WhatWorksWhat.
Lats

Pull-up

Tight squeeze under the armpits - that's the lat.

Complexity · Mediumcalisthenicsintermediate+Pull-up bar
Check Your Form
  • Biceps
  • Lats
  • Lats - Upper lats
  • Rear delts
  • Rhomboids
  • Traps
  • Upper lats
  • Lower lats

PrimarySecondary

What it hits

Parts of the target muscle.

  • Upper lats

    Hit

    Width - hit by wide grip vertical pulls.

  • Lower lats

    Not hit

    Thickness - hit by close grip and pullovers.

The movement

Get it right, not roughly right.

Optimal form

4:32· Calisthenicmovement

The Perfect Pull Up - Do it right!

Dead hang

Chest to bar

Wide pronated grip, dead hang. Pull by driving the elbows down and back, chest meets the bar. Lower to a full hang every rep.

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging up instead of pulling down - fires traps, not lats.
  • Kipping reps to inflate the count.

Where you should feel it

Tight squeeze under the armpits - that's the lat.

Injury risk · 2/10

Variations

Same movement, moved emphasis.

Ranked by how directly each variation still trains lats. 80%+ means the target barely changes. Below 60%, the emphasis has meaningfully shifted — useful for variety, but less precise for the specific part. The label calls it at a glance.

  • Close-grip neutral pull-up

    Palms face each other.

    90% on target

    On target

    Lower lats.

  • Archer pull-up

    Shift to one arm.

    85% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

Compare with another exercise

Cool-down

Worked it. Walk it back down.

A couple of minutes here pays back in soreness avoided tomorrow. Browse the full library.

  • Lat Hang

    Dead hang from a bar, fully relaxed shoulders. 30–60s. Decompresses everything pulling-related.

    LatsRhomboids

  • Child's Pose

    Knees wide, big toes together. Sit hips back to the heels, arms long overhead, forehead to the floor. 60s. Walk the hands one direction to bias one side.

    LatsLower backRhomboids

  • Downward Dog

    Hands and feet on the floor, hips in the air making an inverted V. Press the heels toward the floor. Pedal the heels alternately for a stronger calf stretch. 45s.

    CalvesHamstringsLatsFront delts