What Muscles Can You Work on a Pull Up Bar?

A simple and effective upper body exercise, the pull-up is frequently excluded from workout programs simply because it is hard to do. The average person may find it difficult to do even one pull-up, but success and improvement will be yours if you set your goals low and try to do one more with each workout. Try using different grips to get the most from your strongest muscles to help you build strength, and then advance to other grips and techniques. Practice and hard work doing pull-ups will reward you with a stronger, more attractive upper body that is less prone to injury.

Latissimus dorsi

• Build the v-shaped back characteristic of body builders by using pull-ups to work the latissimus dorsi, which is the muscle on the side of your back under your arms. The motion of pulling up your body weight primarily works the latissimus dorsi with secondary effects on most of the upper body. Hang a dumbbell or weight plate from a strap attached at your waist to increase the amount of resistance for an advanced lat pull-up workout.

Rhomboids

• Develop strength in the rhomboids to keep your shoulder blades stable during back exercises and get the most from the effort you put into back workouts. The rhomboids are small muscles located under the trapezius that pull the shoulder blades together for greater back stability. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to feel the effect of their contraction.

Trapezius

• Gain upper back strength, increase shoulder stability and develop a taper in your shoulders by working the trapezius with a pull-up bar. The trapezius, also known as traps, is a large muscle in the upper back shaped like an upside-down triangle with the base across the shoulders. Three sections of muscle areas divide the trapezius. The upper traps give the shoulders a tapered appearance from the neck to the shoulder while middle traps elevate and retract the shoulder blade and lower traps move the shoulder blade to give it an upward rotation.

Biceps

• Use a narrow underhand grip while doing pull-ups to place more emphasis on the biceps. The biceps, located at the front of the upper arm, contract to raise your lower arm. Although biceps receive secondary attention from a pull-up workout, alter your grip to place more stress on them and force them to do more work. Those unaccustomed to pull-ups and who find them difficult to do will benefit from building strength in their biceps with an underhand grip. Then, change to an overhand grip once you become strong enough to perform overhand grip pull-ups in beneficial quantities with the proper form.