Pull ups are an upper body exercise that target your shoulders, biceps, laterals and abdominal muscles. Pull ups work your muscles by suspending your body from a bar and pulling your body weight up. The perfect pull up is performed with excellent form in order to work all of the different muscles of your upper body.
Standard Pull Up
Stand beneath and slightly behind a pull-up bar. Place you hands in an overhand grip at about shoulder-width on the bar. Hang from the bar so your arms are hanging straight and pull your body weight up until you reach your chin to the bar. Use your elbows and shoulders to flex and pull yourself up. Pause briefly when your chin reaches the bar and lower slowly, returning to the starting position.
Negative Pull Ups
Negative pull ups are half pull ups, and are a good alternative if you cannot do a standard pull up. Stand on a box or chair so that your chin is a little bit higher than the bar. Grasp the bar with and overhand grip, arms shoulder-width apart. Take your weight off of the box or chair so that you are holding yourself up, and begin to slowly lower yourself down until your arms are fully stretched while hanging the bar. Keep your feet up and off of the floor for five seconds.
Assisted Pull Ups
Once you have mastered negative pull ups, assisted pull ups will be the next step. Sit on the floor under a bar that is about three to four feet high such as one of a set of parallel bars. Grasp the bar in an overhand grip with your hands positioned about shoulder-width apart. Straighten you back and hips, bend your knees and pull your body to the bar until your chest touches the bar.
Wide-Grip Pull Up
Begin by standing beneath and slightly behind a pull up bar. Position your hands on the bar, slightly wider than shoulder-width and fingers facing away from you. Hang from the bar so your arms are straight and your body is hanging vertically. Pull your body up until your chin touches the bar, flexing at the elbows and shoulders to carry your body upwards. Lower to the starting position and repeat.
Underhand Grip Pull Ups
Also called chin-ups, this exercise is the opposite of a standard pull up and will help you build your bicep muscles. As the name suggests, this exercise is performed with an underhand grip. Stand under a sturdy bar and grasp it in an underhand grip. Keep your hands about shoulder-width apart and hang from the bar with your elbows straight and your body hanging vertically. Pull yourself up using your biceps, lats and back muscles until your chin touches the bar. Slowly lower your body and return to the starting position.
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