What muscles are used when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar? Types of pull-ups on the horizontal bar with different grips. Pull-up program on the horizontal bar. Falls from the horizontal bar

Pull-ups wide grip- a favorite basic exercise for developing the lats. It is these muscles that contribute to the formation of an impressive back and, accordingly, a beautiful V-shape. What other advantages can lovers of training on the horizontal bar gain for themselves? Let's analyze the exercise in detail.

We will talk about the classic version - pulling up on the horizontal bar to the chest. Variations and complications, for example, are discussed in separate articles on the site.

Muscles involved

Pull-ups on the horizontal bar in general are one of the most effective exercises for the back. Wide grip allows you to load top part the latissimus muscle, which is largely responsible for the visually wide back.

So, what muscles work first:

widest;
diamond-shaped;
big round.

Additional muscles (assistants) work:

pectoralis major and minor;
shoulder muscles;
biceps.

Technique

Wide grip pull-ups are performed in the following way:

Starting position - hanging on the horizontal bar. Wide grip (about 20 centimeters wider than shoulder width), hands facing away from you. The arms are straight and relaxed, the grip is maintained, only the forearms are tensed. You can catch the right feeling if you imagine that your hands are just fasteners, hooks or ropes on which your body hangs on the horizontal bar. Take a deep breath.
Feeling the tension in your lats, pull yourself up on the bar to your chest, exhaling. Do not bring your elbows towards your body; try to fix their position.
At the top, aim for the bar to be level with your upper chest. Simply put, your chin should be higher than the bar. The forearms should be parallel to each other and, accordingly, perpendicular to the floor.
Lower yourself to the starting position smoothly while inhaling. Strive to lower yourself under control, feeling your lats working, and don’t throw your body weight down suddenly. Move on to the next rep.

Please note that the elbows should not be brought towards the body; their position should be as fixed as possible. Otherwise, you will reduce the amplitude of contraction of the target muscles and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.

During the exercise, there is a great temptation to help yourself by swinging your body on the horizontal bar. We strongly advise against simplifying your life in this way. Only if you comply correct technique Pull-ups work at their full potential, otherwise you'll just be wasting your time.

What tips will help make wide-grip pull-ups as effective as possible? The recommendations are as follows:

Try to perform the exercise by tensing exclusively the latissimus muscles. Involving the biceps and forearms will reduce the effectiveness of working the back.
To form powerful back, you need to include the upper part in the work as much as possible latissimus muscles, which is achieved thanks to a wide grip. But don't overdo it to avoid injury. Select the optimal position gradually; if you feel discomfort and a feeling of “pinching”, stop performing the exercise and adjust the technique.
What alternatives can you choose if you are a beginner and find it difficult to immediately do an exercise on the horizontal bar? Vertical rows will help you pre-strengthen the target muscles. block simulator, classes in the gravitron or the help of a partner, who at first can push you towards the crossbar. Your task is to feel how your back muscles work.
If you are an experienced athlete, use additional weights. Usually the load is attached in a special way to the belt. It is also possible to use wrist straps for a more secure fixation on the horizontal bar.

If you have experience and training, this exercise can be alternated with other types of pull-ups. Which variations you prefer depends on your training goals.

Wide-grip pull-ups are a basic exercise that also require serious effort. Therefore, it is recommended to include it at the beginning of your back workout. Can be performed in three to four sets of 10–12 repetitions.

Pull-ups narrow grip on the horizontal bar is the best basic exercise for developing biceps. Most athletes only train biceps isolated exercises- mainly lifting with a barbell or dumbbells. But for maximum growth of the target muscle group, you must also use heavy basic exercises, which give a powerful impetus to muscle growth. In this article we will talk about the technique of performing pull-ups with a narrow grip, consider common mistakes and give useful recommendations for training biceps.
What muscles work
During close-grip pull-ups, the main load falls on the biceps, shoulder muscles and lower areas of the latissimus muscles. If your lats dominate and your arms lag behind, then close-grip pull-ups are undoubtedly the best exercise for developing big biceps.
As you know, pull-ups on the horizontal bar can be performed straight and reverse grip. When training biceps, we recommend using both options to work all muscle areas of the target muscle group.
Technique for performing pull-ups with a narrow grip
To fully understand the technique of performing close-grip biceps pull-ups, we also recommend that you watch the video at the end of the article.
Common mistakes made by newbies
Many athletes lower themselves too sharply during pull-ups, which greatly increases the load on their arms, namely the elbow joints. The lowering should be smooth and uniform; this will not only reduce the risk of injury, but also increase the load on the biceps.

