How To Get MORE Gains From Pull-Ups (4 Mistakes You Need To Fix)

Want to do better pull ups? Want to increase reps on pull ups? You’ve clicked on the right video. Pull-ups are one of the oldest yet most widely used back exercise out there - and for good reason. They’re convenient to do and very effective at growing and strengthening your mid and upper back muscles. But, despite how simple this exercise may seem, the truth is that most lifters screw this movement up with a few common pull up mistakes that take away from the effectiveness of this exercise. In this video I’ll cover exactly what those errors are so that you can instantly build MORE muscle with pullups – in turn, helping you increase pullup strength. And get more pullups.

The first mistake has to do with grip width. Gripping the bat too wide makes pull-ups less effective for two reasons. One is that it shortens the range of motion of the movement which may enable you to do more reps can compromise growth due to the limited range of motion your back muscles will experience each rep. And second, is that it puts your shoulders in a more compromised position. Which can obviously be detrimental for your gains in the event that you do actually end up harming your shoulder. You also don’t want to grip the bar too narrow. This can not only shift some of the tension away from your back muscles, but can also make your forearm muscles now the limiting factor in your pull-up. So, what you want to do for better pull ups is grip the bar not too wide and not too narrow. Use a grip that’s slightly outside of shoulder width.

The second mistake you’re making is failing to properly engage your core during the exercise. Now although this isn’t necessarily “bad”, it does create a great deal of instability and wasted energy during the pull-up which can negatively affect your strength in the movement. So instead, before you even go into your pull-up, start with your legs straight if possible and then crunch yourself into this “C” position by engaging your abs. Then from here, keep your core engaged and maintain that position as you perform each rep. This will not only instantly provide a ton more stability into your pull-ups, but by setting your lower back in this more stable position it can also enable your lats to pull with more force because they attach into the low back.

The next mistake is losing form at the top of the pull-up. Usually, they do so by letting the shoulders shrug up to the ears and roll forward as they struggle to get above the bar. This not only puts the shoulders in a compromised position but also disengages the back muscles that we’re trying to target. Instead, to build more muscle with pullups, we want to keep the shoulders back and externally rotated and chest upright even as we get to the top. To do so, before you initiate the pull, first set your shoulders by pulling your shoulder blades down and back so that your shoulders move down away from your ears. Then, as you’re pulling, simply think about pulling yourself up by leading with your chest and trying to get your upper chest or collar bone to the bar.

The last mistake you want to fix so you can get more pullups is you’re simply not doing enough volume for your pull-ups. Focus on doing more total pull-up volume, instead of the lat pulldown, as this will better transfer to your pulling strength. And there’s a variety of different ways you can achieve this. So, if you’re currently stuck, then add in some additional sets of pull-up negatives after you’ve fatigued yourself during your normal pull-up sets. Or, if you can only do let’s say 5 or so pull-ups in a row, then just perform more sets but with less reps per set.

So, to sum the video up, here’s a quick recap of the main points that’ll help you increase reps on pull ups:

First, use a proper grip of about 1.5x shoulder width.

Second, keep your core engaged before and during the movement.

Third, don’t lose form and roll your shoulders forward at the top.

And lastly, ensure you’re doing enough pull-up volume as that’s key to improving your strength with this movement.

So hopefully you were able to see that although yes choosing the right exercises is important, executing these exercises in the right manner is really what’s key to maximizing the growth you experience from them. And for a step-by-step program that uses science to not only show you what to workout week after week, but then shows you exactly how to perform each and every exercise for maximal activation and growth while pairing this with a nutrition plan to support your recovery, then take the analysis quiz to discover which science-based program would be best for you and where your body is currently at below:

Filmed by: Bruno Martin Del Campo

MUSIC:

[JeremyEthier]

GUESS TO WIN! My back is still sore… How many pull-ups did I have to do to get all the shots for this video? Comment below and the first 10 people to guess the right number (or the closest ones to it) will get enrolled into a BWS program for free! Winners will be chosen tomorrow!

[Hugo-xjmj]

0:30 Grip of about 1.5x shoulder width
2:37 Core engaged before and during the movement
3:48 Don't lose form and roll your shoulders at the top
4:57 Do enough pull-up volume

[JasmineWay]

Hi Jeremy, following your pullup tutorial video, after ~8 weeks of practice, I just did a real pullup (no assistance) last week!! Thank you so much. I'll keep practicing using your tips in both videos and improve pullup game. Grateful for the amazing videos - I've watched lots of tutorials before but wasn't able to form a workout plan to actually work on it, but with your pullup workout plan, I succeeded! :D

[Atenejin]

By far one of the best fitness channels in YouTube. Always on point, no unnecessary talking, actual research and no BS or overselling. Great job Jeremy!

