{"id":953016,"date":"2026-05-11T17:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/953016\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T17:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:00:15","slug":"very-difficult-and-extremely-cool-how-to-start-doing-pull-ups-well-actually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/953016\/","title":{"rendered":"Very difficult and extremely cool: how to start doing pull-ups | Well actually"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pull-up has long been seen as an important fitness metric. From 1966 to 2013, public middle and high school students in the US were required to do pull-ups as part of the presidential fitness test<\/a> (an evaluation Donald Trump has considered reinstating). US Marine Corps members were long required to perform pull-ups as part of their regular physical fitness test<\/a>, and prospective UK Royal Marines<\/a> must complete a minimum of three to four pull-ups before they are eligible to join.<\/p>\n

There is no definitive data on how many adults can perform a proper pull-up, but two things are clear: they are very difficult and look extremely cool.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a new client comes to see me, the most common exercise they say they\u2019d like to be able to do is the pull-up,\u201d says Emily Schofield, a certified personal trainer at the training company Ultimate Performance. \u201cAchieving that first proper rep is one of the most satisfying milestones you can reach in the gym, because it\u2019s a genuine, hard-earned display of strength, coordination and control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you want to literally and figuratively flex on others at the gym? Here\u2019s how to start doing pull-ups.<\/p>\n

What is a pull-up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To perform a pull-up, a person starts by hanging from a bar with their arms fully extended and feet off the ground; this is also known as a dead hang<\/a>. From there, they pull themselves up until their chin is over the bar, and then lower with control.<\/p>\n

\u201cDone well, it\u2019s a controlled, deliberate movement,\u201d says Schofield. \u201cThere\u2019s no kicking, jerking or relying on momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are the benefits of pull-ups?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pull-ups build upper body strength, particularly in the back, says Mathew Forzaglia, certified personal trainer and founder of Forzag Fitness<\/a>. \u201cIt also helps develop core stability, which prevents the body from swaying during consecutive reps, and improves grip strength,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The muscles most engaged by the exercise, according to the Cleveland Clinic,<\/a> are the latissimus dorsi (or \u201clats\u201d) \u2013 the large, broad, fan-shaped muscles which stretch from the bottom of the back to below the shoulder blades \u2013 and the trapezius (or \u201ctraps\u201d) \u2013 the triangle-shaped muscles that run from the neck to the mid-back. They also engage shoulders, forearms, biceps, triceps and abdominal muscles.<\/p>\n

When Schofield performs a pull-up, she says she focuses on not just using her arms: \u201cPutting too much emphasis on your biceps to execute the move will make you tire quickly and diminish how effectively you\u2019re targeting the lower back,\u201d she explains, adding that the lats should be doing the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n

In addition to looking impressive at the gym, pull-ups also help with functional strength. Because pull-ups force the body to work as a single unit, they improve \u201cstrength, coordination and neuromuscular control\u201d, as well as helping with posture, improved performance on other lifts, and a more balanced physique overall, Schofield says.<\/p>\n

Can anyone do a pull-up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the most part, yes.<\/p>\n

Many women in particular seem to doubt this. And can you blame them, when the New York Times once published an article titled, Why Women Can\u2019t Do Pull-Ups<\/a>? (Granted, the article was controversial at the time, and several outlets<\/a> and blogs<\/a> published rebuttals.)<\/p>\n

Schofield says many women she works with \u201cinstantly dismiss the idea they\u2019ll ever be strong enough to perform a pull-up\u201d. But she emphasizes that neither age nor gender should be considered a barrier to the exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI train a client who is in her 70s and she can perform a full set of eight pull-ups with greater strength and control than people half her age,\u201d Schofield says.<\/p>\n

Some people need to be especially careful when performing pull-ups, Schofield says \u2013 specifically those with shoulder injuries, elbow painor any type of upper-body joint issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn those cases, I\u2019d always prioritize rehab and strengthening work before attempting the exercise,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

How do you do a pull-up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to pull-ups is jumping straight on to the bar, Schofield says. Most people will need to build up a base of strength before they can successfully perform the exercise.<\/p>\n

To do this, prioritize exercises that strengthen the muscles you will need to perform a pull up. These include:<\/p>\n

Forzaglia also recommends inverted rows using TRX straps or a barbell set up in a squat rack. \u201cThis helps build the foundational pulling strength needed to progress,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Even if you can\u2019t complete a pull-up, it\u2019s worth spending time on the bar, Schofield says: \u201cThat might mean attempting partial reps, holding the top position, or controlling the lowering phase.\u201d All of these help the body learn how to coordinate the movement, she explains.<\/p>\n

Regardless of gender, building to a full pull-up can be a slow process. Countless programs claim to be able to teach<\/a> people<\/a> how to do a pull-up in 30 days. That might be possible for some. But achieving a pull-up depends on a number of factors, including baseline fitness, bodyweight and physical build. Although the above exercises are all relatively safe, it is a good idea to work with a certified personal trainer who can offer the best personalized guidance. And encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause pull-ups are difficult, people tend to avoid them when they struggle. But that\u2019s exactly when they should practice them the most,\u201d Schofield says. \u201cThe key is to practice, practice, practice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The pull-up has long been seen as an important fitness metric. From 1966 to 2013, public middle and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":953017,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[1630,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-953016","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116557016357253703","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=953016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/953017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=953016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=953016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=953016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}