During pull-ups, you should not fully extend your arms in the starting position, as this also increases the load on the elbow joints.

If your goal is maximum height biceps, then pull-ups must be performed without jerking. It’s better to do 10 high-quality repetitions than 20 dirty ones with cheating.

Proper biceps training
Basic exercises play a key role in the development of any muscle group, so you should not neglect them. Close-grip pull-ups should definitely be part of your training program, if you want to have powerful and voluminous arm muscles (pull-ups can also be replaced with rows upper block narrow grip). At the beginning of working out the biceps, we advise you to do the basics - pull-ups with a narrow direct or reverse grip, and then move on to the best isolating exercises:
On our forum you can find a lot of materials about biceps training, but we would advise you to familiarize yourself with:

If you ask any fitness trainer to name 5 best exercises, which can be recommended to all healthy people, pull-ups will definitely be included in this list. This is not only a universal way to increase muscle mass and strength of the back and arms, but also a test of general physical development.

If you want, then you need to know which muscles swing when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar.

Muscle groups involved in pull-ups

During lifting and lowering exercises, everyone tenses up. muscle groups without exception. It's so total exercise stress, which makes the whole body work. The muscles of the legs and buttocks, which, it would seem, are not involved in pulling up, also “wake up” and begin to work.

Some muscle groups are maximally involved when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar. It is about them that they are said to “swing” when performing this exercise. In the picture you can study in detail muscular system person and understand which muscles are involved when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar.

Rice. 1. Pull-ups on the horizontal bar - which muscles work are highlighted in turquoise (front view)

The following figure shows in more detail the back and shoulder muscle groups when pulling up on the horizontal bar.

Rice. 2. Pull-ups on the horizontal bar - which muscles work are highlighted in turquoise (rear view)

Which muscles swing when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar - does not depend on the grip

All muscles whose names are highlighted in turquoise are used during pull-ups. Therefore, they all swing, no matter what grip we use to perform the exercise.

However, we can slightly redistribute the load from some to others. To do this, we alternate the grip - forward and reverse - and the width of the grip.

Straight grip

Straight-grip pull-ups are a classic version of the exercise, in which the load is distributed downward among the following muscles:

Latissimus dorsalis
Large round dorsal
Chest
Deltoid
Trapezoidal
Diamond-shaped
Biceps
Triceps
Brachioradial
Straight abdomen
External oblique abdomen

What muscles are involved when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar: let’s look at the most important ones.

The latissimus dorsi muscle is the main muscle that moves the forearm towards the body, and we are able to pull something back towards ourselves with our hand. Or move the body towards the fixed hand - which is what happens during a pull-up. It is a triangle, which is attached to the spine at its base. Upper side triangle is extended towards the forearm.

The latissimus dorsalis is one of the most developed in apes, which use their arms to move along tree branches. Modern people do not have such a need, therefore, without special strength exercises it doesn't develop.

The teres major muscle of the back, together with the two muscles next to it - the teres minor and the infraspinatus - help the latissimus pull the arm towards itself. Both teres muscles start from the angle of the scapula and end on the humerus. Despite the fact that their size is not very large, their role in performing pull-ups is great. From above they are covered by the delta and trapezium.

The pectoralis major muscle consists of numerous fibers. It attaches to the humerus on one side and connects it to the collarbone, ribs and rectus abdominis on the other. When pulling up, the pectoral muscle helps the back muscles in pulling the arms towards the body.

The delta, trapezius and rhomboid muscles are involved in shoulder movement and retraction of the shoulder blades.

