Pull-up (exercise)

A pull-up is an upper-body compound pulling exercise. Although it can be performed with any grip, in recent years some have used the term to refer more specifically to a pull-up performed with a palms-forward position.

The term chin-up, traditionally referring to a pull-up with the chin brought over the top of a bar, was used in the 1980s to refer to a palms-away (overhand/pronated) grip, with a palms-toward (underhand/supinated) grip being called a "reverse-grip" chin-up. ^[1][2][3][4]

In later decades, this usage has inverted, with some using "chin" to refer to a pull-up done with a palms-backward position. In spite of this, "chin" is still regularly used refer to overhand-grip.^[5][6][7]

The most popular current meaning refers to a closed-chain body-weight movement where the body is suspended by the arms, gripping something, and pulls up. As this happens, the wrists remain in neutral (straight, neither flexed nor extended) position, the elbows flex and the shoulder adducts and/or extends to bring the elbows to or sometimes behind the torso. The knees may be bent by choice or if the bar is not high enough. Bending the knees or holding your legs out in front slightly may help to reduce swinging.

A traditional pull-up relies on upper body strength with no swinging or "kipping" (using a forceful initial movement of the legs in order to gain momentum). The exercise mostly targets the latissimus dorsi muscle of the back along with biceps, rear deltoid and other assisting muscles.

Earlier meanings[edit]

In past decades, a pull-up also included open-chain pulling exercises done with a barbell.^[8] These exercises are now more popularly known as the bent-over row (in the 1950s)^[8] and upright row (in the 1970s).^[9]

Etymology[edit]

The name refers to pulling up one's body. It can be done with the hands facing any directions, from prone to supine.

Some have associated a "pull-up" with utilizing an overhand (pronated; palms facing away) grip. This includes by the Boy Scouts of America,^[10] Guinness World Records^[11] "makes a difference between" pull-ups and chin-ups according to grip. Organizations such as the United States Marine Corps however, see pull-ups including both the overhand and underhand grips.^[12]

A "chin up" is bringing the chin up to touch the bar or go over the bar, with a supinated palms-facing grip.

Variations of pull-ups, beyond being named for their grip, can also be named based on how high the body rises, by naming it after the body part that either comes into contact with or passes over the top of the bar. A "chest-up" or "sternum-up" for example, indicates that the chest or sternum meets the bar, requiring extra scapular adduction and depression.

As a physical test[edit]

In armed forces[edit]

Pull ups are a common way to measure the upper body strength of the "pulling muscles". They are used by the United States Marine Corps as a part of the Physical Fitness Test, although marines may also choose to substitute push-ups.^[13]

Pull ups were also used as part of military test in Singapore, where the IPPT for National-Service men is used. It is also used in the NAPFA test for male students above the age of 14. It was then removed in 2014 with the announcement of a new IPPT format.^[14]

Indian Army Fitness Test requires eight perfect Chinups along other parameters.

Grips[edit]

Pull-ups (including chins) can be done with a supinated, neutral or pronated grip (often called "chin-ups", "hammer grip pull-ups", and "pull-ups", in order). Grips may match each other or be different (mixed grip). Grips may also rotate throughout the movement, such as by doing them on rings, rotating handles (false grip) or pull up handles. The range of motion used by trainers can vary. The fullest possible range is with straight arms overhead (elbow directly above shoulder), to pulling when the arms are at the sides (elbow directly below shoulder). People sometimes only train portions, such as avoiding locking out the arms at the bottom, or stopping when the head/chin/neck touch the bar. Positions within the range are also trained isometrically, as in flexed-arm and straight-arm hangs for time.

The width of the grip may also differ. When grabbing and holding the bar during the pull-up, the hands can be apart at shoulder-width, or wider, or narrower enough to touch each other. This may make the pull-up more difficult and may limit the range of motion compared to the shoulder-width grip.

