How to do pullups and chinups with the most efficient technique possible to maximize your performance and prevent injuries.
The pullup and chinup exercises appear to be movements that anyone can perform with a little effort and minimal instruction, but the truth is that most people are performing them improperly and risking an injury. This is the definitive instructional tutorial for how to perform pullups properly. Whether you’re a complete beginner who has never been able to do a pullup before, or a seasoned fitness trainee looking to refine your technique and crank out a few more reps each set, this tutorial is for you. We’re going to cover both the basics and some advanced tips and strategies.
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There are many ways to do the pullup and chinup exercises, but very few of them are actually efficient and safe over the long-term. The major problem is that pullups are rarely taught properly, even by so-called fitness professionals and personal trainers. The other problem is that, at first glance, the movement appears fairly simple (and it is), but people tend to assume they can do it properly without instruction. Sure, almost anyone with a decent amount of upper body strength can lift themselves until their chin is over the bar. That’s not the issue here. The issue is whether you can do it with efficiency and over the long-term without injuring yourself.
It’s one thing to successfully complete the range of motion, but it’s quite another to actually refine the movement until you’re performing it optimally and can access your maximum potential.
The pullup is a very challenging exercise, but that doesn’t mean it’s inaccessible to most people and only reserved for the most fit trainees. Anyone can learn how to do pullups and work their way up to high-repetition sets with enough time and practice. But it’s one of those movements that you can’t fake – you’re either strong enough or you aren’t. This tutorial will teach you exactly how to access the most strength and power during the pullup exercise, which will help you to reap as much benefit out of the movement as possible. We do this by integrating the whole body into the movement, instead of just using pullups as an arms exercise.
I always chuckle when I hear that pullups and chinups are an arms exercise, or just meant for “back and bi’s.” It’s true that the muscles of the upper back, in particular the lat muscles, and the biceps are the prime movers involved in the force production during the pullup exercise, but the truth is that pullups are a full body exercise. When performed with this in mind, you will experience the difference between isolated strength and full-body strength (it’s a BIG difference).
By the end of this tutorial, you will have a thorough understanding of not only how to perform pullups properly, but also optimally.
Note: if you’re already used to doing pullups and chinups a certain way, but have never learned to do them in this way before, you may see an initial drop in performance when you first start the new technique. This is simply because of the learning curve and re-conditioning yourself to a new movement skill. Rest assured, that with practice of the most efficient technique, performances increases will continue and you will eventually bypass your current numbers and will progress beyond what you could have done using a less efficient technique. Although, you may see an initial improvement in your performance, too. It just depends on your specific situation.
How to do Pullups and Chinups the Right Way
How to do Pullups and Chinups – Technique Tips and Strategies
1) Hand Positioning – Hand positioning for pullups and chinups is body-type specific and depends largely on the width of your shoulders. In all grips, your thumbs should NOT be wrapped around the bar, but should grip on the same side as the rest of your fingers. Also, your wrists must remain neutral (not flexed) and forearms hanging straight down from the bar.
a) Pullup Exercise: In the pullups exercise, your palms will be facing away from you, and for most people, your grip should be slightly outside of shoulder-width apart. To figure out the optimal hand placement, raise both arms overhead and lock out your elbows. Then pull your shoulders downward, packing them on your ribcage away from your ears. The most vertical position that you can get your arms and maintain both elbow lock and shoulder pack, that’s where your hands should be placed. Note that if you have very mobile shoulders, you should not allow your arms to pass further than perpendicular to the ground. In essence, you should be hanging as straight down from the bar as you can achieve when not actually hanging. This ensures that you are not forced to strengthen a range of motion that you cannot achieve without the extra resistance that gravity provides while hanging from the bar.
b) Chinup Exercise: In the chinup exercise, your palms will be facing towards you. The optimal hand positioning is directly in line with your shoulder joints. Your hands, elbows, and shoulders should be in one line, and your forearms should be hanging straight down – perpendicular to the ground.
2) Elbow Positioning - The elbows must be fully locked in the bottom position and fully flexed in the top position of the pullup. During each repetition, it’s important to maintain an elbow position that is drawn in towards your center-line, instead of allowing them to flare out. Think about squeezing them into your ribs while pulling yourself up towards the bar. This is the most efficient pulling position, and will help prevent injuries to the elbow.
