Pull-Up
Muscles worked: Back (assisted by biceps, forearms).
How to do it
- Hang from a bar with an overhand grip, hands just wider than shoulders.
- Pull your shoulder blades down and drive your elbows toward your ribs.
- Keep pulling until your chin clears the bar.
- Lower under control all the way back to a full dead hang.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Start from a dead hang
- Drive elbows down to your hips
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 5 to 10 rep range, progressing in 2.5 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Bodyweight movement: log added weight only, and your records account for your logged bodyweight. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Deadlift - back, glutes
- Chin-Up - back, biceps
- Lat Pulldown - back
- Barbell Row - back
Track the pull-up properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StorePhotos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.