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Exercises

How to warm up for pull-ups: a 6-minute routine

Published October 24, 2026

To warm up for pull-ups, jump rope for 2 minutes, do 20 seconds of arm circles each way, hang from the bar for 20 seconds, then do 15 band pull-aparts and 8 inverted rows. Finish with 2 easier pull-up sets: 5 band-assisted pull-ups and 2 to 3 regular pull-ups, well short of failure. That takes about 6 minutes.

  1. Jump Rope Calves, Quads
  2. Arm Circles Shoulders
  3. Dead Hang Forearms
  4. Band Pull-Apart Shoulders, Upper Back
  5. Inverted Row Upper Back, Lats
  6. Band-Assisted Pull-Up Lats

Step 1: get warm (2 minutes)

Any easy cardio works; a jump rope also warms the forearms and grip that will hold you on the bar.

Raise: cardio and grip

Jump Rope

Calves, Quads

Two minutes of rope raises your heart rate and wakes up your forearms, which do a lot of work on the bar.

How to do it

  1. Hold the handles at hip height with your elbows tucked in.
  2. Turn the rope with your wrists and hop just high enough to clear it.
  3. Stay on the balls of your feet and keep a steady rhythm.

Cues

  • Small, quiet hops
  • Wrists turn the rope

Common mistakes

  • Jumping high and landing heavy: low hops are enough.

Swap for: Skipping in Place, Jumping Jack

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Step 2: shoulders and grip

Circle the arms, then hang from the bar. The hang gets your hands and shoulders used to holding your weight before you pull it.

Mobility: shoulder range

Arm Circles

Shoulders

Pull-ups start from arms straight overhead. Circles get the shoulders moving before they hang under your body weight.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your arms straight out to the sides.
  2. Draw small circles forward, then let them grow bigger over 10 to 15 seconds.
  3. Reverse direction and repeat.

Cues

  • Small to big
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the shoulders to your ears: keep the neck long.

Swap for: Plate Halo, Band Pull-Apart

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Mobility: get used to the bar

Dead Hang

Forearms

Hanging lets your shoulders, hands and grip settle into the bar at the exact position each rep starts from.

How to do it

  1. Take an overhand, shoulder-width grip on the bar.
  2. Lift your feet and hang with arms straight.
  3. Breathe slowly and keep the hold relaxed.

Cues

  • Long arms
  • Slow breathing

Common mistakes

  • Swinging: start still and stay still.

Swap for: Band-Assisted Pull-Up, Assisted Pull-Up

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Step 3: wake up the upper back

Pull-aparts and a set of inverted rows bring in the muscles that move your shoulder blades and start each rep. Stop both with 4 or more reps left.

Activation: upper back

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pulling a band apart wakes the muscles between your shoulder blades that help start every pull.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band at chest height with straight arms and hands shoulder-width apart.
  2. Pull the band apart until it touches your chest, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
  3. Return slowly.

Cues

  • Squeeze shoulder blades
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows to finish: keep the arms long and use a lighter band.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Rear Delt Fly

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Activation: horizontal pull

Inverted Row

Upper Back, Lats

A row under a bar uses the same grip and pulling muscles at a fraction of your body weight.

How to do it

  1. Lie under a bar set at waist height and grip it just outside shoulder width.
  2. Pull your chest to the bar with your body straight.
  3. Lower until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Chest to bar
  • Heels to head in one line

Common mistakes

  • Leading with the chin: pull the chest up.

Swap for: TRX Row, Chest-Supported Row

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Step 4: easier pull-ups, then the real thing

Your ramp-up sets are lighter versions of the pull-up: a band or machine set, then a few strict reps, well short of failure. RIRLift logs these as warm-up sets.

Ramp-up set

Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Lats

The band takes off part of your weight, so a set of 5 is the lighter version of the pull-up, like a lighter bar before a heavy squat.

How to do it

  1. Loop a band over the bar and put one foot or knee in it.
  2. Hang with straight arms, then pull your chest toward the bar.
  3. Lower all the way to straight arms.

Cues

  • Chest to bar
  • Full hang each rep

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing out of the bottom on the band: pause at straight arms.

Swap for: Assisted Pull-Up, Pull-Up

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Ramp-up or main exercise

Assisted Pull-Up

Lats

On the machine, you can set the help precisely. Use it as the main exercise until you can do full pull-ups.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on the platform of the assisted pull-up machine and grip the handles.
  2. Pull your chin over the bar.
  3. Lower until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Elbows down to ribs
  • Full range

Common mistakes

  • Using so much assistance that the reps feel like nothing: set it so the last reps are work.

Swap for: Band-Assisted Pull-Up, Lat Pulldown

Build a session with Assisted Pull-Up

Main exercise

Pull-Up

Lats

The movement this routine prepares. One easy set of 2 to 3 reps is your last warm-up set.

