Pull-up: form, muscles and how to get your first one
A pull-up means hanging from a bar and pulling yourself up. You start with straight arms, pull until your chin clears the bar, then lower yourself back down under control. It mainly trains your broad back muscles, your arms and your grip. Can't do one yet? That's completely normal. With a few smart exercises, you'll get there step by step.
Below I'll explain how to do it properly and which muscles do the work. You'll also find the difference between strict and kipping, the mistakes to avoid and how to build up to your first pull-up.
Updated: 2026-11-05
What is a pull-up?
You grab a bar and hang from it, feet off the floor. Then you pull yourself up. The rep counts once your chin is clearly above the bar. After that, you lower yourself until your arms are fully straight again.
That's also exactly the standard CrossFit uses in competitions. Don't start from straight arms? Chin doesn't get over the bar? Then it doesn't count. Which grip you use doesn't matter for that standard.
People often mix up the pull-up with the chin-up and the pulldown. Here's how they differ:
| Exercise | What you do | Main difference |
|---|---|---|
| Pull-up | Overhand grip, palms facing away from you | You pull your whole body up to the bar |
| Chin-up | Underhand grip, palms facing you | Your biceps help out a bit more |
| Pulldown | You sit and pull a cable bar down to your chest | Your body stays still and you pick the weight |
Which muscles does a pull-up work?
The pull-up is a pulling exercise for your whole upper body. Most of the work is done by your lats. Those are the broad muscles on the sides of your back. They pull your arms down and back.
- Back: your lats, the muscles between your shoulder blades and the middle part of your trapezius (the big muscle across your upper back).
- Arms: your biceps and the forearm muscles that bend your elbow.
- Grip: your hands and forearms, because you have to keep hanging on.
- Shoulders: the back of your shoulder and the small muscles that keep the joint stable.
- Core: your abs, which stop you swinging all over the place.
With a kipping pull-up, your glutes, hips and legs join in too, because you use a swing. More on that further down.
How to do a pull-up, step by step
- Grab the bar. Overhand, a little wider than your shoulders. Wrap your thumbs around the bar.
- Hang. Arms fully straight, feet off the floor. Brace your belly and squeeze your glutes lightly. That keeps you from swinging.
- Shoulder blades first. Pull your shoulders down, away from your ears. Your arms stay straight for now. Every good pull-up starts like this.
- Pull yourself up. Drive your elbows towards your sides until your chin is over the bar. Chest up, eyes forward.
- Lower yourself slowly. Come down under control until your arms are straight again. Don't just drop.
My tip: don't think 'chin to the bar'. Think 'elbows to your back pockets'. Then your back does the work, not just your arms.
Common mistakes
- Half reps. Not hanging all the way out at the bottom, or your chin just doesn't make it over. You build less strength that way, and in a competition it doesn't count.
- Pulling with just your arms. Start with your shoulder blades. That gets your back involved and makes it a lot easier.
- Shoulders up by your ears. Hanging completely loose and pulling from there puts a lot of stress on your shoulders.
- Stiff shoulders. Can't get your arms straight overhead? Then you'll compensate with bent elbows or rolled-in shoulders. That adds extra load. Work on your mobility first.
- Kipping before you can do strict. A swing looks like a handy shortcut. It isn't, and I'll explain why below.
- Only doing ring rows. In a ring row you hang at an angle under two rings and pull your chest towards them. That's a horizontal pull, mostly for your mid-back. A pull-up is a vertical pull. Ring rows alone rarely get you to a pull-up.
Got shoulder, elbow or wrist issues? If you're unsure, check with your doctor or physio first. A coach will then adapt the exercises to you. We don't take over the role of whoever's treating you.
Strict, kipping and other variations
A strict pull-up is done without any swing. Pure strength. A kipping pull-up does use a swing: the kip. You move back and forth between two positions. First chest forward and feet behind you, then chest back and legs slightly forward. At the right moment you pull, and your hips help get your chin over the bar.
So is kipping cheating? No. It's simply a different exercise with a different goal. Kipping is about moving efficiently and getting lots of reps done in a short time. For pure strength and building muscle, strict is better. That's why CrossFit is clear about the order: strict first, then kipping. Kipping doesn't replace a strict pull-up you can't do yet.
