Pull up with Bent Knee between Chairs
Master the challenging bent-knee pull-up between chairs to build significant upper body strength. Develop your back, shoulders, and arms effectively.
Description
An intense upper body exercise that strengthens the arms, shoulders, and back, performed by pulling up your body with your arms while keeping your knees bent.
How to Do Pull up with Bent Knee between Chairs
- 1Setup
Place two sturdy chairs parallel to each other, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, ensuring they are stable and won't tip. Position yourself between the chairs and firmly grip the top edge of each chair with an overhand grip, palms facing each other or slightly forward.
- 2Setup
Bend your knees and cross your ankles, lifting your feet off the ground so your body hangs freely between the chairs. Ensure your arms are fully extended and your shoulders are relaxed, preparing for the pull.
- 3
Engage your lats and biceps, pulling your chest up towards the level of your hands, focusing on driving your elbows down and back. Continue pulling until your chin clears the chair tops or your chest is aligned with your hands.
- 4
Hold the top position briefly, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly and with control, lower your body back down to the starting position, allowing your arms to fully extend and shoulders to stretch.
- 5
Exhale as you pull up and inhale as you lower your body, maintaining a controlled tempo throughout the entire movement.
Tips
- Focus on initiating the pull with your lats, imagining pulling your elbows towards your hips rather than just bending your arms.
- Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise to prevent your body from swaying and to maintain a stable, controlled movement.
- If struggling, use a small stool under your feet to assist with the upward phase, gradually reducing assistance as strength improves.
- Maintain a steady, controlled descent for at least 2-3 seconds to maximize time under tension and build eccentric strength.
Common Mistakes
- ×Swinging the body: Avoid using momentum or swinging your body to get up; instead, focus on a strict, controlled pull by engaging your back muscles.
- ×Not achieving full range of motion: Make sure to fully extend your arms at the bottom and pull your chin above the chairs at the top to maximize muscle activation.
- ×Shrugging shoulders: Prevent your shoulders from shrugging up towards your ears at the top of the pull; instead, keep your shoulders depressed and packed down.
Variations
Seated Pull up between Chairs
Build upper body and back strength with the seated pull-up between chairs. This effective bodyweight exercise targets lats, biceps, and shoulders,
Inverted Row with Bent Knee between Chairs
Strengthen your back, biceps, and core with the Inverted Row between Chairs. This bodyweight exercise builds upper body pulling strength and stability.
Related Exercises
Kneeling Scapular Push-Up
Strengthen your shoulder blades and enhance scapular control with the Kneeling Scapular Push-Up.
Pull up
Master the pull-up to build a strong back, biceps, and grip. This challenging bodyweight exercise effectively targets your lats for superior upper body
Seated Pull up
Perform seated pull-ups to strengthen your back, lats, and biceps. This bodyweight exercise builds upper body pulling strength, improving posture and
Seated Pull up (legs elevated)
Master the challenging Seated Pull-up with elevated legs to build immense upper body strength, targeting your lats, biceps, and shoulders effectively.
Dumbbell Complex Push-up Row Clean and Press
The ultimate full-body dumbbell complex combining a push-up, row, clean, and overhead press in one flow.
Dumbbell Renegade Row to Squat
Build total-body strength with this demanding complex combining renegade rows and explosive squats.
Track Pull up with Bent Knee between Chairs in your workouts
Log sets, reps, and weight. See your progress over time.
Get Ellim — Free