Reverse grip pull-ups. We study all the subtleties and secrets. Pull-ups with a narrow reverse grip - a basic exercise for biceps Pull-ups with a wide reverse grip what muscles

Learning to do pull-ups is not so easy, since the exercise requires strength not only in certain muscles, but in the totality of the muscular and ligamentous apparatus, which must first be prepared. There are exercises to improve pull-ups on the horizontal bar, with which you can develop the necessary muscles, as well as improve the training process.

What muscles work during pull-ups?

You can do pull-ups in a variety of ways, both with a wide regular grip and a medium reverse grip. Each variation will include different fibers, but the major muscle groups remain the same. Heavy load When doing pull-ups, the latissimus dorsi, rhomboid, teres major, and trapezius muscles are affected. It also helps to pull your body towards the bar. biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis muscles.

To learn how to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar, perform lifting exercises that involve the same muscles.

Exercises for learning to do pull-ups on the bar

Wide grip low bar pull-ups

The exercise is an easy alternative to pull-ups on a horizontal bar. By strengthening the muscles on the low bar, resting your feet on the floor, you can gradually develop the necessary muscles and get closer to the heavy version.

Exercise technique:

  1. Stand facing the bar, set at approximately chest level. The lower the crossbar, the more difficult the load.
  2. Take a wide grip and walk your feet forward, bringing your torso and legs into a straight line at a 45-degree angle. Sag freely on straight arms.
  3. As you exhale, bring your shoulder blades together and use your biceps to pull your chest toward the bar. Keep your elbows at right angles, level with your shoulder joints.
  4. As you inhale, relax your arms and return to the starting position.
  5. Maintain a straight line throughout your body, do not arch your lower back, or lower your pelvis. Keep all your muscles toned.


Reverse grip low bar pull-ups

This exercise replaces pull-ups with a medium reverse grip. Includes the latissimus dorsi, biceps and forearms. The load is reduced by placing your feet on the floor.

  1. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, shoulder-width apart.
  2. Walk feet first, forming a 45-degree angle.
  3. With an exhalation, pull the middle of your chest towards the bar, bringing your shoulder blades towards each other.
  4. As you inhale, gently relax.


Pull-down of the upper block behind the head

The exercise increases the number of pull-ups on the bar and develops the strength of the latissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboids, biceps brachii and forearms, as with pull-ups. .

  1. Grab the handle of the exercise machine with a wide grip, lower yourself onto the seat, rest your hips on the special bolsters.
  2. Lean forward slightly.
  3. To exit, pull the handle behind your head without touching the cervical vertebrae. Lower the bar no lower than the back of your head. It is necessary to feel the tension of the back muscles in the lower phase, hold for 1 second.
  4. As you inhale, gently lift the handle, don't make sudden movements so as not to injure the shoulder joint.


Bent-over dumbbell row.

This exercise with dumbbells will allow you to learn how to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar much faster, using the necessary muscles and ligaments with free weights. In addition to the back muscles, rhomboids, biceps and forearms, the rear deltoids work.

  1. Take a dumbbell in your right hand.
  2. Place the palm of your left hand and the knee of your left leg on the bench, find a stable position.
  3. Right foot on the floor. The hand with the dumbbells is freely lowered below the bench.
  4. As you exhale, lift the dumbbell to your waist using the main efforts of the latissimus muscle on the right.
  5. As you inhale, lower gently, stretching the muscles of your back and arms.
  6. Repeat first on one hand, then also change position, focusing on the right side.



T-bar row

The exercise works all the muscles that work during pull-ups, in addition training the teres minor, infraspinatus, and also additionally loads the lower back and abdominal muscles. This exercise also allows you to engage stabilizer muscles and strengthen the ligamentous apparatus.

  1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and grab the bar with a special handle.
  2. Lean your body forward, keeping your back straight at a 45-degree angle.
  3. As you exhale, perform abdominal rows, stretching your elbows along your body.
  4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, tensing your back muscles.
  5. As you inhale, lower the bar and stretch the muscles without rounding your back.



Conclusion

To learn how to do pull-ups on a horizontal bar, it is not enough to perform exercises on the same muscle groups; it is important to gradually master the exercise itself, performing at least 1-2 times. Ask a friend to help you with pull-ups, pushing your body from below, this will help your body feel the working muscles and also learn how to jerk. When training your back and arms for pull-ups, do not forget about other muscles, since even development will allow you to learn more complex techniques faster.

Lead-up exercises for pull-ups in video format

Greetings, my dear kachatas and fitness girls! On this middle day, as usual, a technical note awaits us, and in it we will talk about reverse grip pull-ups. After reading, you will learn everything about the muscle atlas, the advantages and technique of performing the exercise, and we will also find out the degree of its effectiveness and advisability of using it in your training program.

So, take your seats in the auditorium, we are starting.

