Did you know that simple, popular exercises can be a great test of overall body health? For example, the classic straight pull-up can be used as a test to check how much healthy strength your upper body can generate. [1]
Performing a pull-up requires the engagement of many muscles in the back, arms, chest, and core.
During pull-ups, several muscles are actively engaged, including the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis, pectoralis major, and core muscles such as the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominals. [2]
Addictionaly, different types of grip, hand width and the phase of pull up shift the emphasis to different muscles. The trapezius, infraspinatus and brachialis muscles are involved mostly at the beggining. The latissimus dorsi, teres major, and biceps brachii are more involved in the middle phase. At the end, the subscapularis and triceps are especially important. [3]
By observing the body during pull-ups, it’s possible to identify which muscles are problematic or not functioning properly.
For most of the pull-up movement, chest and shoulder position doesn’t really matter, but to touch the bar with sternum, the chest needs to be open and shoulders depressed. This means that if there is enough strength to perform most of the pull-up, but it is lost at the end, making it impossible to touch the bar with the sternum, it’s because nervous system is not used to generate force on a proper foundation.
- Coyne J., Tran T., i in. “Reliability of Pull Up & Dip Maximal Strength Tests”. Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning 23(4), August 2015, s. 21-27. researchgate.net, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308111270_RELIABILITY_OF_PULL_UP_DIP_MAXIMAL_STRENGTH_TESTS
- Urbanczyk, Caryn A., i in. „Avoiding High‐risk Rotator Cuff Loading: Muscle Force during Three Pull‐up Techniques”. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, t. 30, nr 11, November 2020, s. 2205–14. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13780
- Snarr, Ronald L., i in. „Electromyographical Comparison of a Traditional, Suspension Device, and Towel Pull-Up”. Journal of Human Kinetics, t. 58, August 2017, s. 5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, https://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-2017-0068