The term “pull-up” comes from the description of the movement performed: you are literally pulling your body up! In the starting position, the body hangs on the hands, which clasp the horizontal bar or any other horizontal bar (for example, a goal bar).
Tip: Sometimes you need to change your approach to pull-ups to improve your performance in the exercise. Namely, try to pull the bar towards you, and towards you towards the bar.
The type and width of the grip may vary. The important and decisive point of this exercise on the horizontal bar for the back muscles is that during the pull-up only the upper body is involved, and the legs simply hang freely. If you want to learn how to pump up your back on the horizontal bar using only pull-ups, then this article will be useful for you.
What muscle groups work when doing pull-ups on a horizontal bar?
It would seem that only the arms do all the work, but the main force is accumulated in the back.
What muscles are pumped on the horizontal bar? The latissimus and trapezius muscles of the back, which are responsible for the work of the shoulders, receive the greatest load. Trapezoids are located in the middle of the upper back and have a trapezoidal shape.
The latissimus dorsi and trapezius dorsi muscles are connected to the biceps, deltoids, pectoralis major and minor muscles. In terms of surface area, the latissimus is the largest muscle in the human body.
The trapezius muscles are also of impressive size, hence the answer to the question: Pull-ups work most of a person’s muscle mass. These muscles are a powerful bundle of energy, so it is worth developing their strength to improve the health of your back and pump it up, making it thicker and wider.
Why strengthen your lower back
Let me give you a simple example. You probably know what nunchucks look like, if not, watch the films with Bruce Lee again. So, two hard sticks are the lower and upper parts of the body. They have a lot of bones and muscles, so they can withstand all kinds of external load well. What is in the middle that connects the top and bottom? One single lumbar spine!
Although it is strengthened by muscles, it is still very vulnerable. Particularly due to its high mobility. In addition, the lower back is involved in almost all types of household activities and problems with it can cause considerable discomfort!
Causes of discomfort
If you already feel any back pain from time to time, this is a reason to be wary! What can cause them?
- A nagging or aching pain can be a result of a muscle strain and is very common. For it to appear, sometimes it is enough to lift something heavy while bending your back.
- Acute pain is an indicator of more serious injuries. If we consider soft tissues, the problem may be caused by microdamage or ruptures of muscle fibers. If you look at the bone structure, the cause of discomfort lies in damage to the intervertebral discs (protrusion, hernia, lumbosacral radiculitis).
- Diseases not related to the musculoskeletal system. For example, kidney disease. Their insidiousness is that the symptom can be pain, as in muscle damage or osteochondrosis.
How to pump up the latissimus dorsi muscles on the horizontal bar
Pull-ups are the best exercise for adding width to your back. With the right technique, you can significantly increase this muscle group. Below I will tell you how to start “wings” while practicing on the bar.
If anyone doesn’t know, the “wings” are large, flat, triangular muscles located on the back of the body, on the sides of the spine from the shoulders to the lower back.
The best results come from wide-grip pull-ups.
The goal of the program : to pump up a wide back.
You can perform this exercise in 2 ways:
- Chest Pull-Ups
With this embodiment, the grip is as wide as possible; you need to reach for the bar with your chest, so you can increase the width and thickness of your back. Throughout the entire approach, each repetition should be smooth and without jerking. It's quality that matters here, not quantity.
- Head pull-ups
This version of the exercise is also done with a wide grip, but is more designed to work on the width of the back muscles, but is not suitable for everyone. When pulling up, you need to put your head behind the bar and touch it with your shoulders. If you have poor shoulder mobility, it is best not to use this option.
Basic rules for performing exercises on the horizontal bar:
- Pull the body with muscle strength, without inertia;
- Don't swing;
- Rise without jerking, lower smoothly without throwing your body down;
- Breathe correctly: exhale for effort, inhale for relaxation (do not hold your breath under any circumstances);
- Be sure to warm up before training;
- Regular training (2-3 per week), alternating with rest. Rest is the basis of recovery, recovery is the growth of your muscle mass;
- The optimal number of repetitions and approaches (sets). You set the number of repetitions and approaches for yourself individually, depending on your capabilities. To achieve growth, you need to do 3-4 approaches, each with 8-12 repetitions;
- Take rest between approaches, it is recommended to rest for 1.5-2 minutes.
Please note: Over time, your own body weight will be insufficient to stimulate muscle anabolism (muscle growth). You won't be able to create enough stress, then you can increase the number of repetitions or reduce the rest time between sets.
When your growth progress stops altogether or it becomes very easy for you, it’s time to start using additional weight that you can hang on your belt.
Correct technique
A few tips will help you perform pull-ups correctly:
- do not arch your back;
- don't swing;
- initially you need to relax your shoulders;
- work evenly, do not linger at the bottom;
- do a warm-up;
- set clear goals for yourself.
Before starting classes, it is important to decide what you want to get in the end. For each goal, you need to choose your own training intensity, type of exercise, etc.
Warm up thoroughly, thereby you will warm up your muscles, prepare them for further work, and at the same time increase the effectiveness of pull-ups. Warm-up should be done in any case, regardless of the level of load. When hanging on the horizontal bar, relax your shoulders; they should not rise. Move smoothly; jerking reduces the effectiveness of the exercise.