Reverse grip pull-ups. What, why and why?

It’s no secret that gym goers usually don’t like doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar, and all this is because of a “difficult childhood.” By the latter, I mean my school physical education years, when one of my least favorite pastimes in physical education class was passing standards, which included pull-ups. No matter what class you look at, the picture was practically the same, and it was called “hanging sausage” :). I don’t know how things are now with the current younger generation, but I think that “the landscape has remained hanging” without changes. Therefore, when many beginners come to the gym, they try to avoid the horizontal bar and pull-ups, so as not to repeat the successes of past years. We, on the pages of this site, try in every possible way to combat our weaknesses, developing our weaknesses. It will be the same today, we will learn how to perform a non-standard version of pull-ups with a reverse grip. How we will succeed, we will now find out.

Note:
For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.

Muscle atlas

The exercise belongs to the class of basic ones with a pull type of force and has as its main goal working out the latissimus dorsi muscles.

The muscle ensemble includes the following units:

  • targeted – latissimus dorsi muscles;
  • synergists – brachialis/brachioradialis muscles, teres major, posterior deltoid, rhomboid, levator scapulae, trapezius lower/middle, large (sternal head)/small chest;
  • dynamic stabilizers – biceps, triceps (long head).

A complete muscle atlas looks like this.

By performing pull-ups with a reverse grip, you can expect to receive the following benefits:

  • complex load - impact on a large muscle mass at once;
  • increase in basal;
  • release of more anabolic hormones (growth hormone, testosterone);
  • development of general endurance;
  • strengthening the muscles of the upper shoulder girdle;
  • development of the upper back;
  • development of biceps muscle strength;
  • improvement in back problems (for example, in the presence of a hernia).

Execution technique

Reverse grip pull-ups belong to the class of increased complexity and have their own characteristics. The step-by-step execution technique is as follows.

Step #0.

Approach the horizontal bar and, jumping up, grab it with a grip slightly narrower than shoulder-width and with your palms facing your face. Stretch out, keeping your torso as straight as possible. Bend and cross your legs slightly. This is your starting position.

Step #1.

As you exhale, keeping your elbows close to your body and your back straight, begin to pull your torso up until your chin is above the bar. At the top point, perform a peak contraction and stay there for 1-2 accounts. As you exhale, begin to straighten your arms and pull yourself down. Return to IP. Repeat the specified number of times.

In the picture version, all this disgrace looks like this:

In motion like this...

Variations

In addition to the classic version of pull-ups with a reverse grip, there are several variations of the exercise, in particular:

  • narrow grip;
  • wide grip;
  • in the gravitron.

Secrets and subtleties

To get the most out of the exercise, follow these guidelines:

  • throughout the movement, keep your body upright and your back straight;
  • do not use cheating by swinging and helping yourself with your body;
  • slowly (on 3-4 accounts) and under control (full arm length) lower yourself down and pull yourself up powerfully/explosively;
  • perform pull-ups until your chin is above the bar;
  • use additional weights if necessary;
  • breathing technique: exhale - for effort, lifting; inhale - while lowering;
  • numerical training parameters: number of approaches 3-5 , reps 10-12 .

We're done with the theoretical side, now let's look at some practical points.

Which grip is more effective for doing pull-ups, forward or reverse?

Researchers from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 2015 year, we compared two types of pull-ups in terms of the degree of activation of various muscle groups depending on the grip variation. And here are the conclusions that were drawn. The pectoralis major and biceps muscles showed higher EMG activation when performing pull-ups with a reverse grip than with a straight grip. The classic version gave slightly greater activation of the lats and lower trapezius.

Thus, by varying your grip within one workout, you shift the emphasis of the load and work on different muscle groups with priority in developing the lats.

I'm a girl, how can I avoid pumping up my back?

For young ladies, the best option for working out the back can be pull-ups in a gravitron with different positions of the arms and the distance between them. In addition to pull-ups, add lower block rows to the belt and an extensor exercise - hyperextension with weights. As for the numerical parameters, follow the diagram 3 By 12-15 . Try this strategy, and soon dresses with a low back will become one of your favorites.

Actually, that’s all for me, we’ll close down the shop :).

Afterword

Today we learned about reverse grip pull-ups. I’m sure this exercise will take pride of place in your toolkit for sculpting a textured and sexy back.

That's all for now, good bye, dear reader!

PS. Do you use pull-ups in your workouts, which ones?

P.P.S. Did the project help? Then leave a link to it in your social network status - plus 100 points towards karma are guaranteed :).

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.

Wide-grip pull-ups on a horizontal bar are a movement that has a large number of fans and, along with push-ups, is a favorite basic exercise for many men and girls, as it thoroughly works the back muscles, as well as the main muscle groups of the upper body.

And although many consider lifting on the bar to be a fairly simple movement, in fact, the fundamental point is its correct execution.