Triceps is an extensor muscle, an antagonist of the biceps. Extends the elbow and shoulder joints. The triceps have a leading role in pulling up - in returning the body down.

Reverse grip

The biceps is a flexor muscle of the shoulder and elbow that extends from the scapula to the radius. It comes to the fore with a reverse grip: it pulls our body up towards the bar. Thanks to it, the load is reduced, first of all, on the latissimus and round dorsi, as well as on others.

Biceps
Latissimus dorsalis
Large round dorsal
Chest
Deltoid
Trapezoidal
Diamond-shaped
Triceps
Brachioradial
Straight abdomen
External oblique abdomen

The lifestyle of modern people, in which the sitting position of the body objectively predominates, makes muscle tissue back and shoulders poorly developed. At the same time, the biceps is not subject to such severe degradation: every day we have to lift boxes, carry bags, and carry out other everyday movements in which the biceps is involved.

In most people, the biceps are more developed than the rest of the upper body muscles. Therefore, pull-ups with a reverse grip are usually easier. For example, an average man who does not bother with training can do 10 pull-ups with a reverse grip, and no more than 5-6 with a straight grip.

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Grip width

The grip width also redistributes the load in favor of the biceps. The narrower the grip, the more involved it is. Accordingly, the wider the grip, the more emphasis we place on the latissimus dorsi and other associated muscles.

The width of the arms when doing pull-ups, as well as the type of grip, does not significantly change the load on the abdominal and chest muscles.

In addition, the wider the grip, the more traumatic the pull-up is for the shoulders.

Very wide hand position significantly reduces range of motion shoulder joint and increases the likelihood of shoulder injury.

The same applies to pulling yourself up with your head behind the bar.

What is the best way to pump muscles - with a direct or reverse grip?

The modern point of view on this issue does not give an advantage to one type of grip over another.

It is commonly said that if a direct grip is difficult, then it is better to practice a reverse one. Over time, the back muscles, trapezius and deltoid muscles will become stronger and make it possible to perform a straight grip.

If we talk about grip width, fitness instructors agree that the grip can be from narrow to medium, with a preference for the second option.

Watch the following video in which the famous fitness trainer D. Semenikhin talks about the muscles that sway when we pull ourselves up.

Close-grip pull-ups are one of the many variations of the standard, well-known pull-ups. The difference is that this exercise affects not the upper, but the lower part of the “wings” (the latissimus dorsi muscles), in addition, the muscles located near the spine are worked out. Also, the work includes the serratus anterior muscles, the so-called “stripes” between the chest and back, which become visible if you raise your arm up.

As with standard-grip pull-ups, this exercise helps to widen your back, give it bulk, and make your lats (the lower part) more impressive.

We have already touched on this issue a little, but it is worth considering it in more detail. So, here are the main muscles that are used during pull-ups:

Latissimus dorsi muscles.
Teres major muscle.
Serratus anterior muscles.
Rhomboid muscles.
Trapezius muscle

In addition to the target muscles, several auxiliary muscles are involved in the exercise. Here they are:

Pectoralis major muscle
Pectoralis minor muscle.
Biceps.

Description of muscles

The muscles involved in the exercise are listed above. It makes sense to give a brief description of each of them in order to know not just the name of the working muscles, but to clearly understand what exactly is being worked and where it is located. So, a description of the main muscles involved in the exercise:

Latissimus dorsi muscles. They are visible on the surface of the body and occupy the entire lower back. The beginning of the upper muscle bundles is slightly covered by another, trapezius muscle. Pass through the spinous processes of the thoracic, sacral and lumbar vertebrae. They originate from the posterior part of the external lip of the iliac crest, from the four teeth (lower ribs) and the superficial layer of the thoracolumbar fascia.
Trapezius muscle. Flat, but at the same time very wide muscle. It, like the latissimus muscles, occupies a superficial position on the body. One half of the muscle is located in the back of the neck, the other covers the upper back.
Close-grip pull-ups work the Rhomboid muscle.. Located under the trapezius muscle, it is named so because it has the shape of a rhombic plate. Consists of the rhomboid major and minor muscles. The rhomboid major muscle is located between the shoulder blades. It originates from the spinous processes of the four upper thoracic vertebrae. It is partially responsible for elevating the scapula and driving it toward the midline. In addition, when the lower part of the muscle contracts, the scapula rotates inward. Like the major, rhomboid minor muscle is located between the shoulder blades under the trapezius muscle. It originates in the lower part of the nuchal ligament and two vertebrae. According to some scientists, these are the two lower cervical vertebrae, but others say that these are the first thoracic and last cervical vertebrae. As the muscle moves laterally to the bottom, it attaches to the medial edge of the scapula. Its main function is to bring the scapula closer to the middle and upper part of the spinal column.
Teres major muscle. It has a flat and elongated shape, its posterior section is covered by the latissimus muscles, the middle section by thin fascia, and the outer section is hidden by the long head of the triceps and deltoid muscle. It originates in the outer edge of the lower angle of the scapula and the fascia of the infraspinatus muscle, while it is directed outward. In the place where the teres major muscle is attached to the crest of the lesser tubercle of the humerus, its so-called subtendinous bursa is located. The main function is to pull the arm back and down, its adduction (adduction to the body) and pronation (inward rotation).
Front serratus muscle . Is superficial muscle chest, located in the anterior section chest wall. The pectoralis major muscle “hids” its upper part, and the superficial lower part is covered by the pectoral fascia. It originates in the tendon arch located between the first and second ribs. We can only see those parts of the muscle that are located in the lower corner of the scapula. The muscle loop formed together with the rhomboid muscle is responsible for pressing the shoulder blade to the body. Rotation of the lower angle of the scapula occurs under the influence of the lower part of the muscle. If the scapula is in a fixed position, the muscles assist in inhalation as the ribs rise.

Pull-up technique

First of all, you need to find a crossbar or horizontal bar whose height is at least 10 cm higher than your height so that you can jump and grab onto it properly. Brushes must be placed at a distance of no more than 20 cm from each other. There are two grip options:

1) Narrow reverse grip. Here you grab the bar with your palms facing you. With this option, most of the load falls on the biceps, and accordingly, they are mainly worked out.

2) Narrow straight grip. The palms are turned away from you, almost the entire load is shifted to the back.

So, you grabbed the bar with a narrow reverse or forward grip and are hanging in lowest point. It is advisable to keep your legs straight; bending them makes the exercise more difficult. It's time to start doing pull-ups; they can be divided into several stages:

Taking a deep breath, tighten your latissimus muscles and use their strength to lift your body up.
With a narrow straight grip pulling up to the upper chest is quite problematic, so the repetition can be counted as soon as your chin touches the bar. Try to get at least to this level. If we are talking about a narrow reverse grip, then you need to pull yourself up to the upper chest. Watch the position of your elbows while lifting; it should not change.
When you reach the top point, that is, touch the bar with your chin or chest (depending on your grip), exhale and slowly lower yourself down, straightening your elbows. At the end of each repetition, fully straighten your arms.

Try to work your back muscles, do not strain your arms too much. However, it is worth recognizing that with a narrow grip it is very difficult to do this, unlike other types of grip.

If you cannot yet do full range of pull-ups, ask an assistant to hold your legs, this will help you do the last 2-3, heaviest repetitions.

Use o burdens

If you feel like pull-ups are own weight are too light, and 10-15 repetitions are given to you without any problems, use weights. Attach an additional load to your belt or legs in the form of a heavy plate or weights (with the second option you need to be very careful). You can also take a backpack, put, for example, dumbbell disks in it, and put it on yourself before starting pull-ups.

Execution options

In addition to the regular bar, you can use D-shaped handles connected to each other for close-grip pull-ups. If you have access to parallel bars, which are located close to each other and whose height can be adjusted, then the exercise can be performed on them. As they say, there are many options, the main thing is the desire and opportunity to make yourself and your body better.