3) Shoulder Positioning – Shoulders must be packed down on the ribcage to connect the structure of the arms to the structure of the core muscles. This is most important while in the bottom position of the pullup and will help prevent shoulder injuries that would arise from placing excess strain on the soft tissues around the shoulder joint. It’s a good habit to pack your shoulders down before each set. You can do this by actively contracting the lat muscles of the upper back to pack the shoulders down in relation to your torso throughout the entire range of motion. If you cannot achieve shoulder pack while your arms are extended above your head, then you’ll need to practice some joint mobility and range of motion exercises until you can. It’s not safe to load a specific range of motion that you cannot achieve without additional loading. First, recover the ROM necessary, and only then strengthen it.
4) Spinal Alignment – The spine should be lengthened in equal opposite directions throughout the entire range of motion. Lift your head away from your shoulders, lengthening your neck upwards while simultaneously packing your shoulders down. Good shoulder pack will ensure you can achieve good spinal alignment of the neck. Do not hyper-extend the neck during the pullups, even if it’s tempting to get your chin over the bar. Maintain this long spine throughout the entire duration of the set.
5) Core and glute activation - Activate the core musculature with a gentle contraction while also contracting the glute muscles, which results in a slight tailbone tuck (similar to a dog tucking its tail between its legs). Your contraction should be accompanied with a strong exhale (see below).
6) Breathing Technique - In combination with the core and glute activation (and the resulting hip tuck), forcefully exhale the air out of your lungs while pulling yourself up to the bar (the concentric portion of the exercise). This should result in a very tight midsection from the accompanying contraction, making your body feel easier to lift. On the way back down, allow an inhale to be sucked back in as you relax your lungs and throat (actively inhaling is unnecessary and may result in light-headedness from temporarily over-oxygenating your blood).
Wrap-Up
Using optimal technique in your exercise program is not just the best way to train, it’s the only way to train if you want to succeed for the long-term. When you integrate all of the above components into the pullups exercise, you ensure that ongoing improvements can be made over the long term because you’re practicing optimal technique. If you’re using a less efficient technique or if you’re neglecting one or two of the components, then you put a limit on your performance right from the start. Train smart and watch your performance skyrocket!
More Information:
How to Achieve Your First Unassisted Pullup
How to Increase Your Pullup Numbers With Pyramid Training
9 Different Types of Pullups (Demo Video)
Kipping Pullups VS Deadhang Pullups
Doorway Pullup Bar Product Review (model used in the video above)
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P.S. For a little more detail about how to stabilize your shoulders during the pullup and chinup exercises, see here:
How to Stabilize Your Shoulders During the Pullup Exercise
Holy crap, you are very knowledgeable. Where/how did you learn this proper technique? Max
From years of training with and learning from some of the best coaches in the world.
That was fantastic instruction, thank you very much. Now I just have to wait for the soreness to escape my shoulder and I’ll be off to the gym!
Thanks again, that was excellent.
Lisa
My pleasure, Lisa. Work hard!
Hey man, this is a really good video!
I was skeptical at first, especially about the grip but I’ve spent the last day not using my thumbs at all and I can really feel the difference already(less strain on my forearms and hands, more on my lats). The ‘news’ that there’s little difference between pronated and suppinated grips in terms of difficulty through me off a bit, but it makes sense too..
I’ve only recently started doing them, purchased got a door gym like the one you’re using. Do you have any tips for increasing reps? (Can currently do 5 on a good day with correct form) and are resistance bands a good investment to use for assists?
Thanks Rob. When I said that the pullup and chinup are virtually the same except for hand placement, what I meant was that the execution of the technique was the same. There are some subtle differences in muscle allocation between each one. For example, the chinups hit your biceps a little more. That’s why most people prefer one or the other, and have an easier time with one or the other. I prefer to train both grips in each session to get a more holistic training effect, and I recommend using other grips, too.
For increasing reps, see the link about Pyramid Training above (in the “More Information” section). Now, that you can do 5 reps, this is probably the fastest way to build you numbers.