What muscles work?

Of course, you can include such an exercise in your training program. only in two cases. The first case: when you have already mastered the classic pull-ups on the horizontal bar quite well and can easily perform them many approaches at a time. The second case does not exclude the first: wide pull-ups can be performed when the trainer “assigned” them to you.

So, the benefits of such training are obvious: the wider the grip, the more actively the latissimus, rhomboid, and teres major muscles of the back are loaded, respectively, the better the final result of the training is visible.

It seems that such an exercise cannot have any disadvantages, but this is far from the case. If performed incorrectly, you can easily overload your back muscles, and in the worst case, even get injured. Beginners especially suffer from this, because in the first stages they try to “overdo it” and take too wide a grip, which can easily lead to microtrauma of the shoulder joints. You also need to be careful when using weights.

Carefully! If you are a beginner, do not immediately practice a wide grip - this will cause injury to muscles and joints. The distance between your palms should feel comfortable for you personally. It is usually calculated like this: your shoulder width plus twenty to twenty-five centimeters.

Classic version

Let's take a closer look at the implementation step by step. The execution rules are not complicated:

  1. Raise your hands, place them shoulder-width apart and grab the horizontal bar;
  2. If the bar is low, bend your legs so that your torso hangs in the air. It is advisable that the crossbar be located higher for comfortable performance of the exercise.
  3. Hang slightly under your own body weight. Then, with a smooth but energetic movement, begin to rise towards your chest so that your chin rises just above the bar. Don't make sudden movements!
  4. When you reach this position, without pausing, lower your body down.
  5. Keep all up and down movements under control. Stabilize your body by crossing your legs if you start to sway.

We return to the starting position without using sudden movements.

  • Latissimus;
  • Diamond-shaped;
  • The big round one.

We also use auxiliary muscles:

  • Major and minor pectoralis;
  • Biceps and triceps.

3 more varieties

In addition to the classic version, there are 3 more effective types of this exercise, using a wide grip.

1. Pull-ups with a wide grip behind the head

This type of activity is more complex than the classic version. This type of training promotes the involvement of the same muscles as in the previous exercises. The round muscle is subjected to increased development. This type of exercise actively develops it and gives the back additional relief.

Execution steps:

  1. Hang on the bar, tense your muscles, bending forward so that the back of your head goes over the bar;
  2. It is recommended to cross your legs to block body sway and create a stable position;
  3. Returning to the starting position, straighten your arms.

Watch the video for more details:

Important! Do not help yourself by swinging your body, as this reduces the effectiveness of the exercise several times.

2. Reverse grip

The reverse grip back pull-up belongs to the “advanced” level. It is performed according to the principle of a classic pull-up on a horizontal bar on the back. The exercise is performed in the following sequence:

  1. Hang with a shoulder-width grip, palms facing your face.
  2. Rise until your chin is above the bar;
  3. When performing, it is recommended to slightly bend your knees and cross your legs.

When performing the exercise, we direct the load on the following muscles:

  • Latissimus;
  • Diamond-shaped.

3. Alternating

This type of exercise allows you to load the rhomboid and latissimus muscles. They are performed in the following sequence:

  1. Hang with a straight, wide grip;
  2. Get up, I’ll direct my head to one hand;
  3. The next time you lift, point your head towards your other hand.

How to replace this exercise at home?

This type of exercise is successfully replaced by bent-over dumbbell rows. In this case, the same muscles work, but with less load. Bent-over rows may be an even more suitable movement for girls and women since the weight of the dumbbells can be light.

You can use push-ups from the knees.

This type of pull-up is aimed at forming the relief shape of the back muscles. The V-shape of the back, which forms the torso, is achieved precisely with the help of this movement. With its help, the muscles of the upper back, which are responsible for the visual perception of a “powerful torso,” are worked out. Of course, this is not suitable for all girls.

In order to perform pull-ups with maximum efficiency, you need to use some recommendations:

  • We perform hanging on the horizontal bar with a wide grip of the hands, with the hands directed away from ourselves. Widely spaced arms load the back and shape its silhouette.
  • Since this type of training is aimed at maximizing the development of the latissimus muscles, the effort when lifting should be concentrated on the muscles of the back, not the arms. Please note that your back works and your arms help, and not vice versa.
  • The elbow joints should not be moved to the sides. This is a very important point, since the load from the latissimus dorsi muscle will go to the biceps. Do not jerk your arms - lift your torso, engaging your back muscles.
  • If you find it difficult, adjust your technique with the help of an instructor. Don't chase the number of approaches you perform. Spend more time improving your technique.
  • We raise the body until the chest stops at the level of the horizontal bar, and the chin is above the crossbar. Do not stop moving until you reach the maximum position. If you can't reach the bar with your chin, it's better to reduce the number of approaches for a while.
  • If the back muscles are poorly developed, this pull-up is quite difficult to perform. We need to start with general physical development. As your back muscles strengthen, you can turn them on, gradually building up to three sets of ten exercises.
  • For advanced levels, it is recommended to use additional weight by adding weight to the belt.