Muscles used[edit]

Arms[edit]

Pull-ups also work the brachialis and brachioradialis in the arms. These muscles are located near the elbow, and help move the forearm. The biceps brachii, or simply biceps, cross the elbow and shoulder joints and work to flex the elbow joint during the exercise. They are involved more with an underhand (supine) grip.^[15] The long head of the triceps also crosses the shoulder joint and assists in shoulder adduction.

Shoulders[edit]

Pull-ups use the teres major, a small muscle at the back of the shoulder blade. The nearby rhomboids, which connect the spine to the shoulder blade, play a part too. Pull-ups also use the trapezius^[16] along the spine and shoulder, and the levator scapulae^[16] along the side of the neck. These muscles work to elevate and depress the shoulder blade, and are sometimes called the "shrugging muscles".

The deltoid muscles,^[17] specifically the posterior deltoids^[18] also assist.

Scapular[edit]

Muscles that attach to and depress the scapulae include the lower trapezius muscle and the pectoralis minor. The pec minor also works in conjunction with the rhomboid muscle and levator scapulae to perform downward rotation of the scapulae.

Muscles which attach to the scapulae that adduct and extend the arm include the posterior deltoid muscles, the teres major, and minor stabilizing contribution from some rotator cuff muscles (infraspinatus and teres minor as lateral rotators, subscapularis as medial rotators).

Abdominal muscles[edit]

The abdominal muscles stabilize the torso by connecting the rib cage to the pelvis. The rectus abdominis (along with hip flexors) can generate force to lift the lower body up during kipping, but can also stabilize the front of the pelvis from drifting away from the sternum, just as the erector spinae help to keep the vertebrae from drifting apart in the back. The external and internal obliques perform similar roles on another plane, able to generate or prevent twisting or side-bending, and may help reduce body swinging. The transverse abdominis helps to prevent movement in all directions, encouraging a neutral position.

Pelvic floor[edit]

Pelvic floor muscles hold the organs up and stabilize the pelvis.^[19]

Hands and forearms[edit]

The muscles of the forearm are also worked by holding the overall body weight, improving the strength of the fingers and the forearms muscles creating a strong isometric contraction in these muscle groups.

Safety[edit]

Organizations such as the American Council on Exercise give advice such as "care should be taken not to unduly put stress on your shoulder during this exercise".^[20] Elbow pain due to tendonitis, bursitis, and ulnar nerve entrapment can occur as a result of excessive pull ups and improper technique.^[21]

Variations[edit]

Example	Type
	Standard Standard dead-hang pull up is grasped with an overhand/underhand/alternative-hand grip. Then the body is pulled up until the chin clears the bar, and finished by lowering the body until arms and shoulders are fully extended. Stricter standards would only consider a full repetition to be one in which the elbows pass behind the coronal plane.
	Weighted Weight is added using a dipping belt, or grasping a dumbbell with the feet, or weight vest/shorts
	Behind-the-neck pull-up The chin is dropped forward through cervical flexion. The goal of the pull-up is to touch the bar with the back of the neck.
	Mixed grip One hand is placed in the overhand (pronated) position and the other is placed in the underhand (supinated) position to provide variation on the elbow flexors used.
	Commando pullup Also called the cliffhanger pullup, the body is held sideways to the bar, hands right next to each other, one hand pronated and the other supinated, and the body is raised as far as possible (until one shoulder touches the bar). This variation emphasizes one arm, and can be used as a progression towards the one arm pullup.
	One arm A one arm pull-up is performed by grasping the bar with only one hand while pulling up. This is difficult due to the considerable strength required.[22]
	One hand An easier version of the one arm pull-up: a pull-up where one hand grips the other arm just below the wrist.
	Climber's chin-up A pull-up staying as close as possible to one side; typically the arm doing the majority of the work is alternated each repetition. In the most advanced version of this, one arm is kept totally straight; this is called the archer pullup. In an alternative version called the typewriter pullup or around the world pullup, the trainee comes up on one side, moves horizontally across to the other side while holding at the top, and then down on that side.
	Kipping An easier version in which the body is bent dynamically to help propel the athlete upward. The hips swing first forward and then back as the legs swing forward. Finally, the legs swing downward again, pushing the torso upward. The fastest version where the head follows an elliptical path, moving backward at the bottom of the motion and forward at the top, is sometimes called a butterfly pull-up.[23]
	Sternum chins A pull-up with a longer range of motion, finishing with the bar touching the sternum.
	Muscle-up A pull-up with a maximal range of motion, transitioning to a dip. Generally the initial pull-up uses an overhand grip to make the switch easier and is more explosive in order to take advantage of momentum from the first half of the exercise to aid in the second half.
	Extended-leg pull-up
	Assisted Pull-Up A pull-up band is a large rubber band that is tied around the pull-up bar, then you place either a foot or a knee in the open "loop" hanging from the bar as you do your pull-ups. The band will assist you by taking on some of the bodyweight load and allowing your muscles to complete the pull up movement at a more manageable weight.
	Supine row Sometimes called an "Australian pull-up", "reverse push-up", "inclined pull-up" or "inverted row", this is performed with the bar 2 to 3 feet off the floor. The trainee lies on the ground under the bar, face-up, and grasps the bar with extended arms. The exercise is performed by pulling the chest up to the bar. The body is held in a rigid plank position while the heels remain on the floor. "Supine" refers to the body being face-up, not to the grip: supine rows can be done with prone, neutral or supinated hands.

