Exercise Library

Active Hang

A hang with the shoulders pulled down and engaged, rather than relaxed. Builds the position every pull-up starts from.

Assisted Pull-up

The pull-up on a counterweighted machine, where the stack cancels out part of your bodyweight. The dial that lets someone train pull-ups before they have one.

Banded Lat Pulldown

A pulldown against a band anchored overhead. Trains the vertical pull for anyone without a pulldown machine or a pull-up.

Commando Pull-up

A pull-up done side-on to the bar with one hand in front of the other, coming up alongside it. Loads each side unevenly and asks a lot of the core.

L-Sit Pull-up

A pull-up with the legs held straight out in front in an L. The core has to hold that shape while the back does the pulling.

Lat Pulldown

The vertical pull everyone starts with. A bar pulled to the chest against a stack, with the load dialled to whatever you can actually do for reps.

Negative Pull-up

Only the lowering half of a pull-up, jumped or stepped into at the top. The most effective way to build a first full pull-up.

Neutral-Grip Pull-up

A pull-up with the palms facing each other on parallel handles. The friendliest grip for most shoulders and elbows, and usually the strongest.

Towel Pull-up

A pull-up gripping towels over the bar instead of the bar itself. Same pull, brutal grip demand.

Weighted Pull-up

A pull-up with extra weight on a dip belt. Where you go once bodyweight sets run past ten reps and stop building strength.