Hi all!

Recently I analyzed training programs in the gym. I selected the most compatible exercises in one workout, described them to those who wanted them, and suddenly realized that in this blog you can find at most a third of the exercises that I recommend to my readers to do. So I decided to correct the current situation, opened it, took the very first exercise from there and began to disassemble it. So I decided to start with types of pull-ups on the horizontal bar.

Pull-ups on the horizontal bar - all the pros and cons

The crossbar fixed in a horizontal position is a very useful and practical thing. How many useful and not so useful exercises have already been invented on the horizontal bar, from ordinary pull-ups to doing one-armed exercises with a clap behind your back (I agree, I exaggerated). I deliberately did not include all types of pull-ups on the horizontal bar in the article. I rightly believe that the most convenient, practical and universal types of pull-ups, which are suitable for the vast majority of the RuNet audience, deserve attention.

The benefits of pull-ups on the horizontal bar

All the benefits of a horizontal stick suspended in the air cannot be overestimated. Perhaps of the existing exercises that involve working with your own weight, pull-ups on the bar more than outperform all the others. Indeed, in addition to pumping up the muscles, this exercise also stretches the spine lengthwise, which has a very positive effect on the growth of the growing athlete.

It is especially good to do pull-ups for young men who are already striving to acquire an Apollonian figure, but their body is still growing and it is too early to start lifting the barbell. And of course, the horizontal bar is especially useful for practicing athletes.

I rightly believe that no men's gym training program should leave out pull-ups. A huge advantage of pull-ups on a horizontal bar is that the equipment for pull-ups is available to absolutely everyone. There is a horizontal bar in every hall, on school sports grounds, in courtyards, parks, and besides, everyone can hang it safely at home.

True, it would be fair to note the severity of this exercise. For me personally, pull-ups on the bar still remain one of the hardest exercises, and if when working with weights you can profile and hang 5 kilograms less on the barbell, then you can’t cut off the excess weight from your own body. Well, maybe just take off your sneakers, although this technique can scare away all the girls in the room.

The cool thing is that this exercise has great benefits both independently and in combination with any other sports. It is especially important to note the need for pull-ups specifically for bodybuilders., it is doubtful that it will be possible to pump up a wide, powerful back without the help of a horizontal bar. In addition, high biceps are built precisely by doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar. Within the framework of the article, pull-ups, types and features of this most worthy of the most worthy exercises are analyzed. The horizontal bar will not help much in gaining muscle mass, but it will perfectly emphasize the relief of the upper shoulder corset. All muscles located above the waist are indirectly loaded, which guarantees the turnstile a well-formed figure of the upper body.

Particular attention should be paid to the back muscles, which are very heavily loaded when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar. The V-shaped, conical figure of the turnstile is guaranteed! And even despite the fact that most gym goers have no idea about the correct pull-up technique and other nuances of this exercise, the crossbar in any way carries invaluable benefits for the trainee.

Muscles working when pulling up on the bar

Although there are different types of pull-ups on the horizontal bar (they are listed below), in general the horizontal bar uses the same muscles, regardless of the grip or position of the hand. Different types slightly shift the load from one muscle to another, making the exercise slightly easier or more difficult, but in general the muscles working are the same. Here is their full list:

Trapezius, lats, triceps, biceps, deltoids, shoulders, forearms, abs, etc.

In short, when doing pull-ups, all the muscles of the upper body are tensed, from the lower back to the ears.

Features of pull-ups on the horizontal bar

If we talk about simple pull-ups, it is fair to note that pull-ups on a bar can be classified according to 3 main differences:

Types of grips when pulling up:

In fact, this indicator is key. The width of the grip determines which muscles will be more or less loaded during pull-ups. The grip width can be divided into three options:

  • Narrow hand position;
  • Average hand position;
  • Wide hand position.

Pull-up grip options:

It is also important to consider the direction of the wrist when doing pull-ups. With classic pull-ups, the position of the hand also has three options

  • Straight grip;
  • Reverse grip;
  • Parallel (neutral) grip.

Upper body position for pull-ups:

When doing pull-ups on the bar, it would be appropriate to distinguish two options for the upper body position:

  • Crossbar to chest;
  • Crossbar behind the head.

Position of fingers on the crossbar:

Two options for the position of the fingers on the crossbar:

  • Monkey grip (thumb on top);
  • Titanium grip (thumb underneath).

In order not to burden your brain with unnecessary work, in each type of pull-up I analyzed, all four parameters will be taken into account.