It is best to perform pull-ups with a narrow grip after the same exercise, but performed with a wide grip. You can finish your back workout by pulling a barbell or dumbbell to your belt, as well as pulling a block.

Convenience of pull-ups with a narrow reverse grip

Surely many have noticed from their own example or from the example of other athletes that it is a little easier to do pull-ups with this particular grip than with any other. Often, it is this grip that allows you to perform the most repetitions. Why is this happening?

It's all about anatomy. Our muscles are designed in such a way that this position is the most convenient for developing the strongest traction. Therefore, in most cases, those who can do 10 pull-ups with a standard grip will perform 12-13 reps with a narrow reverse grip. This allows you to use more weight when performing this exercise.

Girls and beginners

Pull-ups are not an exercise for the weak. To perform it, a certain level of training is required. What should beginners in training and girls who can’t do pull-ups do?

Especially for them, there is such an exercise as rowing with a narrow reverse grip from above on the machine. It allows you to perform the same movement as a pull-up, but you'll be using a weight that's slightly lighter than your own. In terms of its effect, deadlifts are practically no different from pull-ups; they allow you to effectively work your muscles and prepare them for more serious exercises.

However, there is also an option that will allow girls and beginners not to do deadlifts with a narrow reverse overhand grip on the machine, but to immediately start doing pull-ups. It consists of using special harnesses that can be secured to the legs and the crossbar. This allows you to perform pull-ups with a lower load, meaning that you will be working with a weight slightly less than your own during the execution. When you can easily do the exercise in this form, move on to the traditional version.

The effectiveness of exercise for muscle mass

Many coaches and experienced athletes they agree that it is precisely this grip, in combination with a large weight of additional weights, that allows you to increase good mass back muscles. And as mentioned above, such an amplitude of the exercise makes it possible to use very large weights.

Maintain throughout the exercise straight position back and keep your body straight.
Pull yourself up only through muscle effort, do not help yourself by jerking your legs or rocking your body.
If you are practicing on the bar in a room with a low ceiling, be careful. Don't hit your head at the very top when your chin is above the projectile.
And don’t forget to focus (imagine) on the work of the muscle that needs to be worked, since the mental connection between the brain and muscles is no less important than the exercise technique itself.
Try to bring the “wings” together as you reach the highest point of the lift.

Why is it so important to avoid swinging in this exercise? The fact is that in this case the load does not go to the target muscles. Of course, they already take an active part in the exercise, however the main objective– working out the back muscles and rocking reduce the effectiveness of the exercise in this aspect. Therefore, it is very important not to help yourself in this way during pull-ups. The chest is pushed forward, the back can be arched (not bent!) at an angle of about 30 degrees, no swaying of the body or jerking of the legs. When done this way, the exercise will bring you maximum benefit.

The biceps and forearms are the weak link during pull-ups for some athletes. They want to move from pull-ups to more heavy exercise, from the point of view of using “hardware”, but sometimes this cannot be done due to poor development of the biceps. Pull-ups with a close grip, in particular a reverse one, can help solve this problem, since this position of the hands predetermines the distribution of most of the load on the muscles mentioned above (biceps). The biceps receive good stimulation and become stronger and more powerful. So close-grip pull-ups are a great way to transition into heavier exercises.

How to Improve Your Technique

Some people find close-grip pull-ups much harder than traditional pull-ups. The reason for this is that with a narrow grip the hands rotate (pronate) more. Some people don't like to do pull-ups with an overhand grip, arguing that it restricts the natural twisting motion. In this case, you can experiment a little. Try it Various types grips or pull yourself up not on the bar, but on the rings, and determine the most convenient option for yourself. If you lack strength, do standard pull-ups and gradually reduce the distance between your hands. This will help you learn how to perform the exercise with a close grip.

And here are the corresponding videos for you:

Pull-ups on the horizontal bar can be considered one of the most effective activities performed with your own weight. All you need for training is a bar and the desire to work on yourself.

