Exercises / Vertical pull
Pull-up
Vertical pull Bodyweight Complexity 5/5
Working position
Setup
Hang from a bar, hands slightly wider than the shoulders, shoulders active.
Execution
Pull until the chin clears the bar, then lower to a full hang under control.
Coaching cues
- Start from an active hang, not a dead sag
- Drive the elbows to the ribs
- Full range each rep
Common fault
Partial range at the bottom
Fix: Regress to assisted pull-ups until full range is smooth.
Muscles trained
Primary: Latissimus dorsi (lats)
Secondary: Rhomboid major (rhomboids)Trapezius (traps)Biceps brachii (biceps)
Regression and progression
Easier: Assisted pull-up
Harder: No harder variation recorded.
Rule
Never advance complexity and load in the same week. When the variation gets harder, the load comes down.