How to Train to Do a Pull-up

Don’t let pull-ups intimidate you. Think of them as your next fitness milestone to conquer.

Pull-ups are widely regarded as one of the hardest strength exercises to master, requiring multiple muscles to work together, including your core, back, and biceps. But as with any exercise, learning how to do a pull-up is achievable - even for beginners. All it takes is preparation, consistency and determination to succeed.

If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got you covered with our guide to what a pull-up is, how it challenges your body, and which exercises to focus on to build your strength and technique.

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Are Pull-Ups Harder for Women?

Men may find it easier to achieve their first pull-up. This is largely due to increased muscle mass from higher testosterone levels. Women may face additional challenges due to differences in muscle mass distribution and upper-body strength. But all challenges can be overcome, and being a woman shouldn’t be seen as a disadvantage. Our guide will give you the tools to compete, with a focus on specific exercises such as negative and scapular pull-ups to help you build towards your ultimate pull-up goals.

What is a Pull-up?

A pull-up is a vertical pulling exercise where you hang from a bar with your palms facing away from you and lift your bodyweight until your chin clears the bar. They are slightly different from chin-ups, where your palms face towards you as you lift.

There are many different types of pull-ups, but the standard exercise involves placing your arms just wider than shoulder-width apart with an overhand grip. However, all variations involve lifting your bodyweight, controlling your shoulders, securing your grip, and bracing your core throughout.

What Muscles Are Used In a Pull-Up?

• Lats (Latissimus Dorsi) - The primary muscle engaged throughout a pull-up. These are the large muscles that start in your upper arm and run down towards your lower back. The lats are responsible for pulling the body up towards the bar.
• Rhomboids and Trapezius - Upper back muscles, used to stabilise the shoulders (Scapula) and assist in pulling.
• Biceps - Arm strength is important in a pull-up too, as they help flex the elbow to aid with motion. If you neglect arm strength when training, you’ll struggle to clear the bar.
• Forearms - As with any lifting exercise, grip strength is key.
• Core (Rectus Abdominis) - Your core is engaged the whole time, to prevent your body from swaying.

Strengthening all these muscles is essential to a successful pull-up. The following exercises will help condition the muscles you need, even if you’re a complete beginner.

How to Train to Do a Pull-Up

Assisted Pull-Ups

The Assisted Pull-Up Machine is a great first step in training for a pull-up. It works by using a counterweight to offset a portion of your body weight, allowing you to focus on the mechanics and motion of the pull without feeling overwhelmed.

It’s done in a kneeling position, so it doesn’t fully reflect a pull-up because it reduces the impact on your core. However, it does help replicate the pulling motion needed to progress through your training.

As this machine uses a counterweight to offset body weight, more weight means more assistance. If you weigh 70kg and select 40kg of assistance, you’re effectively pulling 30kg of your own weight. Start with a load that feels challenging, but still allows you to control your movements.

1. Select an appropriate load that’s challenging but manageable.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Kneel on the assistance pad so that your body weight pushes it down, and fully extend your arms.
4. Start the reps by pulling yourself towards the bar, thinking about pulling your elbows down towards your back pockets.
5. Pull yourself upwards until your chin just clears the bar.
6. Return the bar to the starting position by slowly extending your arms.

Lat Pulldowns

As lats are one of the primary muscles used in a pull-up, strengthening them should be a core focus of your training.

A good way to strengthen them is with the Lat Pulldown Machine. This equipment mimics the pull required in a pull-up and targets many of the same muscles, including the lats, rhomboids, trapezius, and biceps. However, instead of pulling yourself to a bar, you pull a bar towards your body from a seated position. This provides greater stability and is an easier entry to mastering a pull-up.

1. Sit down and adjust the pad tightly against your thighs. Being secure is everything, as it helps to control movement and keep the correct muscles engaged.
2. As you stand, hold the bar just wider than shoulder-width using a pronated grip, i.e., with your palms facing away from you.
3. Sit down with your feet planted, and allow your arms to extend while bracing your core.
4. Begin the exercise by pulling the bar towards your sternum by driving your elbows down and back, finishing the rep just below your chin.
5. Slowly return to the starting position by gently allowing your arms to extend.

You can challenge the muscles further by slowing down the final step, extending the time it takes to return the bar to the starting position.

Straight Arm (Dead) Hangs

Straight arm hangs, or dead hangs, involve hanging from a bar with your arms fully extended to strengthen grip, improve shoulder mobility, and decompress the spine. Those training to do a pull-up often overlook grip strength in favour of the pulling exercise, yet dead hangs also help keep your body stable, which prevents wasted movement during a pull-up.

1. Use a platform to grip the bar using a pronated grip (hands facing away from the body), just wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with extended arms.
2. Brace your core to minimize swinging.
3. You can move from a passive (dead) hang to a more active hang by pulling your shoulder blades down while keeping your arms straight to allow your chest to lift towards the bar.
4. Hang from the bar for as long as possible before taking a rest and trying again.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows

To master a pull-up, you need to look beyond just vertical pulling. While the pull-up is the goal, incorporating horizontal pulls is essential for developing strength in muscles on both sides of your body.

We all have a dominant side, and in movements like a pull-up, your stronger side will often compensate for the weaker. This is where the Single-Arm Dumbbell Row becomes your secret weapon. By working unilaterally (one side at a time), you ensure you’re strengthening your body as a whole.

1. Hold one dumbbell in the hand of your working side. Lean over a bench with the opposite knee and hand on the bench. Ensure that the foot on your working side is planted firmly to guarantee stability.
2. Extend your working arm, keeping a neutral spine.
3. Row the dumbbell towards your hip, thinking about moving your elbow in an arc rather than straight up towards the ceiling.
4. Return the dumbbell to the starting position slowly.
5. Swap over and repeat on the other side.

Can I Train to Do a Pull-Up in 3 Months?

Building the strength for your first pull-up in three months is an ambitious but entirely achievable goal if you approach it with the right strategy and consistency.

For most women starting from a foundation of basic fitness, 12 weeks provides enough time to move through the essential phases. Success in this timeframe depends on showing up for your hangs, rows, and lifting exercises on a regular basis to ensure consistency.

These exercises, when maintained, will help you develop the strength and technique required to perform a successful pull-up.

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