And yes, the resistance bands are a great investment for building pullup numbers, but you could do just as well using negative repetitions, too.
I have a gut, but people don’t think I’m fat. I have powerful legs from mountain biking, but I’ve always had fairly poor upper body strength. 20 minutes videos are sometime more than I want to get into, but this was incredibly informative.
As someone who may not be able to complete a single pullup, how do I get better? Is it just to try every day?
I will probably by the bar you used. I usually add things to my amazon wish list, but I fear if I do that and buy later that you won’t get credit. Do you know if that’s right?
Hi John,
See the first link under “More Information” at the end of the article for working up to your first, unassisted pullup. And don’t worry about the timing of your purchase. I appreciate the thought whether it makes me a few bucks or not.
I got the bar you recommended. I’ve started doing a pull up every time I go into the room where it hangs. I have a long way to go before I can do very many at once comfortably. I can do about 3 at a time at the most right now. I guess I’m too heavy and too weak.
One concern I have is that I’m starting to have some discomfort near near my elbows, kind of like tendinitis or something. Is this a symptom of maybe over doing it? I can’t do many pull ups, but I do at least one every time I check my computer.
John,
It could be tendinitis or something else (always good to get it checked with the doc to be sure). I recommend you take at least a few days off from the pullups before returning and see if that makes any difference (could just be overdoing it, or not getting enough recovery, etc.). If the pain returns, then you’ve got an issue that needs to be addressed.
In the mean time, you can work on shoulder and elbow mobility exercises frequently throughout each day. Seal pose (from yoga) and its variants may also help, but it’s hard to say without a specific diagnosis.
Once you get back to pullups, ensure that you are allowing your elbows to fully extend in the bottom position (elbows should lock out).
Good luck!
Your video is valuable for me. Thanks!…
hey that is nice advice, but 1 thing i dont get is shoulder packaging.
like do i pull the shoulders back then down. can you try to explain the shoulder thing to me a little better because this is the one problem that i am having with my pull up.
I filmed a tutorial on shoulder packing and posted it here:
http://physicalliving.com/how-to-stabilize-your-shoulders-during-the-pullup-exercise/
Thanks for reading!
Hi John.
Excellent article and video. But I have to say I don’t agree with the shoulder packing.
It feels so unnatural and my shoulders feel a whole lot more stable when shrugged up in the bottom position. I relax at the bottom and my shoulders pack as I go higher into the pull up. What is the theory behind boulder packing? As it just seems very restrictive to me.
Also what are your thoughts on shoulder packing for overhead pressing work? Surely a depressed shoulder girdle in an overhead weight bearing position is going to take all the stress off the muscles
And onto the joints?
I love your website by the way.
Cheers, Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the kind words.
Shoulder packing usually feels more restrictive because of limited shoulder mobility. In healthy shoulders with full range of motion, packing your shoulders while your arms are extended overhead should not feel restrictive at all. So, if I were you, I’d start to prioritize shoulder ROM work and see if that makes any difference over several weeks.
Regarding overhead pressing, it’s even more important to pack your shoulders than when doing pullups. Like you said, the pullup will usually pack the shoulders down naturally as you start pulling yourself upwards. But this doesn’t always happen when pressing something overhead. It’s more common to shrug them upwards when pressing, even though this isn’t a stable or safe position for the shoulder joint. Some coaches even teach this as the right way to press.
At first glance, you would think this would put more positive stress on the shoulder muscles, but it actually just puts damaging stress on the joints because of the poor alignment.
In the end, shoulder packing is merely one strategy among many for strength training purposes, and there are exercises where it’s unnecessary and sometimes even contraindicated. In the pullup exercise, I think keeping the shoulders packed is the most optimal way to train. Although, it’s usually best to just do what feels right to you.
See my video here for more details about shoulder packing:
http://physicalliving.com/how-to-stabilize-your-shoulders-during-the-pullup-exercise/
doesn’t locking your arms cause damage to the joints and tendons in the elbow over time?