Leg position for pull-ups

Quite a controversial issue. Some argue that for the best exercise technique, your legs need to be bent and crossed under your body, others are sure that you only need to do pull-ups with straight legs. My dear friends, I advise you not to worry about how to hold your legs at all.. Try one and the other option and choose the most convenient and comfortable for yourself.

Types of pull-ups for different muscle groups

Straight-grip pull-ups

This type of pull-up helps to shift the load for a more thorough workout of the deltoids and serratus muscles, and will perfectly help unprepared athletes quickly master other types of pull-ups. Since the exercise is the easiest of the straight-grip exercises, experienced athletes often do it with additional weights, which, in turn, has a positive effect on gaining overall muscle mass.

What muscles work when doing pull-ups with a narrow straight grip? Serratus, lats and deltoids muscles. In this exercise, a good load is placed on the front and side beams of the shoulders, but wide deltoids cannot be developed by just doing pull-ups with a narrow straight grip.

Performing the exercise: Hands should be placed as close to each other as possible, ideally the thumbs should touch each other. True, this approach can be complicated by twisting the wrist, and if this position of the wrist causes discomfort, a distance between the hands of up to 10 centimeters is allowed, since a larger distance can already be equated to pull-ups with a medium straight grip (next exercise). This exercise is best done with titanium grip, although anyone convenient can use monkey grip.

The back is slightly arched in the lower back, at the lowest point there is a slight bend in the arms at the elbow joint, because if you fully straighten your arms, you can also pull the ligaments, especially if we are talking about weighted pull-ups. The lower back is slightly arched, the body moves vertically upward, at the top point the chin rises above the line of the bar.

This is perhaps the most traditional, most familiar and generally the most-very type of pull-up on the horizontal bar. If pull-ups are for the trainee (that is, for you) the goal of general muscle development, I advise you to pay close attention to this particular method of performing pull-ups. The golden mean, the load is distributed almost evenly between all the muscles of the upper shoulder corset. This type of stretching does not pose a high danger to the body, so it can be safely performed with additional weights (only for experienced ones).

What muscles work when doing pull-ups with a straight medium grip? Latissimus, trapezius, deltoids, triceps, forearms and abs. Performing the exercise: The grip is approximately shoulder-width apart, the thumb hugs the bar, the body moves almost in a vertical line, only slightly leaning the shoulders back at the top point. At the top, the chin rises above the line of the crossbar, at the bottom the arms are straightened as fully as possible.

Wide straight grip pull-ups to chest

This type of pull-up involves a relatively small range of motion, and carries a danger to joints and ligaments. It is highly undesirable to perform it with weights. In fact, this type of pull-up for the back has the most impressive strength because it develops the latissimus dorsi muscles.

What muscles work when doing wide-grip pull-ups to the chest? Most of all, in this type of pull-up, the upper part of the lats (the wings in common parlance) is loaded. In addition, the trapezius, as well as the large and small round muscles of the back, are perfectly worked out.

Performing the exercise: The grip width is approximately the same as in a bench press, one hand and a half wider than shoulder level on each side. In this version of pull-ups, it is important to grasp the main essence of the exercise: you need to pull the torso towards the bar using the strength of the latissimus muscles, while excluding the biceps from the exercise as much as possible. The hands are the performers in this exercise; they help to perform it, but do not take on much of the load. The athlete's gaze is directed upward to the crossbar, the shoulders can be slightly tilted back and the chest can be pulled as close to the horizontal bar as possible. But this does not mean that you need to touch the bar with your chest, this is only possible with incorrect technique. The lower back is slightly arched, it is better to cross your legs (personally, I find it more convenient to do pull-ups with a wide, straight grip to the chest).

Wide straight head grip pull-ups

I want to warn you right away: this type of pull-up is quite traumatic, and it was because of the unpleasant sensations in my back that I stopped doing it at one time. Compared to a wide chest pull-up, this type of exercise is aimed more at expanding the upper part of the latissimus muscles. This exercise is absolutely unacceptable for those who have any problems in the upper spine, neck or shoulder joints (whether from illnesses or past injuries).

What muscles work when doing pull-ups with a straight head grip? The latissimus dorsi muscles primarily receive an expanding effect; if, when pulling the wide ones towards the chest, the wings, in addition to expanding, also thicken, then the goal of this exercise is to expand your latissimus muscles as much as possible. In addition, the neck and trapezium are perfectly worked out. Also, pull-ups with a wide grip behind the head engage the teres dorsi muscle, which is much less involved in other types of pull-ups. Therefore, by performing this exercise you can reach those muscles that do not receive proper load in other exercises. But again, I warn you - due to the risk of injury, I consider this exercise unacceptable.

Performing the exercise: The grip is 10–15 centimeters wider than shoulder level, at the lowest point the arms are slightly bent at the elbow joint (just a little). It is important to pay attention to the position of the elbows: they move to the side when performing the exercise. The lower half of the amplitude is done almost as in the previous exercise, but having overcome the dead point of the movement, it is necessary to bend the neck and direct the head forward so that the neck at the top point of the movement touches the crossbar (or is as close as possible to touching the crossbar).

