# Pull-Up and Dip Strength Hanging and dipping work on a bar. Use bands or your feet for help until full reps arrive. - URL: https://formaroutines.com/routines/pull-up-and-dip-strength/ - Duration: About 18 min - Admin slug: pull-up-and-dip-strength ## Before you start Move gently and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or symptoms that feel unsafe. This routine is general fitness guidance, not medical care. ## Exercises ### 1. Inverted Row 3 sets · 10 reps · 45s rest The easiest bar pull, done with feet on the floor. Walk the feet forward to make it harder. #### Steps - Set a barbell in a rack at about hip height or use a sturdy fixed bar at the same level. - Lie on your back under the bar and grip it with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, palms facing forward. - Walk your feet out and lift your hips so your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. - Pull your chest up to the bar by driving your elbows down and back, keeping your core braced. - Touch the bar with your chest and hold for a count, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top. - Lower yourself slowly back to a full-arm hang over 2 to 3 seconds, then start the next rep. #### Cues - Body stays long. - Pull chest to the bar. - Squeeze the blades. #### Common mistakes - Letting the hips sag, which removes the core from the lift and reduces the working range. - Pulling with the arms only and never squeezing the shoulder blades back, leaving the back out. - Cutting the range short by stopping before the chest touches the bar. - Dropping fast on the way down instead of controlling the descent, where most of the back work lives. ### 2. Chin Ups 3 sets · 5 reps · 60s rest The underhand grip brings the biceps in, so this usually comes before pull-ups. #### Steps - Reach up and grip the bar with palms facing you, hands about shoulder-width apart. - Hang at full arm extension with the shoulders pulled down away from the ears and the core braced. - Pull yourself up by driving the elbows down toward your ribs, leading with the chest. - Continue the pull until your chin clears the bar and your upper chest is close to the bar. - Pause for a beat at the top, squeezing the back and biceps without swinging. - Lower yourself slowly to a full hang over 2 to 3 seconds, then repeat for reps. #### Cues - Palms face you. - Chest to the bar. - Lower all the way. #### Common mistakes - Kipping or swinging the legs to generate momentum instead of pulling cleanly with the back and arms. - Cutting the range short by stopping before the chin clears the bar or skipping the full hang at the bottom. - Shrugging the shoulders up at the start so the traps take over and the lats never engage. - Dropping fast at the bottom and skipping the slow lowering phase, where most of the strength gains happen. ### 3. Pull Ups 3 sets · 4 reps · 60s rest The overhand version is harder. Use a band under the feet rather than shortening the range. #### Steps - Reach up and grip a fixed pull-up bar with palms facing forward, hands slightly wider than shoulders. - Hang from the bar with arms fully extended, then engage the lats by pulling the shoulder blades down. - Brace your core, squeeze the glutes, and cross the ankles to keep the body in a tight line. - Pull yourself up by driving the elbows down toward the ribs until your chin clears the bar. - Pause briefly at the top with the chin over the bar, squeezing the lats and upper back. - Lower yourself slowly over 2 to 3 seconds back to a full dead hang before the next rep. #### Cues - Palms face away. - Lead with the chest. - No kicking. #### Common mistakes - Kipping the legs to swing up instead of pulling cleanly with the back and arms. - Cutting the bottom range short and never reaching a full dead hang, which trains a fraction of the lift. - Leading with the chin instead of the chest, which puts strain on the neck. - Dropping fast at the top and skipping the slow descent, where most pull-up strength is built. ### 4. Parallel Bar Dips 3 sets · 6 reps · 50s rest Dips between parallel bars. A dip station or sturdy chair both work; keep the range comfortable. #### Steps - Grip the parallel bars with palms facing each other and press up to a strong, locked-out start position. - Brace your core, squeeze the glutes, and cross the ankles to keep the body in a tight line. - Lean your torso slightly forward to bias the chest, or stay upright to bias the triceps. - Lower yourself slowly over 2 to 3 seconds until your shoulders drop just below your elbows. - Pause briefly at the bottom with the chest open and the body still controlled. - Press back up to full lockout by driving through the chest and triceps in one smooth motion. #### Cues - Chest slightly forward. - Elbows track back. - Stop before the shoulders pinch. #### Common mistakes - Letting the shoulders shrug up to the ears at the bottom, which strains the front shoulders. - Cutting the depth short and only doing the easy top half of the rep. - Swinging the legs to use momentum, which removes the controlled loading the dip is meant to deliver. - Flaring the elbows wide on the press, which puts unnecessary strain on the joint. ### 5. Hanging Knee Raises 3 sets · 10 reps · 40s rest Finishes with the core while still on the bar. Control matters more than height. #### Steps - Hang from a pull-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart and arms fully extended overhead. - Engage your shoulders by pulling them slightly down and back to keep your body stable. - Bend your knees and pull them up toward your chest by curling your hips under, not just lifting the legs. - Squeeze your abs hard at the top with your knees pulled high and your pelvis tilted up. - Lower your legs slowly back down over 2 to 3 seconds until you reach a dead hang again. - Repeat without swinging, letting the bar still completely between reps if needed. #### Cues - Hang tall. - Curl the knees up. - Stop the swing. #### Common mistakes - Swinging the body for momentum, which removes ab engagement and turns the rep into a leg swing. - Lifting the knees with the hip flexors only, never tilting the pelvis up to load the abs. - Dropping the legs fast at the bottom, which trains the descent poorly and adds shoulder strain. - Hanging completely loose at the shoulders, which stresses the joints and reduces core stability.