Pull-up bar

Pull-Up Bar Back Workout

A pull-up bar is the cheapest serious piece of training equipment in existence. Vertical pulling is the movement most home setups lack entirely, and no amount of rowing fully replaces it — the lats work through a range that horizontal pulling simply does not reach.

The session · 5 exercises
  1. 1

    Pull-Up

    4 × 5–10

    Lats · also Biceps, Core

    • Grip slightly wider than the shoulders, palms facing away.
    • Start from a full hang, then pull the elbows down toward the ribs.
    • Lead with the chest and clear the bar with the chin.
    • Lower all the way down — half reps build half a back.
  2. 2

    Inverted Row

    3 × 8–15

    Back · also Lats, Biceps, Core

    • Set a bar at waist height and hang underneath it with a straight body.
    • Pull the chest to the bar, keeping the hips locked in line with the shoulders.
    • Lower under control. Walking the feet further out makes it harder.
  3. 3

    Toes to Bar

    3 × 6–12

    Core · also Lats, Forearms

    • Hang and engage the lats to stop the swing.
    • Drive the toes up to touch the bar in one motion.
    • Lower with control. Build up with leg raises first.
  4. 4

    Chin-Up

    4 × 6–10

    Lats · also Biceps

    • Palms facing you, hands about shoulder-width apart.
    • Pull until the chin clears the bar, keeping the chest up.
    • The underhand grip gives the biceps more to do, so most people are stronger here.
  5. 5

    Hanging Knee Raise

    3 × 10–15

    Core · also Forearms

    • Hang from the bar with the shoulders active, not fully relaxed.
    • Curl the pelvis up and drive the knees toward the chest.
    • Lower under control — no swinging between reps.

Getting the most out of it

If you cannot yet do a pull-up, the answer is not to wait until you can. Lower yourself slowly from the top for five seconds, five sets of three, twice a week. Almost everybody who does that honestly for a month gets their first rep.

Keep track of it

Solviro logs every set, remembers what you lifted last time, and builds your plan around the equipment you actually own. Free, and you don't need an account to look around.

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General fitness information, not medical advice. If something hurts in a way that feels wrong, stop.