This exercise cannot be performed with weights due to the high risk of injury. The famous Arnie recommended that beginners not do pull-ups with a wide straight grip for more than 6 repetitions per set.

Reverse close grip pull-ups

This type of pull-up is quite light, which makes it possible to use additional weights for the exercise. Working with weights, in turn, makes it easier for the athlete to gain muscle mass. The exercise is quite safe for ligaments and joints, but this does not make it ineffective or insignificant in the processes of muscle building.

What muscles work when doing a reverse close grip pull-up? The load is shifted as much as possible to the lower part of the latissimus muscles, and the biceps brachii muscle works very well. In addition, the serratus muscles, little by little the rhomboid and trapezius muscles, work. Well, and a little chest and abs.

Performing the exercise: It is better to use a titanium (closed grip). Hands with a reverse grip stand as close to each other as possible, and unlike pull-ups with a narrow straight grip, this position of the hands does not cause any discomfort. At the bottom point, you need to straighten your arms as much as possible, and at the top point, rise to the level of the top of your chest. It will not work to turn off the biceps from the exercise, no matter how much you want it, but you still need to pay special attention to this moment and do the exercise with the help of the power of the wings, and this moment must be felt.

This type of pull-up is really easy, and you don’t need to help yourself with rocking and jerking, just smooth, precise execution! At the top point, you need to keep your elbows as close to each other as possible and press them against the body. When the exercise is easy and can be done 10–15 times without much difficulty, you need to use additional weights. This will help you gain those always missing kilograms of muscle mass.

Reverse medium grip pull-up

This type of exercise is slightly more difficult than the previous one, although it is also quite easy. The load is the same as in the previous one: biceps and lower lats.

What muscles work when doing pull-ups with a reverse medium grip? This exercise works the biceps and lower lats better than others by increasing the range of motion. Due to the fact that the arms are parallel to each other, the amplitude is slightly more advantageous than with narrow reverse and wide reverse pull-ups. Well, of course, trapezoidal, pectoral, jagged and abs also work.

Performing the exercise: At the lowest point, the arms are straightened as much as possible. As you exhale, using the power of the latissimus muscles, we pull ourselves up as high as possible, as high as possible. The ideal design would be one in which the crossbar at the top point is level with the nipples. It is important not to spread your elbows to the sides, otherwise the target load will spread between the muscles and there will be nothing left for the biceps and wings.

Reverse wide grip pull-up

The exercise shifts part of the load from the latissimus muscles to the biceps brachii and deltoids.

What muscles work when doing a reverse wide grip pull-up? As I already said, the load moves slightly to the shoulders and biceps. And everything would be fine if it weren’t for the high risk of injury from the exercise. I would not recommend doing it with weights, and even if there is no particular need to resort to this type of pull-up.

Performing the exercise: It is necessary to grab the bar with a reverse grip wider than shoulder level, at the bottom point the elbow joint is slightly bent, at the top point we lean back and pull the chin to the same horizontal level with the bar.

Parallel (neutral) grip pull-ups

I personally (even though no one asked my opinion) like this type of pull-up perhaps more than others. Not painfully heavy, but not the lightest, this type very well distributes the load between the muscles of the entire upper corset and does not cause any pain in the muscles and ligaments.

What muscles work when doing parallel grip pull-ups? As I said above, the exercise distributes the load almost evenly across the entire upper body of the trainee, using both the back muscles and the shoulders and arms.

Performing the exercise: To perform this exercise, you need a horizontal bar with handles for parallel bars (or bars with the ability to adjust the height). The hands are turned towards each other with palms, while the hands themselves are parallel to each other throughout the entire exercise. At the bottom point, the arms are fully straightened, the upward movement is accompanied by a slight tilt of the body back. The amplitude of movement is maximum, we go down as far as possible, and then go up as far as possible. At the top, the back seems to bend a little back, and the upper part of the pecs tends up and forward.

Narrow parallel grip pull-ups

This type of pull-up requires special handles with the ability to fix them on the crossbar. It is not so much general developmental as it is aimed at working out the posterior delta bundle.

What muscles work when doing pull-ups with a narrow parallel grip? The load is taken from the latissimus and given to the posterior bundle of deltoid muscles. The work also involves the biceps, serratus and slightly pectoral muscles.

Performing the exercise: You grab the fixed handles and reach for them with your chest. At the top point, the shoulders lean back, the back is arched, the goal is to reach the handles with your chest.

Types of pull-ups on the horizontal bar for girls

I don’t write articles for professional athletes, and if a girl’s goal is to have an attractive and desirable figure, then it’s enough to do imitation pull-ups on a block machine. Although I’ll tell you a secret that there’s no better way to meet a handsome guy at the gym than to ask him to help you with pull-ups. I wrote about this in an article.

