Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Pull-Up

BodyweightCompoundTakes some practice
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Upper back & lats

Also biceps, forearms, traps

You need

Pull-up bar

Also works on the assisted pull-up / dip

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Top
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Start from a dead hang
  2. 2Drive elbows down to your ribs
  3. 3Chin over the bar, no kipping

Most common mistake

Half reps that never start from straight arms.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Ranked #1 for functional, #1 for swimming and #2 for climbing
  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched
  • Carries straight over to functional

Compare with

vs Neutral-Grip Pull-Upvs Negative Pull-Upvs Weighted Pull-Up
S
For swimming
#1 of 15
See the full list →
Research
85
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 85
TransferExcellent
Injury protectionGood
PracticalityExcellent

Pulling strength through the same overhead range as the stroke.

Research behind these criteria

  • Transfer: Seitz et al., 2014 · Markovic, 2007 · Blagrove et al., 2018 · Rønnestad & Mujika, 2014
  • Injury protection: Lauersen et al., 2014 · van Dyk et al., 2019 · Harøy et al., 2019 · Webster & Hewett, 2018
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SStraight-Arm PulldownCable
  • ACable External RotationCable
  • ALat PulldownCable
  • BBroad JumpBodyweight

Takes

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needed to post
280