vertical pull
Chin-Up
back · biceps · core · forearms
pull-up-bar · intermediate
How to do it
- 1Hang from the bar with your palms facing you, hands about shoulder-width apart.
- 2Pull until your chin clears the bar, then lower under control back to a full hang.
What to think about
- Start every rep from a full hang rather than from halfway.
- Drive your elbows down towards your ribs instead of thinking about the hands.
What usually goes wrong
- Cutting the bottom of the range and shortening every rep after the first.
- Kicking the legs to get one more, which trains the swing rather than the pull.
Worth knowing
- Step down or drop off rather than letting go at the top, and check the bar is fixed before you hang from it.
Watch it
Instead of this
What the cautions rest on
The safety points above come from these, not from house opinion.
- Strength and muscle gain require progressively increasing demand over time.
- Weight training carries a low injury rate compared with most field and contact sports.
- Free weights carried over the head or trunk need a spotter or a catch mechanism, and equipment needs checking before it is loaded.
Who checked this
Nobody qualified has. These are standard coaching points and ordinary gym safety, written down: how to set the thing up, what to control, and when to stop a set. They are not a clinical opinion and no physiotherapist or strength coach has read them back. If they disagree with somebody who can actually see you lift, believe that person.