What type of pull-ups should you choose?

Yes, a little bit of everything. If it is difficult to do pull-ups on a horizontal bar, you need to use just a little imagination and on a vertical block device you can imitate any type of pull-ups described above.

With one sentence I cross out all my work

For each type of pull-up, I wrote which muscle works best. But the difference in muscle load is so minuscule that I confidently question everything I wrote about today.

ALL TYPES OF PULL-UPS USE THE WHOLE UPPER BODY!!!

Pull-ups or imitation of pull-ups on the upper block will be useful to absolutely everyone who, one way or another, has decided to acquire a beautiful and healthy body. And the only compelling argument that can stop you from doing pull-ups is medical contraindications (I hope there are none).

That's it, my faithful friends, it's time for us to say goodbye. It would be more accurate to say goodbye, because as one philosopher put it: “If souls do not die, then saying goodbye means denying separation.” Well, that’s it, now it’s definitely time to finish before the author finally gets carried away. P.S. To do well, you need to clear your karma by pressing buttons on social networks. Health and longevity to everyone! I will be glad to see each of you in the attendance counters.

Was on the line Vitakha Okhrimenko!

Find out a series of exercises that can also effectively pump up your back and at the same time replace such a basic movement as pulling up on a bar.

The content of the article:

Pull-ups are, without exaggeration, one of the most effective strength movements. By changing the execution technique, you can shift the emphasis of the load to different muscle groups of the arms and back. Unfortunately, in order to do pull-ups, you need to have sufficient strength, and many novice athletes are interested in how to replace pull-ups on the horizontal bar.

What exercises can replace pull-ups on a horizontal bar?


If you have just started training and cannot yet perform a single repetition of pull-ups, then do not despair. There are many exercises in bodybuilding that are interchangeable. If you still cannot do pull-ups, then after reading this article you will have the opportunity to conduct effective exercises. However, as soon as your muscles are strong enough, it is worth introducing pull-ups into your training program. This is due to the fact that the movements that replace them are more isolated and involve fewer muscles.

Here is a list of exercises that can temporarily replace various variations of pull-ups:

  1. Pull-ups, wide grip- you can perform lat pull-downs towards the chest with a wide grip.
  2. Pull-ups, reverse grip- You can also perform pull-downs towards the chest using an appropriate grip.
  3. Head pull-ups- pull the upper block behind the head.
  4. Pull-ups, narrow grip- block rows using a narrow grip.
  5. Pull-ups, parallel grip- rows on the block using a parallel grip.
As you can see for yourself, all types of pull-ups can be easily replaced with other movements. But I would like to remind you that you should do this until you learn to pull yourself up. How to do this will be discussed below. At the same time, you shouldn’t completely abandon substitute movements, and you can use them as additional ones to pull-ups.

How to quickly learn how to do pull-ups on a horizontal bar?


The movement promotes the development of the muscles of the arms, back, shoulder girdle, abs and trapezius. Since, despite the fairly simple technique of performing this movement, not every person can immediately pull themselves up, exercises have been developed to help achieve this goal. You already know how to replace pull-ups on a horizontal bar, and now we’ll tell you how to quickly master this movement.

Let's take a closer look at the anatomical structure of the muscles involved in the work and start with the main ones:

  1. Latissimus muscles- located in the upper lateral and lower back.
  2. Rhomboid muscles- are located under the trapezius in the middle part of the back.
  3. Big round muscle- upper lateral part of the back, directly under the armpits.
Pull-ups allow you to load a large number of auxiliary muscles:
  1. Pectoralis major muscle- located in the upper chest.
  2. Pectoralis minor muscle- upper chest directly under the large muscle.
  3. Claviobrachialis muscle- the inner area of ​​the upper arm at the shoulder joint.
  4. Subscapularis muscle- located in the subscapular fossa and located under other muscles.
  5. Biceps- the front surface of the upper arm.
  6. Triceps- back surface of the upper arm.
Strength and endurance are of great importance in sports, and regular exercise allows you to develop these abilities. However, many people have a very busy daily schedule and simply do not have time to visit the gym. Don't despair, you can train at home. The following factors are important when mastering such an excellent power movement as pull-ups:
  • A positive attitude, without which it is difficult to achieve good results in any business.
  • Regular classes.
  • The desire to solve the assigned problems.
  • Organization of proper nutrition.
Let's say a few words about the latter separately. According to professional athletes and coaches, more than 50 percent of your success in training depends on your diet. If you decide to create the figure of your dreams, the first thing you should do is review your diet. We also remind you of the need to drink enough water.

