Pull up FAQ

Where is the standard?

A pull-up should be pulled until the chin exceeds the bar.

Pull forward or backward?

This is also a common problem. Like the high pull-down, should it be pulled forward or backward?

Pulling back to the neck requires a certain degree of shoulder flexibility, while modern people have a certain round shoulder. If you don't have enough flexibility and try to pull back to your neck, you have a higher chance of injury. Therefore, neck pullback is not suitable for everyone.

However, a more fundamental question is whether the posterior cervical pull-out can better practice the latissimus dorsi muscle?

Fortunately, we don't need to speculate. Some scientists have done experiments: the researchers tested four different grip methods and pull methods, neutral narrow grip, reverse grip, front neck wide grip and back neck wide grip, as shown in the figure:

The results showed that the participation of latissimus dorsi and teres major (two muscles that make the back wide) in the front neck wide grip was higher than that in the back neck wide grip.

Therefore, the cervical anterior pull-up is not only safer but also more effective to practice latissimus dorsi.

Should I pause at the bottom?

Should I pause and pull after descending, or should I use stretch reflex to pull?

I personally think that for those students who can't pull up a lot of times or weight, they should use stretch reflection, that is, don't stop at the lower end and pull up directly. Because this can make them pull up more weight and times, and for them, it is most important to cultivate a certain back strength and muscles first. Wait until you have enough back strength and pull-out times before pausing.

Should I pull up with the help of lower body strength?

Many people use the power of their lower body to pull themselves up, such as:

Under normal circumstances, it is not recommended to use the lower body strength too much, but in some special cases, it is OK.

For novices, whether male or female, the pull-up is a cool action in their mind. But novices often lack enough strength to pull themselves up. If they can pull themselves up with the help of a little lower body strength, they will have a sense of achievement. Therefore, from the perspective of the heart, they can borrow the lower body strength.