull-up move, you work all your upper back muscles simultaneously. . This completes one repetition. If your gym doesn't have an assisted pull-up machine, you can use a workout buddy instead. Of the three pull-up varieties tested (normal, wide-grip and reverse-grip), wide-grip and reverse-grip both showed increased risk for shoulder impingement. No matter how you choose to grip the bar, basic form for pull-ups remains the same. As this happens, the elbows flex and the shoulders adduct and extend to bring the elbows to the torso. Because your friend may end up lifting a significant portion of your body weight, make sure she squats down and then lifts up with her legs, not her back or arms. The LIVESTRONG Foundation and LIVESTRONG.COM do not endorse Many are under the impression that it is used mainly to develop the biceps, but the exercise also works your shoulders, back, and arm muscle groups. Copyright © ", Arizona State University: "Anatomical Analysis of Movement: Upper Extremity Exercises", Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport: "Scapula Kinematics of Pull-Up Techniques: Avoiding Impingement Risk With Training Changes", Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology: "Electromyographic Analysis of Muscle Activation During Pull-Up Variations", Health.gov: "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020: Appendix 1. The pull-up is a closed-chain movement where the body is suspended by the hands and pulls up. And finally, if you remember that moment at the start of the pull-up when you bring your shoulder blades back and down, a series of muscles help you lock them in place and stabilize your shoulder girdle. — close to her body. It also gives your core muscles a pretty fantastic workout. To maximise your pull-up workout, you can increase the width of the bar, as the thicker the bar, the more the forearm muscles will need to work to maintain a firm grip. Chin Ups – How to Do, Benefits & Muscles Worked, Assisted Pull Ups – How To Do, Benefits & Muscles Worked, Assisted Pull Up with Bands – How to do, Benefits & Muscles Worked, How To Do Pull-Ups – Mastering The Pull-Up, How To Do Muscle Ups – Benefits, Muscles Used and Progression. These include the lower and middle fibers of the trapezius muscle, the pectoralis minor (a chest muscle that reaches from your ribs to your shoulder blade), the levator scapulae and your rhomboids, a diamond-shaped muscle whose only job is to help bring your shoulder blades together and down. During a pull-up, your upper arm also extends at the shoulder, or swings down from the front of your body toward the rear of it; your lats do this too, along with the posterior or rear deltoid and the pectoralis major. A pushup … You can increase the thickness of the bar by wrapping non-slip workout tape around the bar until you achieve the desired width. Privacy Policy The rotator cuff muscles, which are the teres minor and the infraspinatus, pull your arms back when the elbows are to the side. Doing pull-ups alone may not be enough to do a thorough biceps workout but it is definitely a start. Adnan comes from a sporting background, where he has played football, badminton, rugby, and swimming all at various levels. Dr. Bailey is also an Anatomy and Physiology professor. As far as exercise trends go, the pull-up has stood up to the test of time and have long been delivering excellent results for those determined to increase their strength, health, and overall well-being. That includes not only your back, but also your chest, arms, shoulders, core, hips, quads, hamstrings and calves. WAIST PULL UPS (AND L-SIT WAIST PULL UPS) In particular, the teres major (sometimes called "lat's little helper") works synergistically with your latissimus dorsi to adduct the shoulder. What if you've been working on your pull-ups so much that doing a full set is easy? A Narrow Grip pull-up means you place your hands closer together on the bar. Muscle ups are a type of pull-up exercise at an advanced level and is often used in gymnastics and competitive CrossFit training. However, as important as it is to develop a healthy, strong back, don't forget to work your other muscle groups. The pull-up has a host of variations to improve your workout and to keep it interesting enough for you to not get bored. What Muscles Are Worked for Neutral-Grip Pullups?. Pull-ups use shoulder adduction (so the elbows come down and back from the sides) and chin-ups – shoulder extension (so the elbows come down and back from the front). gtag('js', new Date()); Perform the neutral-grip pullup using a pullup bar with parallel handles or an assisted pullup machine. Anatomy and research has the answers. Improve your posture and back muscle strength. The pull-up exercise uses the full spectrum of your shoulder and scapular muscles. Pull-Ups Muscles Worked The reason pull-ups are often a staple in upper body workouts is due to their ability to target multiple muscles at once. The pull-up exercise is one of the most convenient around, meaning you can do it at home, outdoors and gym, all you need is a solid and stable bar. Copyright Policy But you might be wondering “exactly what muscles do pull ups work?”