Back · Bodyweight
Rear Pull-up
How to do the rear pull-up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- VerticalPull
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and pull yourself up so the bar passes behind your head toward the base of your neck, keeping your torso upright. Lower back to a full hang with control. Use only the range your shoulders tolerate comfortably.
- 1Your lats and mid-back squeezing as the bar travels behind your head
- 2Shoulder blades pulling down and together throughout
- 3An upright torso rather than leaning back to reach the bar
Common mistakes
- Do not force range your shoulders cannot reach comfortably
- Avoid swinging or kipping to clear the bar
- Do not crane your neck forward to dodge the bar
Muscles worked
The rear pull-up mainly works the lats and biceps, with the forearms, mid traps, lower traps, rear delts, and upper abs assisting.
- LatsPrimary
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- Rear DeltsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the rear pull-up for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the archer pull-up
- How to do the resistance band assisted pull-up
- How to do the machine assisted pull-up
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the machine back extension
- How to do the back lever
Last reviewed June 2026.