What are the benefits of including pull ups in your routine?

Do you wonder about the benefits of pull ups? Some experts say pull ups are the king of upper body strength exercises. We have the same opinion because this compound exercise works the entire upper body, strengthening almost all the muscles at once. We believe pull ups must be in everyone’s workout routine, whether you prefer lifting weights or doing only bodyweight exercises.

Not only an exercise that’s great for your back, pull ups boost muscle mass in the biceps, while also improving your strength in different ways. But pull ups can also make you an all-round healthier person. On a basic level, when you make your core and back stronger, this has a direct positive effect on the way you carry yourself, both inside and outside of the gym.

There are many valuable benefits of pull ups, so let’s look at 7 of the best.

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Strengthen Your Back

Pull-ups are one of the most effective back-strengthening exercises, and as a pulling motion, the pull-up is a perfect counterpart to common pushing exercises like push-ups and bench presses, which are often performed much more frequently. In this way, doing pull-ups is particularly important to help prevent muscle imbalances, which can otherwise increase the risk of injury and decrease your overall functional strength. Pull-ups strengthen almost all of the major muscles in the back, including the latissimus dorsi (the primary muscle worked by pull-ups), trapezius, rhomboids, erector spinae, levator scapulae, and infraspinatus.

Strengthen the Muscles In Your Chest, Shoulders, Arms, and Core

In addition to working the muscles in the back, pull-ups strengthen the deltoids and rotator cuff muscles in your forearms and the pectoralis major and minor muscles in your chest. When you use proper form, pull-ups also strengthen your abs, including the superficial rectus abdominis (“six-pack” muscle) and obliques, as well as the deep transverse abdominis, which is critical for supporting the entire core and stabilizing the spine. One of the great benefits of pull-ups is that when coupled with a healthy, calorie-controlled diet and well-rounded exercise program, push-ups can help you attain a more defined, toned, muscular body. Additionally, keeping your body upright and neutral keeps lungs open, helps you breathe better, keeps shoulders from rounding/hunching and reduces soreness in upper back and neck.

Increase Bone Density

Although high-impact exercises like running, jumping, and plyometrics are the most efficient way to increase bone density, research has shown that resistance training exercises like pull-ups are also able to improve bone density. As you strengthen your muscles, the muscles are able to pull more forcefully on the bones when you move your joints. These higher stresses and strains signal the bone to adapt and strengthen by increasing the mineralization content. Increasing your bone density will help reduce the risk of fractures and bone-thinning diseases such as osteoporosis.

Pull-Ups Can Improve Markers of Health

Resistance training exercises, such as pull-ups, can improve numerous markers of health. For example, studies have shown that consistent strength training programs can reduce waist circumference and visceral fat, improve body composition, decrease blood pressure, reduce cholesterol in blood lipids, and improve insulin sensitivity. Because these can be risk factors for various lifestyle diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension, incorporating pull-ups and other strength training exercises into regular total-body resistance training workouts may reduce your disease and mortality risk.

Pull-Ups Don’t Require Much Equipment

One of the awesome benefits of pull-ups is that aside from the need for a stable pull-up bar, pull-ups don’t require much in the way of expensive or bulky exercise equipment. They are one of the most convenient exercises around. You can do them pretty much anywhere. All you need is a bar and your body. You can even perform pull-ups at a park using monkey bars or swing set crossbars or on a sturdy tree limb.

Increase Your Metabolic Rate

Not only do you burn calories while actually doing pull-ups, but by helping build muscle, consistently performing them can boost your metabolic rate so that you can burn more calories throughout the day.

Pull-Ups Increase Confidence

Mastering a pull-up is one of the classic bucket list fitness goals. It demonstrates an impressive level of physical strength that can absolutely boost your self-confidence. Setting a goal to learn how to properly do pull-ups is a great way to keep you motivated to hit the gym and get your workouts in when you find yourself needing an extra little push or pull to have something you’re working towards.

The takeaway

Pull-ups are one of the best strength training exercises and bodyweight movements for the upper body. With the convenience of being able to do pull-ups anywhere, it’s a great exercise to incorporate into your fitness routine. Whether you are looking to build strength, improve your posture or increase muscle definition, consider giving this exercise ago.