The main benefit of pull-ups is that they allow you to work almost all the major muscles of the shoulders and back:

back muscles (latissimus, trapezius, rhomboids, teres)
breasts (major and minor pectorals)
serratus anterior muscles
shoulder muscles (biceps, brachialis, triceps, rear deltoid) and forearm
press commits static work to fix the vertical position of the body

How to exercise on the horizontal bar

The effectiveness of exercises largely depends on the correctness of their implementation. Pull-ups are no exception. Let's look at the rules that apply to each type.

pull-ups are performed using muscle strength, without inertia and body swaying
lifting is carried out without jerking
The chin at the top of the lift should be above the bar
the descent is smooth, equal in time to the ascent
correct breathing: exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down
strong grip
vertical position of the body
The starting position for all types of pull-ups (except for pull-ups with a wide grip behind the head) is hanging, bending in the back, legs bent at the knees and crossed

Types of grips for pull-ups

Pull-ups can be performed different ways. In this case, methods mean changing the grip: its width, the location of the hands on the crossbar. There are other ways to vary the load when performing pull-ups. For example, changing the time of the negative and positive phases, using additional weights, the technique of incomplete amplitude (partial repetitions). But it is precisely working with different grips of the bar that allows you to optimally redistribute the load between individual muscle groups and effectively avoid the occurrence and development of muscle adaptation. There are 4 main grips: regular (aka upper, medium in width), wide, parallel and reverse grip (narrow).

A short list of grips and muscles involved

Depending on the width and method of grip, you can practice on the horizontal bar as follows:

narrow straight grip ( brachialis muscle, serratus anterior and Bottom part lats)
narrow reverse grip (biceps, lower lats)
medium straight grip (muscles of the back, shoulders and chest)
medium reverse grip (lats, biceps)
wide grip to the chest (top of lats, trapezoid, round)
wide grip behind the head (trapezius, upper and middle part of the lats, round)
neutral grip (lats, triceps, brachialis, serratus anterior)

The wider the grip, the more the back muscles work. The narrower the grip, the more the muscles of the arms and chest are activated.

Now let's look at the basic grips in more detail.

Width – slightly wider than shoulder width, overhand grip (palms facing outwards). At top dead center the arms are fully bent elbow joint, chin over the bar. At bottom dead center, the arms are fully extended. The exercise should be performed without swinging, the negative phase (lowering of the body) is a controlled descent. Typically, the negative and positive phases of the exercise are performed at the same speed, however, the biceps are more sensitive to the negative phase of the load, so many athletes recommend performing the negative phase approximately twice as long as the positive phase. If an athlete cannot pull himself up on his own, then a partner helps him with this, lifting him up and allowing him to slowly lower himself (using the controlled descent method) - this is one of the ways to learn how to pull himself up. In regular grip pull-ups, the biceps, trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles are evenly loaded.

There are two methods of execution: with a regular wide grip (slightly narrower than in pull-ups with a regular overhand grip) and a narrow grip. In both cases, the grip of the hands is lower (reverse), so that the palms look inward. The exercise primarily targets the biceps and lats. Moreover, the narrower the grip, the greater the load on the biceps. A distinctive feature of the exercise is that here, like nowhere else, the amazing property of pull-ups is manifested - the muscle on which attention is focused is subjected to training. Reverse close grip pull-ups are considered one of the the best ways biceps pumping.

In contrast to the previous movement, here the muscles of the back are mainly loaded - the latissimus. At the top point, the head is behind the bar in such a way that trapezius muscles your back and shoulders almost touch the bar. If the exercise is performed, trying to touch the bar with your chest, then the front deltoids will develop (in combination with the barbell press, this technique gives amazing results in mass growth pectoral muscles). Similar to the previous exercises, wide-grip pull-ups should be performed slowly, with a controlled descent.

The exercise is focused on developing the lower sections of the latissimus muscles, while the range of motion is shortened, and the bar is touched with the chest, not the chin. When moving through the full amplitude and/or until the chin touches the bar, the pull is carried out primarily through the strength of the biceps, rather than the lats. Hands are placed as narrow as possible. Serves as an excellent finishing exercise in lat training.