World Records (pronated grip)[edit]

Guinness World Records[edit]

Bodyweight:

• Most in 60 seconds: 68 by Adam Sandel in 2018^[24]
• Most in 1 hour: 1009 by Stephan Hyland in 2010.^[25]
• Most in 6 hours: 3,515 by Andrew Shapiro in 2016.^[26]
• Most in 12 hours: 5,742 by Andrew Shapiro in 2016.^[27]
• Most in 24 hours: 7,600 by John Orth June 11th 2016.^[28]
• Most in 24 hours (Female): 3,737 by Eva Clarke in 2016.^[29]

Bodyweight (variations):

• Most Clap Pull-ups in one minute: 30 by Blake Augustine Dec 2015.^[30] Video^[31]
• Most one arm pull ups in one minute : 17 by George Gaydardzhiev 2012.
• Most consecutive pinky pull ups: 16 by Maibam Itomba Meitei (India) 2014.^[32]
• Most consecutive muscle ups: 25 by Jarryd Rubinstein (Australia) 2010.^[33]
• Most Consecutive One-Armed pull-up is 22 by Rob Chisnall (CA) was briefly noted, without comment regarding dynamic or static style, in the Guinness Book of World Records (1989).^[34]

Weighted:

• Most added weight: 230.49lbs by David Marchante in 2016.^[35]
• Most in minute with 40 pounds: 31 by Ron Cooper (USA) in Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA, on 7 September 2017^[36]
• Most in minute with 60 pounds: 23 by Ron Cooper in 2016.^[37]
• Most in minute with 100 pounds: 14 by Steven Proto on Oct 15th 2014.^[38]

RecordHolders.Org[edit]

As of January 2015 the most repetitions within a given time period:^[39]

• 3 minutes: 100 by Ngo Xuan Chuyen (VIE) in 1988 during "Strongest Soldier in Vietnam" contest

alternativerecords.co.uk[edit]

• Heaviest weighted pull-up total: 402 lbs by Steven Proto (USA) on 28 April 2011^[40]
• Most pull-ups with a 45 lb plate: 18 by Damien Longley (USA) on 28 March 2011^[40][41]

World Pull-Up Championships[edit]

World Pull-Up Organization will organize the first World Pull-Up Championships on June 15-16, 2019 in Espoo, Finland. The games will feature two individual disciplines: The pull-up repetitions and the weighted pull-up in several different weight classes for both male and female. The competitor may use whatever grip he or she likes (underhand/supinated, overhand/pronated, mixed).^[42]

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pull-ups.

• Chin-up
• Pulldown exercise
• Push up
• Benefits Of Pull Ups

References[edit]