Pull-ups are a great exercise to add to your next full-body or arm strength circuit, but they can be intimidating for those who don’t know how to do them. Don’t be intimidated! Pull-ups consist of a straightforward motion that you can build up to as you increase your strength with regular exercise.

Pull-ups are a classic exercise used to measure upper body strength because they require enough power to “pull” your entire body weight up, working against gravity. To do a pull-up, you need to grab onto your pull-up bar with straight arms, set your shoulders, and engage your back and arms as you lift yourself upward.

For many people, doing a single pull-up is a great challenge. Training to increase the maximum number of reps you can do is a tough but reachable goal. It can be a frustrating process because you won’t be able to see great progress until you’re able to successfully do a pull-up, but your confidence will grow with time and training.

The main muscle groups used when doing pull-ups include the latissimus dorsi and rhomboids, the largest back muscles, and the biceps and posterior deltoids. Your trunk and other stabilizing muscles assist in doing this motion.

To strengthen these muscle groups and get closer to successfully completing one or more pull-ups, you can incorporate the following exercises into your routine. All of these exercises require some sort of pulling motion, which will directly improve your ability to lift your own body weight:

Keep in mind that, although some of these are very similar to traditional pull-ups, they aren’t direct replacements for pull-ups.

During your training, to increase your max repetitions, you can try including these pull-up adaptations in your exercise routine:

Pull-up benefits include improved stability of muscle groups that help you do activities like swimming, rowing or paddling, climbing ropes or poles, wrestling, pole vaulting, and gymnastics. Otherwise, they’re standard proof of upper body strength and endurance in school testing, activities that call for strong upper bodies and military service.

When starting on your journey toward doing one or more pull-ups, you should be careful to learn proper form and movement so as to avoid injury. Common pull-up mistakes to avoid include:

If you're unsure of your ability to correctly do a pull-up, get in touch with a professional for help. If you think you've injured yourself in the process, reach out to your health care provider right away.

American Council on Exercise: “​​4 Moves to Help You Master the Pull-up,” “ACE Technique Series: Chin-ups,” “Pull-ups.”

Healthcare Blog: “8 Most Biggest Chin Ups & Pull Ups Mistakes – Resolving Ways.”

Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports: “A Comparison of Muscle Activation during the Pull-up and Three Alternative Pulling Exercises.”

Strength and Conditioning Journal: “The Pull-up.”

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