Press-ups --- also called push-ups --- and pull-ups are considered functional movements because they work your upper-body muscles together as a group, the way they normally function during real-world pushing and pulling movements. Press-ups and pull-ups make convenient home training exercises because they require very little special equipment, and numerous variations on each exercise help keep your workouts interesting.
Performance
To do a basic pull-up, grasp the pull-up bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from you. Pull your chest up toward the bar. Lower and repeat.
To do press-ups, position yourself face-down on the floor, supporting yourself on your palms and toes. Place both hands directly below your shoulders, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your abs to keep your body straight from head to feet as you bend both arms, lowering your chest down to the ground. Press back up and repeat.
Muscles Worked
Your latissimus dorsi, the large V-shaped muscle in your back, is the primary mover during pull-ups. Pull-ups also work your other major back muscles including your trapezius, teres major and rhomboids, plus your shoulders and all three major pulling arm muscles: Biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis. Press-ups primarily work your pecs, triceps and shoulders. But they also challenge your core muscles, including your glutes, erector spinae and abs.
The primary movers for pull-ups and press-ups are opposing muscle groups: They perform opposing movements on the same joint. Incorporating both exercises in your workouts helps preserve muscular balance, decreasing your risk of injury or poor posture.
Equipment
To do pull-ups you need access to a stable, sturdy bar strong enough to support your weight. If you rent a home and don't have permission to hardware-mount a pull-up bar in your doorway, or have metal doorways, consider a leverage-mount pull-up bar instead.
Although you don't technically need special equipment for doing press-ups, try using push-up stands if you experience wrist discomfort from the typical palm-down press-up position. These elevated handles allow you to keep your wrists in neutral position while doing press-ups.
Sets and Repetitions
Although doing a full set of pull-ups might seem impossible, and having to do hundreds of press-ups is an exercise myth, you can manage both exercises similarly: Aim for a single set of eight to 12 repetitions, as long as that set is enough to fatigue your muscles. If you can do more than 12 clean repetitions with good form, perform a more difficult variation or add more resistance. If you can't manage eight clean repetitions, decrease resistance or do an easier variation.
Modifications
Work your way up to a full set of pull-ups by performing easier exercise variations when necessary. Either do pull-ups from dip bars, using your legs to assist your arms, or place a stable stool beneath the pull-up bar and push off from that as necessary with your feet. For a more difficult variation, wear an adjustable weight vest.
To make press-ups easier, rest on your palms and knees instead of toes and palms. Keep your body straight from knees to head. Wearing a weight vest makes press-ups harder too, or you can support your hands or feet on a balance ball or balance disk.
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