How to do it

  1. Hang from the bar, palms facing away, hands a bit wider than your shoulders.
  2. Pull until your chin clears the bar.
  3. Lower to a full hang.

Cues

  • Elbows to back pockets
  • Full hang at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Half reps: start every rep from straight arms.

Swap for: Chin-Up, Band-Assisted Pull-Up

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Main exercise: palms facing you

Chin-Up

Lats

Most people can do a few more chin-ups than pull-ups because the biceps help more.

How to do it

  1. Hang from the bar with palms facing you at shoulder width.
  2. Pull until your chin clears the bar.
  3. Lower to straight arms.

Cues

  • Chest to bar
  • Control the lowering

Common mistakes

  • Kicking the legs: keep them still.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

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Main exercise: palms facing each other

Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

Lats

A neutral grip is often the easiest on the elbows and shoulders, so it suits higher-rep sets after chin-ups.

How to do it

  1. Grip the parallel handles with palms facing each other.
  2. Pull your chest up between the handles.
  3. Lower to a full hang.

Cues

  • Elbows down
  • Full hang

Common mistakes

  • Shortening the range as you tire: stop the set instead.

Swap for: Chin-Up, Pull-Up

Build a session with Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Pull-up strength day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope, Pull-Up Bar, Resistance Bands

You can do 3 or more strict pull-ups and want more.

Strict pull-ups for strength need full effort from the first working set, so the warm-up gets you there in two steps: a band set of 5 at 4 reps in reserve, then a bodyweight warm-up set of 2 to 3. Working sets stop at 1 rep in reserve; grinding to failure on every set costs reps on the next one.

Pull-ups
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. 2 × 60 5 0 s
Dead HangSeconds. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Band Pull-Apart 1 × 15 4 0 s
Band-Assisted Pull-Up 1 × 5 4 30 s
Pull-Up1 warm-up set first 4 × 3–8 1 2:30 min
How to run it
Run the blocks in order, rest 60 seconds after the band set, then do your warm-up and working pull-ups.
How to progress
Add a rep per set each session. Once you reach 8 on every set, add a few pounds with a belt or dumbbell between your feet.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Working toward your first pull-up

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets21 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Barbells, Assisted Machine

You can't do a strict pull-up yet and train on an assisted machine.

If you can't do a pull-up yet, the assisted machine is the working exercise. Two short hangs build grip and comfort on the bar, and the inverted row warms the pulling muscles. Working sets stop at 1 rep in reserve.

Assisted
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Arm CirclesSeconds each way. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Dead HangSeconds. 2 × 15 4 30 s
Inverted Row 1 × 8 4 0 s
Assisted Pull-Up1 warm-up set first 3 × 6–10 1 90 s
How to run it
Hangs, row, then the assisted pull-up with one lighter warm-up set.
How to progress
When you reach 10 reps on all three sets, lower the assistance one step and start again at 6.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Chin-up session

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope, Barbells, Pull-Up Bar

You train chin-ups and neutral-grip pull-ups on a bar with parallel handles.

Chin-ups usually come easier than pull-ups, so this session starts with them, ramps up over two sets, and adds neutral-grip sets after. No band needed.

Chin-ups
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. 2 × 45 5 0 s
Arm CirclesSeconds each way. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Inverted Row 1 × 8 4 0 s
Chin-Up2 warm-up sets first 3 × 4–10 1 2 min
Neutral-Grip Pull-Up 2 × 4–10 1 2 min
How to run it
Warm-up blocks, two chin-up warm-up sets, working chin-ups, then neutral-grip pull-ups.
How to progress
Add reps until all chin-up sets reach 10, then move the neutral-grip pull-ups first for a few weeks.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do you warm up for pull-ups?

Two minutes of easy cardio, arm circles, a 20-second hang, a set of band pull-aparts and inverted rows, then an easier pull-up set (band-assisted) and a few strict reps before your working sets.

Do I need to warm up before pull-ups?

Yes, especially before a max set. A short warm-up lets the first set feel like your best set instead of your stiffest one.

What are the best warm-up exercises for pull-ups?

Dead hangs, band pull-aparts, inverted rows and band-assisted pull-ups. Together they warm the grip, shoulders, upper back and the pull-up pattern itself.

How to do pull-ups if you can't do any?

Use an assisted machine or a band for 3 sets of 6 to 10, stopping 1 rep short of failure, and reduce the help as reps climb. Slow negatives also help.

Will pull-ups build a big back?

They are one of the best lat builders. Most people need rows as well for the upper back, and enough hard sets each week.

Should I hang before pull-ups?

A short hang of 15 to 30 seconds is a good part of the warm-up. Long hangs to failure belong after your pull-up sets.