Leg-Assisted Ring Pull-Up
What Is the Leg-Assisted Ring Pull-Up?
Leg-Assisted Ring Pull-Up is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the biceps, the rear shoulders and the core. It is a beginner-level movement that uses a small push from the legs to take part of your body weight off the arms, so you can train the full pull-up range on gymnastic rings before you can lift yourself without help.
The rings are set low enough that your toes touch the floor while you hang at straight arms. A light press through the feet gets you past the bottom of the pull, which is where most beginners stall, and your arms and back finish the rep. Because you choose how hard to push, the assistance can shrink a little every session as you get stronger, which makes it a simple way to build toward a strict Ring Pull-Up or Pull-Up.
The work falls mainly on the latissimus dorsi, which pulls the upper arms down to your sides, helped by the teres major, the rhomboids and the lower trapezius, while the biceps and brachialis bend the elbows. Rings are free to turn and swing, so your shoulders and grip also have to keep them steady and close to your body, something a fixed bar never asks of you.
This variation suits beginners, people returning to pulling after a break, and anyone who can hang comfortably but cannot yet complete a full pull-up. If holding a straight-arm hang or setting the shoulder blades is still hard, build up with the Dead Hang, the Scapular Pull-Up and rows such as the Bent-Knee Inverted Row first.
Muscles Worked
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Biceps Brachii
- High
- Brachialis
- High
- Teres Major
- High
- Brachioradialis
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Lower Trapezius
- Medium
- Rhomboid Major
- Medium
- Rectus Femoris
- Minimal
Instructions
- Set the rings at a height where you can hang with straight arms while the balls of your feet touch the floor beneath you.
- Grip the bottom of each ring with your palms facing forward and your hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Hang at arm's length with your legs straight, your toes on the floor, your torso upright and your ribs pulled down.
- Draw your shoulder blades down and slightly back to start the pull.
- Pull the rings down toward your shoulders, pressing lightly through your toes just enough to get past the bottom of the movement.
- As you rise, bend your knees and bring your feet forward so your arms and back carry the rest of the rep, letting the rings turn so your palms face in.
- Finish with your hands beside your shoulders, the rings beside your face and your chin level with or above your hands.
- Lower yourself slowly until your arms are straight and your toes touch the floor again, then repeat.
Common Mistakes
Jumping the whole rep
Driving hard off the floor turns the exercise into a jump, so the legs lift you instead of the back and arms.
Dropping back to the floor
Letting go of tension at the top and falling onto your toes skips the lowering phase, which builds much of the strength you need for a full pull-up.
Starting with bent arms
Beginning each rep with the elbows already bent avoids the hardest part of the range instead of training it.
Shrugging at the bottom
Hanging with the shoulders up by the ears puts strain on the shoulder joint and delays the lats from taking over the pull.
Letting the rings drift wide
Allowing the rings to slide away from your body makes them swing and turns the pull into a weaker, less controlled position.
Injuries
Leg-Assisted Ring Pull-Up is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The push from your legs keeps the load on your shoulders and elbows below that of a full pull-up, and your toes are always close to the floor. The areas that most often get irritated are the front of the shoulder, when you hang passively with the shoulders shrugged up to the ears, and the tendons at the front of the elbow, when you yank on the rings or add volume too quickly.
Set your shoulder blades down before each pull, move smoothly instead of kicking off the floor, and keep the rings close to your body so they cannot swing you out of position. Lower yourself under control until your toes touch the floor rather than dropping from the top, which jolts the shoulders and elbows. Check that the straps are even and securely anchored before every session.
If the pull is still too hard even with a push from your legs, go back to the Bent-Knee Inverted Row, the Scapular Pull-Up or the machine Assisted Pull-Up. When you can complete clean reps with only a light push, progress to the Ring Pull-Up. Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, pain at the elbow that lingers after the set, or numbness or tingling in the hands.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Rings and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How much should my legs help?
Only as much as you need to get past the bottom of the pull. Your arms and back should finish every rep, and the push from your feet should get lighter as you get stronger.
- Q: How high should the rings be?
Set them so you can hang with straight arms while the balls of your feet just touch the floor. Lowering the rings a little gives your legs more help, and raising them gives less.
- Q: When am I ready for a full ring pull-up?
Once you can do 3 sets of 8 to 10 smooth reps with only a light push from your toes and a slow lowering, try a few reps of the Ring Pull-Up. Keep this version in your sessions until the full reps are consistent.
- Q: Is this the same as a jumping pull-up?
It is close, but the goal here is a light press through the toes rather than a jump, and you lower yourself slowly instead of dropping. The rings also turn and swing, so your shoulders and grip have to steady them the whole time.