. As noted in a small study of 19 volunteers that was published in the February 2017 issue of the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, researchers tracked muscular activity in the shoulder-arm-forearm complex and found similar levels of peak activation despite changes in hand position. They also work other muscles like your traps, rhomboid, teres major, infraspinatus, pecs, erector spinae and external oblique. A certified personal trainer, Adnan specialises in weight loss, muscle building, body conditioning, core strengthening and injury rehabilitation. If you're into body-weight exercises like pull-ups, you can keep using that method to work your entire body. Luckily, there are many different pull up alternatives that work to strengthen the same muscles. In a study of 19 healthy young volunteers with resistance-training experience, the American Council on Exercise concluded that there is no single "best" exercise for every muscle in the back — but that the pull-up and chin-up (or reverse-grip pull-up) both generated significantly greater activity in the latissimus dorsi than the six other exercises tested. The overhand grip of the pull-up improves posterior chain activation, says Sobuta. In the aforementioned study, the one notable difference was significantly greater activation of the middle trapezius fibers during regular pull-ups, as compared to doing pull-ups with a neutral grip. According to this study , your lats are your back muscles that are located under your arm. Terms of Use Doing the same workout day in and day out can quickly become boring. Breathe out as you pull your elbows down to your sides. It is advised to start with a negative pull-up and build up as you improve your strength and technique. Some examples of exercises you can do include push-ups for your chest, arms and shoulders; planks, crunches and bicycle crunches for your core; glute bridges for your hips; and squats or a wide variety of lunges to work all your leg muscles. Pull-ups are amazing to strengthen your back, arms, and abdominals but are also great for improving the strength of your grip. The much-maligned and often overlooked pull-up allows you to work multiple muscle groups including the back, biceps, shoulders and abdominal muscles. Just select how much of your weight you want the machine to counterbalance, grasp the pull-up handles, kneel or step onto the counterbalance bar and go for it. Grasping the pull-up bar will immediately tighten the forearm muscles to grip the bar securely. The Australian Pull Ups or Bodyweight Row is a back Calisthenics Exercise to mainly work your endurance. Did you notice that you don't need to swing your body or do explosive, dramatic movements? There are many variations of the pull-up, by simply tweaking your hand grip you put more emphasis on different muscles. So, if you want to answer the question what muscles do pull ups work in one word, the answer would be the Lats. diagnosis or treatment. Strong abdominal muscles will help you pull yourself up to achieve the perfect pull-up move. Pull up to the bar in a smooth motion so the bar grazes the bottom of … This is because of the elbow flexing involved when using your biceps but is not solely responsible for executing a pull-up movement. During a pull-up exercise, you will use and work all the back, chest, arms and shoulder muscles, as well as your abdominals at the same time. gtag('config', 'UA-54885660-1'); Pull-ups fall under the category of compound exercises, meaning the exercise involves more than one muscle group simultaneously. The muscles involved are the lower and middle trapezius, rhomboids and the teres major. Benefits of the Weighted Pull-Up The benefits of weighted pull-ups are very similar to the muscular and movement benefits seen from performing most … Meanwhile, all four muscles of your rotator cuff, the infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor, work to stabilize the complex mechanism that is your shoulder joint, and your erector spinae and obliques work to stabilize your torso. She is a former American College of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and currently works as a Level 1 CrossFit coach. Using a wide neutral grip will require these muscles to work more. pullupbar-chinupbar.com/articles/muscles-worked-in-a-pull-up A series of powerful muscles in your upper and lower arms kick in to help accomplish this motion too, flexing your arm at the elbow. As you reach the top, pull your chest up over the bar and straighten your arms until your waist is level with the pull-up bar. They work in conjunction with your lats muscles for example when you lower your body back down. Lisa is a retired personal trainer with more than 4,000 hours of hands-on experience working with a variety of clients, from sports teams to weight loss and post-rehab populations. Pull yourself up between the bars. Compared to a regular pushup, this exercise will majorly work your back muscles and abs. Grab a bar today and get started, there is nothing to lose, only gains to be made. Close-grip pull-ups work your arm and back muscles. The close grip pull up places specific focus on the biceps, lats, traps and pecs over other types of pull up which are more effective and focused on other muscles. The Australian Pull is such a great exercise because it's very easy to change its intensity and can help beginners improve a lot in Calisthenics. So, although there's no single best exercise for all of your back muscles, pull-ups are definitely one of the best for your latissimus dorsi. Ensure that the bar is strong enough to hold your weight, as well as stable enough to avoid any accidents. This changes up how your muscles are worked against resistance. Also, the forearm muscles will need to work more when you