Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Rear Pull-Up: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The rear pull-up is a bodyweight exercise targeting the latissimus dorsi (lats) and also engaging the biceps and forearms. It involves pulling your body up to a bar with an overhand grip, focusing on back strength and control.

Primary muscles
Lats
Secondary muscles
Biceps , Forearms
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the rear pull-up
Front view: muscles worked by the rear pull-up. Primary: lats. Secondary: biceps and forearms.
Back view: muscles worked by the rear pull-up. Primary: lats. Secondary: biceps and forearms.
Primary Secondary

How to do the rear pull-up

  1. Step 1: Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Step 2: Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
  3. Step 3: Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Step 4: Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
  5. Step 5: Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the rear pull-up by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Rear Pull-Up alternatives

More exercises that train the lats as their main target:

More lats exercises

See the best lat exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.