In CrossFit workouts where you're racing the clock, kipping is the normal pull-up. Unless it says 'strict'.
| Variation | What it is | When |
|---|---|---|
| Strict pull-up | Pulling up without a swing | The base for strength. This is where you start. |
| Kipping pull-up | With a swing from your shoulders and hips | Once you can do strict pull-ups |
| Butterfly pull-up | A fast, circular swing without pausing | Only when strict and kipping are both solid |
| Chest-to-bar | You pull high enough for your chest to touch the bar | As an extra challenge |
| L pull-up | You hold your legs straight out in front, in an L | The strictest version: no way to build momentum |
| Bar muscle-up | You pull all the way over the bar and press out to straight arms | For advanced athletes |
Can you do strict pull-ups and want to learn to kip? Build it up calmly, in this order:
- Just swing, no pulling: 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 5.
- Swing twice, then one kip.
- Swing twice, then one pull-up.
- A few kipping pull-ups in a row: 1 to 3 sets of 3 to 5.
Watch three things. Start the swing from your shoulders, not your legs. Only pull with your arms at the top of the swing, that moment where you feel weightless for a second. And push yourself away from the bar at the top, so you flow straight into the next swing.
Your first pull-up: how to build up
Your first strict pull-up is a great goal. Here's how I'd go about it: a few short exercises three times a week, for about three weeks. Then see where you are and keep going.
- Scap pull-ups. Hang and pull only your shoulder blades down. Arms stay straight. This teaches you how the movement starts.
- Hollow and arch. Hang and switch calmly between chest forward and legs slightly forward. This gives you control over your core.
- Pull-ups with your feet on a box. Your legs help out. Use them a little less each week.
- Slow lowering. Step or jump up until your chin is over the bar. Then lower yourself as slowly as you can. This is called eccentric training: your muscles work while they lengthen.
Opinions on resistance bands are split. A band makes the pull-up lighter, so you can keep up in a workout. The downside: you feel that first shoulder blade pull less. My advice: use a band in a workout if you need it, but practise the box version and slow lowering alongside it.
Another option is the jumping pull-up. The bar hangs low enough that you can jump from the floor. Your legs give you a boost and your arms pull the rest. It's a handy way to get lots of reps in while you get stronger.
A good pull-up warm-up: two rounds of 90 seconds on the rower, 10 PVC pass-throughs (moving a light pipe over your head and back with straight arms), 20 band pull-aparts in front of your chest and 10 air squats.
How pull-ups fit into our classes
The pull-up is one of the CrossFit exercises you'll learn with us. It shows up in lots of workouts, including well-known benchmarks like Fran and Murph. You'll find more examples in our CrossFit workouts article.
You don't need to write your own programme. The workout's ready and a coach keeps an eye on you in every class. Can't do a pull-up yet? Then you get a version that suits you: feet on a box, a band or a ring row. Not pointlessly easy, but right for you and safe. That way you just train along in our small group classes and work on your first real one in the meantime.
In CrossFit, training with your own bodyweight is called gymnastics. There's a Gymnastics class on Saturday morning at 08:00, so check the schedule. Want to feel what it's like with us first? You can also train with us for two weeks, unlimited.
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Frequently asked questions
How do women learn to do a pull-up?
Exactly like everyone else: scap pull-ups, pull-ups with your feet on a box and slow lowering. What counts as a pull-up doesn't change either: straight arms at the bottom and chin over the bar.
How many pull-ups should you be able to do?
There's no fixed number. My advice: make one clean strict pull-up your first goal. Once you've got it, build up calmly to a few in a row.
Can you use tape or gloves?
In training, use whatever feels comfortable. Plenty of people use chalk for grip. If your hands get sore, ask your coach what works for you.
Can you practise pull-ups at home?
Yes. With a doorway pull-up bar you can hang, do scap pull-ups and practise slow lowering. Just check the bar is properly secure before you hang your full weight on it.
What's the difference between a pull-up and a chin-up?
For a pull-up you grip the bar overhand, palms facing away. For a chin-up you grip it underhand. Your biceps help more then, so lots of people find a chin-up a bit easier.