Walk into any gym and you’ll find no shortage of machines promising to build a bigger back. Pulldowns with bars bent like modern sculpture, cable stations with attachments large enough to outfit a commercial fishing boat, and chrome-plated contraptions allegedly engineered to isolate this fiber or that fiber. They all have value. But nothing – and I mean nothing – recruits the posterior fibers like a well-executed set of pull-ups.
Why are pull-ups considered the best back exercise?
Pull-ups can eventually be weighted, with plates hanging from the dip belt like medieval armor, but bodyweight pull-ups alone can also produce dramatic gains in both back width and mid-back thickness. In fact, many of the greatest bodies ever created depended heavily on them.
I remember training at Gold’s Gym Venice in the early 90’s and hearing Shawn Ray talk about how he started every back workout with 50 pull-ups. It doesn’t matter how many sets it takes. The important thing was that he scored 50 runs before moving on.
The mentality is that the pull-up is the standard.
How pull-ups build back width and thickness
The kinesiology involved is remarkable. Some activities produce more muscle mass simultaneously. The lats do the heavy lifting, but they don’t work alone. The rhomboids, teres muscles, traps, rear delts, biceps, brachialis, forearms, grip muscles, abs and intercostals all contribute to the movement. Even the hands and fingers become active players. That’s why pull-ups feel different from machine work. You’re not just gaining weight. You are moving your entire body through space and this requires support from a huge amount of muscle tissue.
Overhand vs. Underhand Pull-Ups: What’s the Difference?
The choice of grip can also subtly change the emphasis of the movement. A traditional overhand or pronated grip emphasizes development of lat breadth and upper back while heavily engaging the outer parts of the biceps and brachialis. Reverse or underhand grips – often called chin-ups – place more emphasis toward the biceps and lower lat area while hammering the back. No one is the best. Both deserve a place in a serious training program.
How to Use Pullups, No Matter Your Level
The beauty of pull-ups is its adaptability. Beginners can use the help while advanced trainees can make them extremely difficult. For experienced lifters, the weighted pull-up becomes one of the finest upper-body strength builders available. Add enough iron to your waist and this movement evolves from an endurance exercise to a raw display of pulling power. And yes, there’s a reason why pull-ups have long been part of military and law-enforcement fitness testing. Apparently governments still appreciate citizens who are able to carry their dead bodies over an obstacle.
But what if you can’t do that?
Good. You have somewhere to start.
Most larger gyms have a machine called a gravitron. It allows you to perform assisted pull-ups and dips by balancing your body weight with the pinned weight stack. The higher the weight you choose, the lighter you will be.
Find a resistance level that allows you to perform many clean repetitions and work up from there. As strength improves, gradually reduce assistance. The machine literally teaches you to become lighter.
No gravitron? No problem.
Place a CrossFit cube, bench, or even a sturdy dumbbell directly under the bar and use it as a step. Grab the bar and use the platform to help yourself get into the top position of the pull-up. Now comes the magic. Lower yourself slowly. Count to six.
This is called negative training, and it works because the muscles often become stronger during the downward, or eccentric, phase of the movement as the tension is gradually reduced. By controlling that descent and resisting gravity, you eventually build the strength needed to perform a full pull-up on your own.
Pop up.
Reduce gradually.
do it again. And then.
Eventually, one rep becomes three. Three becomes six. Six becomes 10. And soon, you’re no longer interacting with the bar. You own it.
Pull-ups remain an essential staple in the routine of any serious lifter, from beginner to expert. Cable machines may have evolved and tools have become increasingly sophisticated, but iron still speaks its own language. And few exercises speak louder than pull-ups.
