EXERCISE · BODYWEIGHT
Pull-Up
A pull-up starts from a dead hang—full stop, arms locked straight, nothing bouncing. Grip the bar overhand at roughly shoulder width, thumbless if it feels right. Before you even pull, get your shoulders engaged: depress and retract your shoulder blades, feel your lats wake up in your armpits. That's your starting point. The rep is pulling your elbows down and back, not pulling your head up. Keep your body locked the whole way—posterior pelvic tilt, glutes squeezed, legs together. Pull your lower chest toward the bar and stop there; that's your top position, not chin over the bar. Pause briefly, then lower yourself with control back to a dead hang. The eccentric matters—spend at least 4 seconds on the way down. Most people short-change pull-ups with partial reps or by using arm drive instead of lat engagement. A real rep goes from dead hang to chest-to-bar, every single time.