The benefits of a pull-up movement are so great that even if this is the only upper body exercise you perform, your upper torso will still become toned, according to Jason Ferruggia, a performance-enhancement coach in Warren, New Jersey. Remember that a pull-up is not a chin-up. Pull-ups work the back of your arms, but chin-ups work your biceps muscles.
Latissimus Dorsi
The latissimus dorsi muscles enables your arm to extend, move to and away from your torso and rotate your arm's long bones. This muscle also allows you to raise your body toward your arms when performing climbing movements. Often referred to as your "lats" or lateral muscles, this area of your upper back is responsible for the wide shoulder and narrow waist appearance of bodybuilders. This concentration of muscles extends from your shoulders down to your lower back and also consists of the teres major, deltoid (posterior), levator scapulae, trapezius, rhomboids, levator scapulae, trapezius (lower, middle), pectoralis major (sternal) and pectoralis minor muscles. Positioning your hands at different angles during various exercises, such as pull-downs, pull-ups and chin-ups will determine how this group of muscles is built up.
Brachialis And Brachioradialis
The brachialis muscle is located beneath your biceps and responsible for connecting your upper and lower arms. This muscle considered the strongest point in your elbow. The bracioradialis is located on the outside of your forearm and assists the brachialis when bending your lower arm toward your upper arm.
Triceps
The triceps muscles comprise more than 2/3 of your arm muscles. Also referred to as the triceps bracchii, this muscle has three distinct muscle parts that it consists of: the long, lateral and medial heads. The long head is connected to your scapula (shoulder muscle) and the lateral and medial heads connect to your upper arm. Together, they work to bend your arm and twist your wrist upward. For well-formed arm muscles, be sure to work the triceps as well as your biceps muscles by paying close attention to your form during pull-ups so that the workload is focused on these areas during the exercise. Keep your body straight during the pull-up, and don't swing your legs.
Abdominals
An interesting variation to a pull-up that will benefit your abdominal muscles is called "The Gorilla Crunch," which is the equivalent to performing a pull-up and crunch simultaneous. This movement begins like a pull-up but adds complexity by requiring you to keep your legs bent at a 90-degree angle during the movement. Keep your hands close together, slowly bring your knees to your chest to finish the exercise.
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