Increase the strength of your back muscles!
Pull-ups have no equal in effectiveness and versatility among other exercises for the back muscles.
Pull-ups pump up your back like no other exercise, but a few sets won't build up an impressive wing. Below you will find a truly effective workout plan for pumping up your back.
Each muscle group has its own standard exercise, performing which this group swings faster. Any training program includes such standard exercises for different muscle groups. When it comes to back training, pull-ups have no equal in terms of effectiveness and versatility.
Raising your body from a hanging position sounds simple, but is not practical for most people. Many basic exercises, such as squats or various forms of push-ups, for example, are found quite often in everyday life, which cannot be said about pull-ups. Even the most pumped-up weightlifters would rather lie under the barbell than climb onto the horizontal bar, because the latter is incredibly difficult to do. Don't be scared right away if you don't succeed the first time. In any case, you have to start somewhere.
To pump up your back and avoid back problems, which are common lately, start doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar right now for preventive purposes and to strengthen your back. This exercise can easily be included in any training plan.
Restrictions and contraindications
For people with spinal problems, it is better to start with horizontal pull-ups.
Pull-ups are not recommended for some spinal diseases:
- Osteochondrosis – exercise is allowed, but subject to certain rules. You cannot jump off the horizontal bar and perform jerking exercises. It is best to use a support.
- In case of hernias, the exercise is abandoned if the practitioner is overweight.
- During pregnancy, you can hang on the horizontal bar; pulling yourself up is prohibited.
Pull-ups on the horizontal bar are a basic multi-joint exercise. It is easier for men due to their wider shoulder, but women should not forget about it. When performed regularly, it replaces many exercise machines for the back and arms.
Grip options
It's mostly up to you to decide how to grip the bar with your hands. Purely intuitively, people choose the straight grip that is most comfortable for them. It is worth changing the types of grip from time to time, which will allow the same muscles to work differently.
A narrower reverse grip, with the palms facing toward the shoulders, is used to work the arm muscles, especially the biceps. To pump up the latissimus dorsi muscles, use a wider, straight grip with your palms facing outward, this will allow you to pump up your broad back as quickly as possible. You can change and alternate grip types right during training, which is very useful so as not to overload only one muscle group.
Can a beginner or overweight person do pull-ups?
I first encountered a horizontal bar at the age of 15.
It was 1994. My gym buddy and I went to his dad's garage for a back workout. He went to the horizontal bar and did 25 wide-grip pull-ups. I was impressed! It's my turn. I jumped up, spread my arms wide on the bar, gathered my strength and... pulled myself up once. Impressive, right? My 5 sets of 1 rep each went completely unnoticed that day. However, instead of avoiding the horizontal bar, I decided to master the basics of this difficult exercise for me on the horizontal bar for the back, and later began to hone my skills.
To do many pull-ups in one approach, you need to have good strength and endurance. But the number of repetitions performed is not the most important thing in this exercise.
The main thing is to set realistic goals and achievable goals, especially in the initial stages, because lifting your own body weight is not so easy.
Beginners should try jumping pull-ups to begin with, because the working muscles are included in the training process precisely during the negative phase of the back exercise on the horizontal bar, namely lowering rather than lifting the body up. It is important not just to go down sharply, but to perform the negative phase slowly and with maximum muscle tension, which will also reduce the risk of injury.
In my opinion, absolutely anyone with the right motivation and the necessary practice can catch up. Only practice and dedication will lead you to perfection!
If you can’t do it even once or just once, under no circumstances remove pull-ups from your training plan. Approaches with 1 repetition will eventually turn into 2 repetitions, and where 2 and three are not far away. You yourself will not notice how already 10 repetitions in one approach will seem like baby talk to you. My best result in one set was 37 wide-grip pull-ups. I can also do two pull-ups with an additional weight of 45 kg and 20 pull-ups with an additional weight of 11 kg. Inflating does not happen immediately. It took years of hard work to get such beautiful and powerful back muscles, but believe me, it's worth it.
Training program for pumping your back on the horizontal bar
This training plan is aimed at working the back muscles from all sides. The training will take approximately an hour. It includes pull-ups with a variety of grip variations and hand positions. Personally, I always aim to perform about 200 repetitions with minimal rest breaks. I usually rest for about 30-60 seconds.
For beginners, I recommend starting with a pull-up machine, rubber bands to help, or just placing a bench under your feet. There is nothing to be ashamed of - everyone has their own start.
And yet, how to pump up your back on the horizontal bar? Here's my personal training regimen.
| Exercises | How to do |
4-5 sets of 25, 17, 15, 12, 12 reps | |
4-5 sets of 25, 17, 15, 12, 12 reps | |
4-5 sets of 25, 17, 15, 12, 12 reps | |
4-5 sets of 25, 17, 15, 12, 12 reps |
Table of training on the horizontal bar in the form of a picture for downloading
In the empty spaces below, you record the number of reps performed per set and the additional weight, if any. If you performed 10 repetitions with a weight of 45 kg, then write it down as “4 X 10”.