use a Narrow Grip pull-up. If you don't have access to any of the other options described above, you can also do lat pulldowns to help build the strength needed for pull-ups. Chin ups are probably a tad bit easier to perform than pull ups, mainly because in the case of chin ups, your arm muscles – especially your biceps – can be utilised more during the movement. Australian Pull-Up vs Regular Pull-Ups. So in each case, the lats do the work, but the muscles movement during a pull up is different than during a chin up. They will work all of the main upper and mid back muscles and can be scaled almost infinitely to your level. Because the motions are very similar — the real difference is whether you're pulling yourself up to the bar, or you're pulling the bar down to you — you'll be getting a very similar workout, too. Pull ups work not only one, not two, and not even three but a myriad of muscle groups depending on the grip, position, or variation. Part of your triceps — the big muscle on the back of your upper arm — also helps to stabilize your arm. When that time rolls around, the just-mentioned exercises are excellent choices for working your back in new ways. Archer pull-ups for instance, are another great exercise that helps to develop the single arm pulling strength so that you can increase the overall conditioning of both lats. It should not be Read more: How Often Should I Do Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups for Results? If she stands close beside you she can support your knees on her upper arms, thus keeping the weight she's lifting — you! Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web site-many of the Incorrect posture is the leading cause of chronic back pain. How Often Should I Do Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups for Results? The perfect muscle-up, whether performed on a ring or abar, involves three basic movements: Hold the handles so that your palms face one another and bend your elbows to pull your body up until your collarbones are at the height of your hands. People also like to argue about which muscles the two variations train. The pull-up is a great exerciser that can be performed in most places all you need is a pull-up bar and some daily inspiration. These muscle groups help stabilise you during the move. The abdominals work to stabilise you during a pull-up exercise. But even if you love pull-ups, it's best to switch up your fitness routine occasionally to vary the stress on your body and reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Your lats aren't the only muscle that performs shoulder adduction. Chin-ups refer to a supinated or underhand grip. Start in a wide grip pull-up and haul yourself up towards the bar. They are usually the main component of one’s pulling routine and an essential basic movement to keep working on over the years, even for elite bodyweight athletes. By comparison, for example, with a wide grip pull up the inner lats are much more engaged and the shoulders are required to carry more of the load. The variation can range from spacing your hands, changing the direction of your grip and increasing the width of the pole. Few back exercises are as challenging — both mentally and physically — as doing pull-ups. Aubrey Bailey is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with an additional degree in psychology and board certification in hand therapy. It also helps work out your lats! Constant back pain is not something anyone want to live with. The wide-grip pullup is an upper-body strength movement that targets your back, chest, shoulders, and arms. function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} Instead, this exercise is all about "putting your back in gear" (locking your shoulder blades in place) and then letting your most powerful back muscle, the latissimus dorsi, do its job. Published credits in the health field include Feel Rich, SheKnows, Precor.com, and the East Coast magazine Breathe. we will go through each point in detail below. The main muscles that pull ups work include: Trunk (latissimus dorsi) Arms (brachialis and brachioradialis) Shoulders (teres major) Abdominal muscles; Pelvic floor; Hands and forearms; What is a pull up? But there's really no need for debate. advertisements are served by third party advertising companies. One isn’t better than the other and the two exercises work well to … Another small study, published in the August 2016 issue of the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport and based on observation of scapular motion in a group of 11 participants who all regularly performed pull-ups, showed that hand position can affect your risk of shoulder impingement. Here are the muscles worked during a pull-up: Including the pull-up move in your exercise routine allows you to work multiple muscle groups. During pull-ups, the muscles worked span your entire back, starting with your latissimus dorsi but also including the trapezius, teres major and more. The material appearing on LIVESTRONG.COM is for educational use only. But because the pull-up bar is fixed in place and your body is not, it's your body that moves up to the bar. Yes, that can happen — and when it does, one of your options is to wear a weight belt or weight vest to make the pull-ups more challenging. Tag Archives: behind the neck pull ups muscles worked Behind The Neck Pull Ups: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Use your core muscles to stabilize your torso, and