Let us immediately note that when performing all power movements, it is extremely important to monitor your breathing. When you lift a weight, you should exhale. It is equally important to concentrate on performing the movement, trying to feel the muscle contraction. At the initial stage of training, this will most likely be quite difficult, but over time you will learn. And, of course, it is important to first master the technique of each strength exercise, after which you can begin to progress the load.

To master pull-ups, you must have sufficient strength in the muscles of the shoulder girdle, back and abdomen. By working on these muscle groups, you can quickly master the pull-up technique and add this exercise to your training program. To work the muscles of the shoulder girdle, dumbbell lateral raises are perfect. To perform the exercise, you need to take a standing position and lower your arms with dumbbells along your body. From this starting position, lift the weights to the sides to the level of your shoulder joints.

Various variations of crunches are perfect for working out your abdominal muscles. You know these exercises from school physical education lessons, and there is no point in dwelling on them in detail. For the back muscles, you can use substitutes for pull-ups, push-ups, etc. Here is a list of movements that will help you strengthen your muscles and begin doing pull-ups in the future:

  • Push-ups from the ground.
  • Hanging on the horizontal bar.
  • Ab crunches.
  • Exercises for the muscles of the shoulder girdle.

How to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar?


When performing this movement, the main load falls on the biceps, latissimus dorsi, and deltoids. In addition, the rhomboid muscles and trapezius take part in the work. Most often, athletes use pull-ups to develop the back muscles, while trying to minimize the work of the biceps. There are quite a large number of varieties of pull-ups, depending on the grip used and the position of the hands. You must understand that the pull-up is a functional movement as it is often used in everyday life.

Exercise technique

This is a basic exercise as several muscles are involved. We have already said that the participation of the biceps should be minimized, and for this you will have to use a certain type of grip. The closer your palms are to each other. The greater the load on the biceps. Based on this, you can understand that to pump up your back you need a wide grip.

However, as the distance between the palms increases, the amplitude of movement decreases, which negatively affects the quality of working the target muscles. Thus, you have to find that balance between grip width and amplitude in order to achieve the desired result. We recommend starting with a medium grip and making adjustments as needed.

When performing the exercise, you need to straighten your back, while bending in the lumbar region. If your back is rounded, some of the muscle fibers will not contract. This not only reduces the efficiency of movement, but can cause injury. The upward movement should not be carried out to the level of the chin or neck, but to the chest. To do this, you will have to bend back a little. This is the only way to achieve maximum contraction of the back muscles.

Pull-ups are a type of deadlift. This implies the need to move the elbow joints back. Imagine. That your arms are limited to your elbows when performing the exercise, and they need to be placed behind your back. This way you can achieve maximum isolation of the targeting muscles. Now let’s look at the sequence of your actions on the horizontal bar:

  1. Take the starting position on the bar, placing your hands on it slightly wider than the level of your shoulder joints.
  2. Move your body back at an angle of about 30 degrees relative to the vertical plane and stick your chest forward.
  3. After inhaling, begin to rise up, using the muscles of your arms and back until you touch the bar with your chest.
  4. At the highest point of the trajectory, be sure to pause, squeezing your shoulder blades together and exhale.
  5. The downward movement should be slow and controlled.
  6. At the lowest point of the trajectory, it is necessary to achieve maximum stretching of the latissimus dorsi muscles.
Here are some of the most common mistakes that novice athletes make when performing pull-ups:
  1. The inertial force from body swaying is used, which sharply reduces the efficiency of movement.
  2. You cannot slouch your back and round your shoulder joints, and your chest must be straightened.
  3. Having reached the lowest point of the trajectory, it is necessary to maintain the tension of all working muscles.
If we talk about the recommended volume of pull-ups, then men can do three to four sets with 8-10 repetitions in each. Girls can limit themselves to three sets with 4–6 repetitions in each.

Let's finally look at a few main types of pull-ups:

  1. With a straight grip. The movement is aimed at pumping the shoulder girdle and arm muscles. Suitable for athletes of different skill levels, although not simple.
  2. Medium reverse grip. It also allows you to pump up the muscles of your arms, but at the same time part of the load falls on your back. This is a fairly simple exercise that is perfect for beginner athletes.
  3. Wide grip. We looked at the technique of this particular type of pull-up today. Let us remember that its main task is to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscles. For beginner bodybuilders, it can be quite challenging until their muscles get stronger.
  4. Wide grip head pull-ups. One of the most difficult types of exercise. Moreover, it should be performed only after a good warm-up. To avoid joint injury. We do not recommend this exercise for beginner athletes. When performing it, the grip should be as wide as possible, and the body should be straightened out. Don't cross your legs or arch your back. The elbow joints should be directed towards the ground, and the upward movement is carried out until the back of the head touches the crossbar.
  5. Reverse close grip. A fairly easy exercise that maximally utilizes the biceps. It can be recommended to athletes of different levels of training to diversify the training process on the day of working on the arm muscles.
For more helpful tips on how to learn to do pull-ups, see below: