Back · Pull Up Bar
Pull-up
How to do the pull-up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Pull Up Bar
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Vertical Pull
- Mechanic
- Compound
See it in motion
How to do it
Hang from pull-up bar with overhand grip. Pull body up until chin is over bar, then lower back down with control. Keep core engaged throughout movement.
- 1Hang from the bar with a slight shoulder blade depression, then pull yourself up by driving your elbows down; you should feel your lats and upper back contracting
- 2At the top, squeeze your shoulder blades together and pause before lowering with control
- 3Keep your core tight and legs still; the movement should feel powerful and controlled
Common mistakes
- Don't swing your legs or use momentum to kip yourself up (unless intentionally performing kipping pull-ups)
- Avoid shrugging your shoulders or straining your neck at the bottom of the movement
- Don't cut the range short, lower fully to an extended position and pull to full chin-over-bar height
Muscles worked
The pull-up mainly works the lats and biceps, with the forearms, lower traps, mid traps, upper abs, and rear delts assisting.
- LatsPrimary
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Rear DeltsSupport
Kovo programs the pull-up for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the barbell good morning
- How to do the barbell bent over row
- How to do the barbell shrug
- How to do the cable straight arm pulldown
- How to do the chin-up
Last reviewed April 2026.