[Cmonmanny]

Perfect timing for this video thank you Jeremy !!!

[AlexAlex-uqlh]

I increased my pull ups from 12 to 19 by simply dedicate a whole day to pull ups and do about 100 in total, using three different grips and not maxing up each set. Did it for a month a couple days a week and boom, i got 19!

[musclegaining]

1) Grip slightly outside of shoulder width
2) Engage core by starting with legs straight as possible and crunch urself into this C-position (3:20) to engage your abs
3) keep shoulders back and rotated(4:30) think of getting upper chest to the bar. Dont try to lean your head forward
4)not enough volume or practice.

[DrSwole]

Jeremy’s videos always make me think 👌🏼. Appreciate the research-based perspective!

[brilliantpebbles]

1. Use proper grip width(slightly wider then shoulder width)
2. Keep core engaged before and during movement
3. Don't loose form and roll shoulders at the top of range of motion(pull chest towards bar)
4. Do more pull-up volume( more total repetitions, more sets with less reps)

Great video as always!

[Mtp-qwjv]

I actually tore a ligament in my forearm once from doing pull-ups (waaay too many of course) with a narrow grip as well. So yes I can say from personal experience 1:53 is correct. Thanks JE

[TimothyLeeMSOTCPT]

When I started to engage my core while doing pull ups, I felt like my lats became the main muscle worked. If you see gymnasts doing pull ups, this is exactly what they do. It's that often forgot "hollow body hold" and the pointing of the toes that gets the core engaged during pull ups IMO. Also, they do a ton of pull ups and they often have strong and developed back, shoulder, arm, and ab muscles. Nice, informative vid as usual, Jeremy!

[satyamkumarsingh]

Thanks a lot, now I understand why my forearms are always on fire while doing pull-ups. Stuck at 8, will see how much I improve in next 1 month

[swapnilkarmakar]

Lockdown was a blessing in disguise for me cause during the lockdown I did the first ever pull up of my life and I'm so proud of it all that is left is to increase it to 10 before November...

[radupana]

What I truly love about your videos is that you are not just talking from your own experience, you also read and show a lot of studies, real studies, so you create a very secure sense of learning for the viewers.

[johntziannis]

This is the hardest exercise but the most beneficial if done correctly.

[dannymelo]

1. **Grip Width**: Use a medium grip of about 1.5 times shoulder width. A too wide grip shortens range of motion and increases the risk of shoulder injury, while a too narrow grip shifts more emphasis to the forearm muscles.

2. **Core Engagement**: Before starting your pull-ups, engage your core muscles and maintain a "C" position throughout the exercise. This provides stability and enables your lats to pull with more force.

3. **Maintain Proper Form & Lead with the Chest**: Keep the shoulders back and externally rotated as you ascend. Before initiating the pull, pull your shoulder blades down and back so that your shoulders move away from your ears. During the pull-up, lead with your chest, aiming to get your upper chest or collarbone to the bar. This ensures a back-dominant pull-up.

4. **Volume**: Perform enough volume of pull-ups as the strength correlation between pull-ups and lat pull-downs is weak. Use methods like pull-up negatives, additional sets, or more sets with less reps per set to accumulate more pull-up volume.

5. **Correct Execution**: Choosing the right exercises is important, but executing them correctly is key to maximizing growth. This includes using the right grip width, maintaining core engagement and form, leading with the chest, and doing sufficient volume.

[unrockbaer]

Man i'm impressed not only by the production of this video but it's also so well explained AND he's not like 'trust me on this' but backs this all up with scientific data! Well done and thank you for this.

[dennisescobar]

I started out with max 6 pullups in march and now i can do max 15 pullups in one set. Keep it up guys you will see progress if you keep at it for 6 months!!!

[nathanaellim]

thank you so much for this video!! i didn't know what was wrong with my pullups but could tell they looked bad. Turns out I was just losing form at the top. I've been waitnig for something like this soooo long, thank you again! Your videos are so helpful!

[truongdang]

Wow your videos are not even filled with BS and straight to the point. You got yourself a new follower!! Thank you!