A pull-up circuit is a grouping of several different pull-up exercises and variations performed in succession with little to no rest between each exercise. This continuous routine is often referred to as circuit training. Circuit training with pull-ups helps to build the endurance of the muscles in your back, biceps and forearms while helping to create a more defined look. A simple pull-up circuit should utilize the standard pull-up, the chinup, the slanted pull-up and the lat pull-down exercises. You should perform 20 repetitions for each exercise and then quickly move on to the next exercise in the series.
Pull-Ups
You should start the pull-up circuit with the traditional pull-up exercise. It is recommended that the circuit be performed on an assisted pull-up machine, because circuit training quickly fatigues the muscles in the body. Only the most advanced weight trainers would be able to complete the circuit using their body weight without assistance. To do a pull-up, just grab an overhead bar with an overhand grip and raise and lower your body so that your chin touches the bar and your arms reach full extension for every repetition.
Chin-Ups
The next exercise you should perform in the circuit is the chin-up exercise. Your back muscles should be fatigued after the pull-ups, and the chin-ups allow you to focus on your biceps with a simple modification to the pull-up exercise. While on the bar, simply change your hands from an overhand to an underhand grip. Now perform another 20 repetitions of raising and lowering your chin to the bar.
Slant Pull-ups
The next pull-up variation on the list is the slant pull-up. This exercise requires a stationary bar be set at waist height. While pull-ups and chin-ups target the latissimus dorsi muscles of your back, the slant pull-up focuses on the rhomboid muscles in your back. These are located between your shoulder blades. This exercise also requires you to pull your chin up to the bar and allow your arms to reach full extension with each repetition. The initial positioning of your body is different, however. Grab the bar with an overhand grip so that your arms and the top part of your chest are located directly under the bar. Now extend your legs away from the bar. Your body should form a slanted line with the floor. You can then perform the exercise when you have reached this position.
Lat Pull-downs
Think of lat pull-downs as a reverse pull-up. Instead of pulling your body up to the bar, you are pulling the bar toward your body. Perform this exercise from a seated position with your legs placed underneath padded stirrups to keep you from being lifted off of the seat. The bar is attached to a moving cable that moves toward you when it is pulled. Grab this bar with the traditional overhand pull-up grip. Now, just like a pull-up, raise and lower the bar so that your arms reach full extension and travel below chin level for each repetition. After you have completed your 20 repetitions, you should rest two to three minutes before returning to the beginning of the circuit. Beginners should perform the circuit twice, while more-experienced exercisers can attempt to go through the circuit three to five times.
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