What Muscles Do Pull-Ups Work?

Pull-ups are a compound upper-body exercise, typically regarded as a benchmark for upper-body strength, given that the majority of the population is unable to complete a pull-up. In turn, this makes improving your pull-up performance a common primary goal of many people's training programmes. However, this isn't the only reason you should implement pull-ups into your routine. The muscles worked from pull-ups are extremely broad across the upper body. This means they will provide a wide range of adaptations that will aid with daily function and injury prevention.

With that said, what muscles actually work during pull-ups? What are the hidden benefits of completing pull-ups? And how do different grip positions affect the muscles you work? This blog will discuss the pull-up muscles worked and the pull-up benefits.

Good for us, there are established research techniques that provide some valuable insight into the muscles being worked or activated during certain exercises. Electromyography (EMG) is a technique that records electrical activity in the muscle to assess its level of activation. Or, in other words, how much muscle is being recruited to perform a contraction. For instance, according to a study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, the lattisimus dorsi and biceps brachii are the two primary muscles activated to complete a pull-up. 

Although the lats and biceps are the primary muscles involved in pull-ups, multiple other muscles play an integral role. For example, grip strength is very important when it comes to pull-ups to support holding your load. As such, the brachioradialis (forearm muscles) are found to be nearly maximally activated (Source). Furthermore, to maintain posture, support the spine against gravity, aid scapula rotation and shoulder control, multiple core and lower back muscles are also heavily activated. For example, the trapezius, infraspinatus, erector spinae, and abdominals are all activated during pull-up exercises (Sources 1, 2 & 3). 

Collectively, these studies highlight that the pull-up benefits are likely not limited to the lats and biceps. Pull-ups also engage and strengthen integral muscles that support the spine. This is why you should include pull-ups in your training routine, and Exersci offers the perfect equipment to do so. Our heavy-duty pull-up bars offer a slick design with black powder coating for durability. We also offer half-power racks with a multi-handle pull-up bar, opening the possibility to develop full-body strength and hypertrophy. Not only that, but we also provide equipment to regress and progress the pull-up. Most people are unable to perform pull-ups, but by using a resistance band, you can decrease the relative load you lift. This allows you to develop strength and coordination to improve your pull-up performance. Contrarily, for those who want to increase the load during pull-ups, we offer a dipping & pull-up belt.

Muscles worked: 

• Latissimus dorsi (lats)
• Biceps brachii
• Brachioradialis (forearm muscles)
• Trapezius
• Infraspinatus
• Erector spinae
• Abdominals

Overhand vs Underhand vs Neutral Grip (Muscle Activation Differences)

Different grip positions are typically thought to change the emphasis of muscle activation across different muscles. For instance, the biceps present higher mean levels of activation during underhand and neutral grip pull-ups compared to overhand grips (Source). However, although mean levels may highlight greater emphasis on certain muscles during different grip positions, the differences are typically modest. In fact, the largest difference in activation comes from the trapezius, with significantly greater activation during the overhand grip position. Importantly, higher EMG activity typically indicates a greater recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibres. These fibres are thought to have a higher muscle growth capacity (Source). Therefore, this indicates that the overhand grip may provide better pull-up benefits, increasing the size and strength of the trapezius. This is important as the trapezius plays an important role in scapular retraction and stability. Thus, it will improve your pull-up performance and reduce your risk of injury.

It is important to note that different grip positions may feel different for each individual. Anecdotally, underhand or neutral grip pull-ups often feel easier, with a greater emphasis on the biceps to ease the tension placed purely on the lats. Therefore, you may want to look into some more versatile pull-up equipment, such as our multi-grip pull-up bar.

Conclusion

The pull-up is one of the most widely engaging upper-body exercises in all of resistance training. Muscle activity recordings show that the pull-up primarily relies on the lats and biceps, but also engages a range of core, grip, and back stabiliser muscles, thereby provoking a wide range of adaptations in the upper body. Importantly, improving total upper-body strength will aid daily function and injury prevention, which is exactly why you should start including them in your training programme. Don't worry if you are struggling to perform pull-ups right away; include an Exersci resistance band to regress the movement and improve coordination. If you stay consistent, you will be performing unassisted pull-ups in no time and may even want to increase the intensity by adding a weight belt.

If you want to improve full upper body strength and function, include pull-ups in your training routine by shopping Exersci's pull-up range.