How long should I hold it?

Start with 3 to 5 holds of 5 to 15 seconds, resting about 2 minutes between them, and end each hold as soon as your elbows start to open. As it gets easier, add a second or two to each hold or add one more hold.

Is this the same as the flexed-arm hang?

Not quite. The flexed-arm hang used in fitness tests starts with the chin above the bar, and the timer stops when the chin drops below it. The Pull-Up Hold is held lower, with the elbows at about a right angle and the head just under the bar.

Will holding this help me get my first pull-up?

It strengthens the part of the pull where many people stall, but a hold builds strength mostly around the angle you hold. Pair it with full-range work such as the Negative Pull-Up and the Band-Assisted Pull-Up.

Why is it so much harder for some people than others?

You hold your whole body weight, so the hold reflects how strong you are for your size more than how strong you are overall. In a study of 60 college-age women, times on six versions of the flexed-arm hang tracked lat pulldown strength relative to body weight, but not absolute strength or muscle endurance.

What if I can't pull myself into the position?

Stand on a box or bench so you can step straight into the bent-arm position, then lift your feet. If you still cannot hold it for a few seconds, keep your heels on the floor in the Leg-Assisted Pull-Up Hold until you can.

Pull-Up Hold

What Is the Pull-Up Hold?

Pull-Up Hold is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the biceps, forearms and rear shoulders. It is a beginner-level movement in which you hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and hold yourself partway up for time, with your elbows bent to about a right angle and the top of your head just below the bar.

The middle of the pull-up, with the elbows at about a right angle, is where many people stall. Holding that position under your full body weight builds strength right where the rep tends to stop, and it teaches you to keep your shoulders down and your back working while your arms are bent. Holds build strength mostly at and near the angle you hold, so this one works best alongside full-range pulling rather than in place of it.

It is logged as time and usually sits in a pull-up progression after the Leg-Assisted Pull-Up Hold and the Dead Hang, next to the Negative Pull-Up and before full Pull-Up reps. It is a close relative of the flexed-arm hang used in school and military fitness tests, which is held higher, with the chin above the bar. Climbers train the same kind of bent-arm hold, which they call a lock-off, often at several elbow angles in a row.

The lats and the teres major do most of the holding, keeping your body weight from straightening your arms overhead, while the lower trapezius and rhomboids hold the shoulder blades down and back and the infraspinatus steadies the shoulder joint. The overhand grip shares the elbow work between the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis, and the forearm flexors keep your hands closed on the bar. An underhand hold such as the Chin-Up Hold leans more on the biceps. Thinking about pulling your elbows down toward your back pockets, rather than pulling with your hands, helps keep the work in your back.

The hold suits beginners working toward their first pull-up, people returning to pulling after time off, and anyone who wants more strength in the middle of the pull. If you cannot hold the position for a few seconds, build up first with the Leg-Assisted Pull-Up Hold, the Barbell Inverted Row and the Dead Hang.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Biceps Brachii: High
Brachialis: High
Teres Major: High
Brachioradialis: Medium
Deltoid: Medium
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Medium
Infraspinatus: Medium
Lower Trapezius: Medium
Rhomboid Major: Medium

Instructions

Stand under a sturdy pull-up bar, and place a box or bench below it if you cannot reach the bar from the floor.
Grip the bar overhand, palms facing away from you, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width and your thumbs wrapped around the bar.
Pull your shoulders down away from your ears and brace your core.
Pull yourself up, or step up from the box, until your elbows are bent to about a right angle, your upper arms are roughly level with the floor and the top of your head is just below the bar.
Hold this position with your elbows pointing out to the sides, your chest up, your neck long and your eyes looking forward.
Keep your legs straight and together with your feet off the floor, and stay still without swinging.
Breathe in short, steady breaths and hold for the target time.
Lower yourself slowly to a straight-arm hang, or step back onto the box, before letting go of the bar.

Common Mistakes

Shrugging toward the ears
Letting the shoulders ride up hands the hold to the upper traps and the front of the shoulder instead of the lats.
Sinking out of the position
Letting the elbows slowly open while the clock keeps running trains a lower position than the one you meant to hold, so end the hold when the angle starts to slip.
Swinging or kicking
Swinging the legs or kicking to stay up takes tension off the back and adds stress at the shoulders and elbows.
Reaching with the chin
Craning the neck up toward the bar strains the neck and does nothing to keep the body up.
Holding the breath
Holding your breath for the whole set ends it early, so keep the core braced and take short, steady breaths.
Dropping off the bar
Letting go with bent arms drops you to the floor with a jolt, so lower to a straight-arm hang or step down onto the box first.

Injuries

Pull-Up Hold is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. There is no momentum and you can step down at any moment, but your full body weight hangs on bent arms for the whole set. The places that complain are the elbows, where the tendons of the elbow flexors and forearm muscles hold a bent arm under load, and the front of the shoulder, which takes over when the shoulders shrug toward the ears or roll forward. Letting go with bent arms and dropping to the floor can also jar the shoulders, elbows and ankles.

Warm up with a few easy rows or short hangs first. Use a box or bench to step into the position instead of jumping up to it, and avoid a very wide grip if your shoulders are sensitive. During the hold, keep the shoulders pulled down, the chest up and the neck long. Use holds of 5 to 15 seconds, end each one as soon as your elbows start to open, and lower yourself to a straight-arm hang or onto the box under control.

To make it easier, keep your heels on the floor in the Leg-Assisted Pull-Up Hold, or rest a toe on the box to take some of your weight. To progress, add time, hold at a second height in the same set, or move on to the Negative Pull-Up and full Pull-Up reps. Stop if you feel sharp pain in the front of the shoulder or on the inside or outside of the elbow, or numbness or tingling in the hands, and cut back if elbow soreness lingers into the next day.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Pull-up bar and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long should I hold it?: Start with 3 to 5 holds of 5 to 15 seconds, resting about 2 minutes between them, and end each hold as soon as your elbows start to open. As it gets easier, add a second or two to each hold or add one more hold.
Q: Is this the same as the flexed-arm hang?: Not quite. The flexed-arm hang used in fitness tests starts with the chin above the bar, and the timer stops when the chin drops below it. The Pull-Up Hold is held lower, with the elbows at about a right angle and the head just under the bar.
Q: Will holding this help me get my first pull-up?: It strengthens the part of the pull where many people stall, but a hold builds strength mostly around the angle you hold. Pair it with full-range work such as the Negative Pull-Up and the Band-Assisted Pull-Up.
Q: Why is it so much harder for some people than others?: You hold your whole body weight, so the hold reflects how strong you are for your size more than how strong you are overall. In a study of 60 college-age women, times on six versions of the flexed-arm hang tracked lat pulldown strength relative to body weight, but not absolute strength or muscle endurance.
Q: What if I can't pull myself into the position?: Stand on a box or bench so you can step straight into the bent-arm position, then lift your feet. If you still cannot hold it for a few seconds, keep your heels on the floor in the Leg-Assisted Pull-Up Hold until you can.