Execution
How to do it
- 01
Hang from the bar, palms facing away, full grip, arms straight.
- 02
Shoulders down and back, abs braced, legs still.
- 03
Pull by driving your elbows down along your sides until your chin reaches the bar.
- 04
Pause, then lower slowly until your arms are straight.
Common mistake
Swinging to help yourself up: your body stays vertical.
Sources: ACE — Pull-ups. These cues do not replace a professional if you have pain or are in rehabilitation.
The decision
When this movement makes sense
It covers the bodyweight vertical pull directly with little setup, but with a short repetition range and a long rest.
When this changes
Having a bar is not enough to impose the pull-up: the assisted and negative variants exist precisely so that today’s capacity is not invented.
Real requirements
Configurations kept genuinely separate
One pull-up bar
3–10 repetitions- Equipment
- One pull-up bar
- Supports and space
- full clearance around the pull-up bar
- Setup
- 35 s
- Planned work
- 40 s
- Planned rest
- 120 s
- Planned sets
- 1–3
- Complete budget
- 100–420 s