10 Reasons To Work On (And Love) Pull-Ups

Sometimes, doing hard things can be really good for you. We like to think of pull-ups as one of those things.

If you’ve been tossing up whether or not to try incorporating pull-ups into your workout routine or are cursing whichever Sweat trainer designed your program to include them, we reckon these 10 benefits will win you over. Whether you’re already well-acquainted with a pull-up bar or using one for the very first time, this compound movement is incredibly effective.

What are the benefits of pull-ups?

Pull-ups can have a number of benefits for your overall health and wellbeing, from building muscle to improving your mood.

Build muscle and upper body strength

This one needs hardly any explanation. It takes serious muscle power to lift your entire body up and down using just your arms, making pull-ups an incredible exercise if you’re working on building muscle or improving your body composition.

Work multiple muscle groups at once

Sure, you could also just grab some dumbbells and stick to exercises like bicep curls if you want to boost your upper body strength, but what makes pull-ups stand out is that they are a compound exercise, meaning they use multiple muscle groups at once - aka more bang for your buck. Arms, shoulders, back, core… they all get a major workout at the same time.

If you really want a comprehensive list of what muscles pull-ups work, here are a few more that will be feeling the burn:

• Biceps

• Lats (sides of your back up towards your armpit and shoulder blade)

• Abdominals

• Traps

• Deltoids (front of shoulder)

• Pecs (chest)

• Forearms

• Rhomboids (located in your middle, upper back)

• Subscapularis (a rotator cuff muscle)

Improve your grip strength

One element of strength training that’s often overlooked is grip strength, but it’s an essential element of any exercise that involves holding onto a handle, dumbbell or barbell - especially if you’re lifting heavy. Pull-ups can be a game-changer if you’re looking to build strength in your hands, or you can simply hold onto the bar in a fully extended dead hang position if grip strength gains are a goal of yours.

Great for bone health

Strength training isn’t just good for your muscles, it’s also amazing for your bone strength by putting stress on them and challenging them to bear greater weight. Bone density tends to peak around age 25-30 before it starts to slowly decline, so we’re huge fans of strength training at every stage of life to stay healthy as you age and avoid conditions like osteoporosis.

Improve your posture

With a stronger back, shoulders and core comes better posture. Hanging with your arms fully extended from a bar can also help to decompress your spine, relieve pressure in your lower back and stretch out the muscles in your entire upper body, making it an excellent posture enhancer.

Minimal equipment required

Pull-ups aren’t quite a zero-equipment exercise but they’re pretty close and require minimal set-up. Find a pull-up bar at the gym or a park and you’re away! Even if you need to modify the exercise to reduce the difficulty, a long resistance band is all you need. There are plenty of zero-equipment workout programs in the Sweat app if that’s your jam!

Low-impact movement

Struggling to perform high-impact exercises due to sore joints or injury? Great news - pull-ups are a low-impact way to build strength without placing additional strain on your joints. If you don’t want to drop from the bar to the floor, you can also position a box just behind the bar to easily step on and off from.

Boost your overall health

Movements like pull-ups are not just about building strength, they can have a positive impact on your overall health too! According to a 2012 study published in Current Sports Medicine Reports, resistance training has been shown to drastically improve overall health and is connected to better overall physical performance, walking speed, control of movement and cognitive ability.

Better mental health and mood

Getting stronger and fitter is proven to help boost your mood and mental health. According to a 2010 review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, strength training can help improve anxiety symptoms, depression, sleep and fatigue, and cognition in older adults (among other key benefits).

Performing pull-ups could improve your overall mental health through strength training - not to mention the personal satisfaction and confidence boost you’ll get from mastering a super tough exercise.

Plenty of ways to modify or advance

It doesn’t matter if you can’t do a strict pull-up, you can still reap all the benefits of this exercise by taking a modification. Loop a long resistance band around the bar and rest your foot in it to reduce the difficulty, or try variations such as isometric holds or negative pull-ups to build your strength.

If pull-ups feel easy (we take our hats off to you), you can take them to the next level by wearing a dip belt around your waist with a weight plate attached, or pausing multiple times as you lower and lift your body.

You can also alternate your grip to work slightly different muscles and keep things interesting. A traditional pull-up involves having your hands on the bar with your palms facing away from your body, a chin-up involves having your palms facing towards your body, and you can also use a pull-up machine to try a neutral grip where your palms are facing each other.

Step up to the bar

Don’t shy away from pull-ups just because they’re challenging. There is so much to be gained from this powerful exercise no matter what stage of your fitness journey you’re at.