Hi Dennis,
You bring up a good point. There’s nothing inherently dangerous about locking the elbows, and all healthy arms will be able to fully lock under a manageable load without injury. However, locking your elbows CAN cause micro-trauma to the joint and connective tissues, but only if it’s done improperly – with a snap, instead of slowly under control.
It’s true that we can usually get away from some rapid elbow extension for a little while, but overuse injuries will usually pop up eventually.
So I injured my rotator cuff and want to know if it is possible to pullups and chinups without causing further damage or injury to the shoulder. I am able to do assisted chinups with a machine and I have not tried pullups yet. I am just worried that if I do them the wrong way I could end up damaging the shoulder even more which may lead to surgery.
So I guess my question is, what is worse or harder on the shoulder? Pullups or chinups? And which if either should I avoid if I want to keep my shoulder from getting injured.
Right now I currently am avoiding all shoulder pressing movements and bench presses until the shoulder completely heals.
ps. I injured my shoulder doing dips on a dip machine.
Hi Mike,
It’s impossible to give you a specific recommendation without knowing more about your injury. But the chinup puts your shoulder into a safer position than the pullup, in general. That said, your condition may contraindicate the chinup exercise anyways. So, proceed with caution, and do whatever it takes to heal up. Good luck!
Great video! I’m looking forward to trying out the new techniques when I’m at the gym next.
Thanks Ben!
Awesome techniques — I shared the link to a few friends as well as my wife; looking forward to going to the gym in the morning and trying all the new techniques; I’ll probably be able to do more than before!
Thanks again for sharing
And thank you!
Hi John,
I was wondering how much time was required to actually go up and then down. Is this a 2-0-2 exercise. 2 seconds to go up, no stoping at top or bottom, and 2 seconds to go down. Or can we just go as fast we can while of course keeping our technique in control… Could you please clear this out for me?
Thank you for the video, it was really interesting.
Greg,
Good question, and my recommendation is to go as slowly as you need to maintain all the technique variables – and don’t try to adhere to a certain time limit each repetition (which is individual-specific, goal-specific, and fatigue-specific). Tempo can play a role in your results, and depending on your goals, may be worth exploring. If that’s the case, then the 2-0-2 method is what I’d start with. But in the grand scheme of things, I consider tempo one of the lesser important training variables and only reserved for high-level athletes who would benefit from laser-precise program design. Most of us don’t need that level of attention in our training programs.
what is your opinion on using rings or rotating handles for pullupps/chinups? Some experts claim a straight bar puts unnatural stress on the elbows and shoulders, mainly in the bottom position.
Joseph,
I LOVE them – reason being that they are an open-chain training tool and allow greater range of motion at the shoulder joint. For someone with pre-existing shoulder issues, or someone who could develop them (which is everybody), the rings offer a great solution for lowering your risk of injury AND providing greater fitness benefits and more total exercise variations. If you have rings or can get/make some, then I highly recommend it. Straight bars are fine, too, but rings are a superior training tool.
Awesome.
I’ve followed your site for quite and was drawn to the site by your great articles on barefoot running and movnat (i now run barefoot often and am using elements of the natural method in my training).
The point of this message is to thank you for the above instruction. I’ve never used pullups in my training before but have set myself a goal of completing a muscle up – i want to be able to pull myself up onto over surfaces. The 2nd stage was to complete a proper pullup (described in you vid) and I’ve just done that – my first ever unassisted, from hanging pullup. Wicked!
Your proper explanation and understanding of body mechanics, posture etc is crucial for health and fitness and I thank you for putting such good onto the web. Keep up the good work.
Marcus
John
This is truly the best explanation on this exercise I have ever seen. I was given the same unit as a gift three years ago and was following the instruction booklet and did some damage to certain parts of my body . I wish I had seen your video first.
Well I going to start slowly all over again.
Thank you for this thorough lesson.
Chic
John,
great information. I am in a bet to do 3-sets of 20 each with 1-minute in between in 3-months. I am on my 6th week and honestly I am worrying about not reching that goal. Hope with your technique I am able to squeeze couple more reps. Currently I am maxing up at 16 but then my other set after 60 sec rest is 8 and levels around 6. My workout consists of max sets, pyramid training, max rep sets in different days during the week, like I said hope this way I can improve in my routine. Anything you can suggest? Great videos.
Thanks John. Great video.
Question: When I try to do pull-ups my body swings back and forth when I am at the bottom (elbows locked) position. I know this is not good, but the swinging is not voluntary. I am 5’7″ and about 132lbs if that helps.
Keep up the good work and thanks again for the great video.
I work as an aerialist and found this tutorial through an aerial site. Even with that background I think I was doing just about everything wrong that I could have been. I tried doing it the way you taught and I noticed an immediate difference. Thank you so much for a brilliant tutorial video.
Thank you very much for these detailed articles , I read this article and also the one about increasing the maximum number of pull ups .However, I have a question about leg positioning while doing shin ups or pull-ups , i’ve heard that we should only cross the legs but in the video your knees are also buckled , i’ve also read that the legs should go straight down while going back down / inhaling . Thanks in advance :)
Oh and one more thing is leg positioning the same for pull ups and sitt-ups ?
I am 63 years old and started doing these pull ups a year ago. Can do up tp 4 in one set. I must say this video and article is the BEST on the web. Excellent. Thank you, John!
Hi John,
I think due to wrong shoulder packing,i got a shoulder pain & elbow pain.
Can you tell me for how many days i have to stop doing pullups.
I mean when can i start redoing my pullups.
In general,when a person gets injury,how many days it will take him to cure.
Thnks
rakesh
That was a nice and clear instruction and i have cleared my important doubts about pullups. Now i think i dont have much confusion about pullups. Thank you very much.
Hi John,
I just watched your instructional videos on pull-ups and chin-ups and was wondering how to keep shoulders packed during the descending movement? I’m doing chin-ups, and doing negatives, starting from the top position on a bench and lowering down to a count of 5. I read negatives are good way to start for a beginner. I was wondering how many negatives are considered a “set?” I read in a muscle magazine that a beginner should start with 3 “sets,” but they didn’t say how many are a set. Also, how much rest between each negative should one give themselves, and rest between sets? And finally, I’m doing pushups and chin-ups in my exercise routine. Can I do both exercises on the same day, or should they be done on opposite days? And if same day, which one should come first?
Sorry for all the questions :) Excellent advice!
Hey John,
I just wanted to say thank you for a thorough and clear explanation!
Greetings from Holland :)
John,
What exercises do you like for practicing shoulder positioning with lighter load? Finding and maintaining the “pack”, especially while hanging, is a real challenge for me.
Hi Tiffany,
The deadhang exercise is a good one for maintaining shoulder pack. Hanging vertically from the bar is ideal, but if that ROM is too challenging, you can also hang horizontally (e.g. like in the Australian pullup position). If you’re having trouble with that overhead range, then you can do some overhead arm circles (ie mobility exercises) to open up the range. Some deeper work may also be necessary (e.g. yoga, etc.). Good luck!
John;
Great tutorial! I have always wondered about the “nuances” that you have addressed. I was taught by a trainer to look “up” with my head as I do a wide grip pull up. I see that you said that you do not recommend tilting your neck in anyway, but to keep a straight spine. I am not sure if the trainer was trying to tell me to tilt my head away from my spine or to look up and tilt my whole spine to enable me to look up at the ceiling, but it felt kind of odd when he told me to do this. He said that the squeezing of the lats while at the top position is what justifies the “looking up” at the top of the pull up. Thoughts?
Casey
Hi Casey,
Looking up does not help with the biomechanics of the exercise. You’ll be stronger with a lengthened/neutral spine. That said, it’s not necessarily going to weaken you to look up at the bar – it’s all relative, and this is a trivial detail in the grand scheme of proper pullup technique. The main issue you want to avoid is straining your neck, especially near the top portion of the exercise (e.g. don’t reach your chin to get over the bar). If you do that, then you’re most of the way there.
thumbless grip VS OTHER ????
Jimmy,
Don’t wrap the thumbs around the bar. Thumbs should be gripping the bar on the same side as the rest of your fingers.
thnx..sir,
u r damn knowledgeable..
I am still confused about the position of the rod above our head..
please clear mi doubt.
I’m not clear on what you’re asking, Ali. Could you restate your question?