Start Doing These 5 Exercises to Get Better at Pull-Ups

With its immense benefits in building a well-sculpted back and gaining strength, pull-ups are hailed as the king of all upper body exercises. Keeping the sophisticated gym machines aside, all you need to perform a pull-up is a stable pull-up bar.

Pull-up is a compound movement which means that multiple muscles are involved while doing the exercise. It primarily targets your back muscles and helps tone and widen specifically your latissimus dorsi muscles, also known as lats. Besides this, it also works on your biceps, shoulder, and chest muscles, giving you the desired V-shape appearance.

But, you can reap all these benefits of performing pull-ups only when you do it the right way. While some advanced athletes make enough progress to master the exercise, beginners struggle to perform even one repetition.

If this is the case with you, worry not, there are certain ways you can get better at pull-ups. Being a bodyweight exercise, pull-ups require you to lift your body weight off the ground by using your upper body strength. Not everyone is born strong, one has to gradually develop strength by performing some other exercises.

Below we have listed some exercises that will help you in gaining the right strength and technique to ace pull-ups. https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/upper-body-exercises-pull-ups/

1. Hammer curls
   When you perform a pull-up, your bicep muscles also come under tension along with other muscles. Hammer curls help in building stronger bicep muscles which assist you while doing a pull-up. It targets the outer head of the bicep and maximises your overall arm gains and strength.
2. Hollow hold
   All you have to do is dead hang on the pull-up bar while keeping the core tight and tucking in the tail bone. Hold the position for some time then release the tailbone.
3. Bent-over row
   Bent-over rows are effective when it comes to toning up your back muscles. It engages your lats and bicep muscles and strengthens them. Hence, the exercise targets the muscles which will help you in achieving more pull-ups.
4. Kettlebell single-arm row
   This exercise too primarily engages your lat muscles and is effective in achieving a chiselled back. It is performed alternately with both arms which helps in strengthening the core and developing better balance. Getting better at this exercise will eventually help you achieve more repetitions and better form at pull-ups.
5. Assisted pull-ups or negative pull-ups
   Practice makes a man perfect and this holds true when it comes to mastering pull-ups. If you struggle to achieve one complete pull-up, then begin by hanging on the bar with your chin above it and then slowly come down while focussing on your back muscles. If it is still hard for you then grab a resistance band and take its help to ease the load a bit.

Remain consistent with the exercises listed above and you will surely master the king of exercises.