Pull-ups don´t get nearly enough love in fitness. Many even think that once you are able to do a few reps they are not sufficient of a stimulus to grow your back and you need to start doing heavy rows – this couldn´t be further from the truth.
Here are a couple of reasons why they are awesome:
They have a low risk of injury!
When is the last time you have seen or read that someone got hurt during pull-ups?
This is because pull-ups are a closed kinetic chain exercise (look it up!) and have excellent stress distribution, i.e. they are joint friendlier that free weight rowing exercises.
They are very suitable for linear progression as you can micro-load them very efficiently!
Lets say you are currently able to do 7 pull ups with your bodyweight. Next time you step in the gym, wear a dip belt and put a 1 lb (or lowest weight increment you can find) plate on it and aim to stick with 7 reps.
In this manner you are most likely able to progress quite a while until you need more complex programming.
They are a very simple movement with a clear start- and endpoint!
You pull yourself from a full hang up to where your shoulders touch the bar and lower yourself with control – and repeat. Range Of Motion (ROM) is one of the most important principles for stimulating all muscle fibers involved in the movement.
It helps to flex your triceps for a split second at the bottom and then explode up. This way you benefit from the enhanced power output after a stretch-shortening cycle.
So, if in doubt, you can never go wrong with pull-ups! (Btw. They can build you a nice shield on your back 😉
-Thomas