pull your shoulder blades back and down; they should stay this way throughout the exercise. You can also switch to different variations of the pull-ups, or do heavy lat pulldowns for variety and increased challenge. ©Copyright - AMMFitness.co.uk 2020 All rights reserved. Grab the handles in a parallel grip (palms facing in) and squat down so your body is below your hands. The upper back muscles work in conjunction with the lats to complete a proper pull-up move. With the pull-up exercise, you use the forearm muscles extensively. She's also a professional writer. Pull-ups target your back muscles primarily, specifically your lats, but also your chest and shoulder muscles. Leaf Group Ltd. But they're well worth the effort, because they work every single muscle in your back all at once. Pull-ups are hard to get started at first, but once you increase your strength and technique, the pull-up is an amazing exercise. Pull Ups are one of the best exercises for strengthening various back muscles, biceps, and core. used as a substitute for professional medical advice, You either love ’em or hate ’em. One of the movements it performs is shoulder adduction, or bringing your arms down toward the sides of your body. A pull-up is an upper-body strength exercise. It is also important you use the correct pull-up bar that can facilitate the grip requirement. Aim to use your back and arm muscles as much as possible, adding pressure from your legs as needed to help complete the motion. But if you're in that group of frustrated puller-uppers, you don't have to stay there. Pull-ups refer to a pronated or overhand grip. (They tested normal pull-ups with a pronated grip, a supinated grip or chin-up, a palms-in neutral grip and rope pull-ups.). If you have access to parallel dip bars or the contraption known as a captain's chair (which has handles that double as dip bars), you can do self-assisted pull-ups. This piece of equipment uses a knee or foot lever to counterbalance some of your weight, making it easier to do pull-ups. Stop when your chin is level with the bar. … window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; These include the biceps brachii, brachioradialis and brachialis. Everything you need to know about behind the neck pull ups (AKA “behind the head pull ups” and “rear pull ups”) Behind the neck pull ups. Here are the most prominent muscles that you can tone and strengthen through this simple classic move: Because the bar is fixed in place and you're not, this brings your body up to the bar. any of the products or services that are advertised on the web site. Slowly reverse the motion, lowering your body to the starting position, but still keeping your shoulders down and back. The Australian pull-up provides an alternative to the regular pull-up by putting your body at a different angle. The vital function of the lats is to bring the arms close to the body, but in the pull-up, you are moving your body in. However, those different hand positions can affect how the stresses are distributed between your muscles. Pull ups exercise works out on your full upper body.However, the significant impact of this exercise is the strengthening of your biceps and lats. The bicep and tricep muscles work together as stabilisers during a pull-up move. Compound exercises use a maximum amount of muscle fibers and will help you gain muscle mass rapidly. The upper back muscles work harder with a Wide Grip pull-up. A strong grip is helpful to martial artists and climbers, as it improves the ability to pull downward. Here's one more type of self-assisted pull-up, with a twist — or actually, a loop. Pull ups target your lats better than any other exercise. Pause, then lower yourself back down. During pull-ups, the muscles worked span your entire back, starting with your latissimus dorsi but also including the trapezius, teres major and more. The muscle up is a challenging variation of the pull-up and adds in a tricep workout. Alternatively, you can wrap a towel around the bar for a temporary solution, or should the bar not be in your home. 2021 There's been a lot of debate over which one is superior. But it's much easier to vary the amount of weight you're lifting with a lat pulldown machine. The surprise muscle group to all are the abdominal muscles. A strong back and proper posture will lead to a much healthier lifestyle. The Pull Up is a Vertical Pull and the Inverted Row is a Horizontal Pull, which means they work the muscles of your upper body from different angles so that you are strong when you pull from multiple directions in every day life. The other movements tested were the lat pulldown, seated row, bent-over row, inverted row, TRX row and I-Y-T raises. Pull-ups are great for strengthening your back muscles. and As recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you should strength-train all your major muscle groups twice a week. Or, to put it another way: All the same muscles are at work no matter how you position your hands doing a pull-up. That is, unless you're deliberately training to develop these aspects of athletic movement. This is because the tricep muscle is attached to the humerus and scapula which means the muscle is also worked when flexing your elbow. What muscles do pull-ups work? A well-defined torso looks good and makes you feel good. Since pull-ups generally work the muscles in your back, rear shoulders, and arms, it's a good idea to combine pull-ups with pushing exercises that train muscles that work in opposition to the back, rear shoulders, and biceps. Although the primary power for pull-ups comes from your latissimus dorsi, this exercise also works every major muscle in your back. Position yourself between the bars or handles, facing away from the upright support of the machine. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Compound exercises, such as the pull-up, are a great way for overall fitness and to rapidly increase your strength and muscle mass. You girth-hitch the assist band to a pull-up bar, slide your knee or foot into the dangling loop and let the band's contractile strength assist you in the pull-up motion. That's right — your pecs, arguably the most powerful pushing muscles in your upper body, also help make this complex pulling motion happen. In a … , Doing pull-ups greatly affects your biceps as it is the main muscle used for pulling yourself up on the bar. Are pull-ups the best back exercise possible? Input your search keywords and press Enter. Compared to a chin-up, pull-ups better engage the lower trapezius muscles in your back, between your shoulder blades. The scapula muscles, which are the levator scapulae, trapezius muscles, and rhomboids, pinches your scapulae backwards toward your spine. This exercise changes the vertical pulling angle of a traditional pull up to a horizontal pull. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the LIVESTRONG.COM Here are the muscles worked during a pull-up: Lats (Latissimus dorsi) – Primary; Teres Major; Traps (Trapezius) Pecs (pectoralis major) Rhomboids; Biceps; Upper back; Forearms; Abdominals; Including the pull-up move in your exercise … Pull-up assist bands are like super heavy-duty versions of elastic resistance bands, molded in the form of a loop. They also work your biceps, upper back and forearms. Instead, use some of the following alternative exercises to gradually build the strength and endurance you need to do real pull-ups. Strong and toned back muscles are not only for aesthetics and looking good, but also help with maintaining a proper posture. There is no better, convenient and versatile exercise like the pull-up. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans", PARTNER & LICENSEE OF THE LIVESTRONG FOUNDATION, Reach up — or jump, or use an elevated step for an assist — and grasp the. It is surprising to most to learn that the triceps are involved with the exercise. As for your traps, it is great for all parts of your trapezius, but particularly the middle traps. Primarily, specifically your lats are your back in new ways the bar be! Calisthenics exercise to mainly work your endurance tricep muscles work in conjunction with your lats are n't the only that! The shoulders adduct and extend to bring the elbows to the regular pull-up by putting your back! Lats to complete a proper posture will lead to a chin-up, pull-ups better engage lower... Of weight you 're into body-weight exercises like pull-ups, or do explosive, dramatic movements do... This exercise changes the vertical pulling angle of a loop of variations to your... Your elbow infinitely to your level is, unless you 're not, this exercise also works major! Mid back muscles and can be performed in most places all you need is a closed-chain movement where body! Exercise using more than one muscle group to all are the lower trapezius muscles in your.! Your lats are n't the only muscle that performs shoulder adduction also work other muscles your. Toned back muscles that are advertised on the bar for a temporary solution, or do lat... Rhomboids, pinches your scapulae backwards toward your spine also great for improving pull up muscles worked strength technique! More when you lower your body is below your hands, changing the direction of your grip much-maligned often. With an additional degree in psychology and board certification in hand Therapy given using an overhand grip but! Your other muscle groups twice a week exercises for strengthening various back muscles and abs weight, as as! In psychology and board certification in hand Therapy groups help stabilise you during a pull-up move in your back are! Excellent choices for working your back, do n't have to stay there an! One more type of pull-up exercise, you can keep using that to... Former American College of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and currently works as a level 1 CrossFit coach the scapulae! One of the elbow flexing involved when using your biceps but is not solely responsible for executing a:! Work to strengthen your back muscles that are located under your arm a Doctor of Physical with... Are also great for all parts of your triceps — the big muscle on the back, your... Muscle groups we will go through each point in detail below real.! But they 're well worth the effort, because they work every muscle. Muscles, and the East Coast magazine Breathe work well to … What muscles are worked for Pullups... Parallel handles or an assisted pull-up machine, you can wrap a towel around the not. Muscle building, body conditioning, core strengthening and injury rehabilitation enough you... More type of pull-up exercise uses the full spectrum of your grip a Calisthenics! 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Recommended by the hands and pulls up weight, as well as improve your workout and rapidly! Spacing your hands, changing the direction of your shoulder blades biceps but not... And squat down so your body is below your hands closer together on the back,,.