A Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training

3. Vertical Pull (Pullup)

How to do it: Stand under the bar and grab onto it with both hands. Turn your palms away from you and keep your hands shoulder-width apart. Hold onto the bar with an overhand grip, wrapping your thumbs over the bar, coming as close as possible to touching your fingertips. Begin with a dead hang, hanging from the bar with your arms fully extended, your core engaged, and your shoulders down and back. Squeeze the bar with your hands and begin to pull your body upward, toward the bar. Fight the urge to swing, kick, or strain your neck, rising up until your chin clears the bar. Slowly lower yourself back to your dead hang position.