TRX Kneeling Pull-Up
What Is the TRX Kneeling Pull-Up?
TRX Kneeling Pull-Up is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the biceps, the muscles between the shoulder blades and the core. It is a beginner-level movement performed on suspension straps from a kneeling position, so your legs stay in contact with the floor and you pull only part of your body weight through a pull-up pattern.
You kneel directly under the anchor with your arms straight overhead in line with the straps, then pull your elbows down toward your sides until your hands finish beside your shoulders. Your body rises straight up and stays upright the whole time, with the knees bent and the lower legs behind you. It is a strap version of the Leg-Assisted Pull-Up, and a useful vertical pull for anyone who cannot yet do a full Pull-Up or has no bar to train on.
The grip is overhand, with the palms facing forward, away from you. That is the main difference from the TRX Kneeling Chin-Up, where the palms face you. Because the legs are bent and can push you up, this version is easier than the TRX Pull-Up, where you sit with the legs straight and only pivot on the heels. Keep it separate in your head from the TRX Row: here the elbows travel down beside the ribs, not back past the torso.
It suits beginners building toward their first pull-up, people training at home or outdoors with only a suspension trainer, and anyone returning to vertical pulling after a break. It works well as the main vertical pull in a beginner session or as a warm-up before harder pull-up work. Thinking about driving the elbows down into the back pockets, rather than just bending the arms, helps you feel the lats do the work, and leaning less on the legs over time is how the exercise gets harder.
Muscles Worked
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Biceps Brachii
- High
- Teres Major
- High
- Brachialis
- Medium
- Brachioradialis
- Medium
- Lower Trapezius
- Medium
- Rhomboid Major
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Low
Instructions
- Attach the TRX to a secure overhead anchor and adjust the straps so you can hold the handles with your arms fully straight overhead while kneeling.
- Kneel directly under the anchor on a mat, knees about hip-width apart and your lower legs behind you with the toes on the floor.
- Grab one handle in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing forward, away from you, and arms straight overhead in line with the straps.
- Hold your torso upright with your hips under your shoulders, brace your abs and glutes, and pull your shoulder blades down away from your ears.
- Pull your elbows down toward your sides, rising straight up with your body upright and knees bent. Your knees can come off the floor as you rise while your toes stay down behind you.
- Use your legs only as much as you need to finish the rep, letting your back and arms do most of the work.
- Keep pulling until your hands are beside your shoulders and your chin is level with the handles, chest up and elbows pointing down.
- Lower yourself under control by straightening your arms until they are fully straight overhead and your knees are back on the floor.
Common Mistakes
Leaning on the legs too much
The knees and toes are there for light support, so pushing hard off them every rep takes the work away from the back and stalls your progress.
Shrugging at the bottom
Starting the pull with the shoulders up by the ears loads the front of the shoulder and keeps the lats from switching on.
Turning it into a row
Leaning back and pulling the handles to the chest makes it a horizontal row, so keep the body upright and the elbows traveling down beside the ribs.
Reaching with the chin
Craning the neck up toward the handles fakes the last part of the range and strains the neck.
Cutting the range short
Stopping before the arms are straight at the bottom or before the hands reach the shoulders at the top trains only part of the pull.
Dropping onto the knees
Letting the arms snap straight and the knees thump back down skips the lowering phase, which builds much of the strength.
Injuries
TRX Kneeling Pull-Up is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Your legs stay in contact with the floor and you lift only part of your body weight, so the joint loads are modest. The bigger hazard is the setup: the straps must hang from a secure overhead anchor that can take your weight, so test it with a firm pull before the first rep and never run the strap over a sharp edge.
The usual strain points are the shoulders, the elbows and the knees. Starting each pull with the shoulders shrugged up to the ears loads the front of the shoulder, so set the shoulder blades down before each rep. Pulling mostly with the arms, or adding lots of sets too quickly, can irritate the tendons around the elbow. Kneeling on a hard floor presses on the kneecaps, so put a folded mat or pad under your knees.
If kneeling bothers your knees even with padding, the TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up trains the same pull from a squat with the feet on the floor. When sets of 12 feel easy with little help from the legs, slow the lowering phase, then move on to the TRX Pull-Up, the Negative Pull-Up and finally a full Pull-Up on a bar.
Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, pain at the inside or outside of the elbow, pain in the front of the knee that does not ease with padding, or if the anchor shifts or a strap starts to slide.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between this and the TRX Kneeling Chin-Up?
Mainly the grip. Here your palms face forward, away from you, while the TRX Kneeling Chin-Up turns the palms to face you. The back does most of the work with either grip.
- Q: How is this different from the TRX Pull-Up?
Here you kneel with the legs bent, so they can push you up when you need help. In the TRX Pull-Up you sit with the legs straight and only pivot on the heels, so the back and arms lift more of your weight.
- Q: Will this help me get my first pull-up?
Yes, as a first step. It trains the same pull-the-elbows-down pattern with part of your body weight, and once you need little help from the legs you can move on to the TRX Pull-Up and the Negative Pull-Up.
- Q: What if kneeling hurts my knees?
Kneel on a folded mat or pad, which takes most of the pressure off the kneecaps. If it still hurts, switch to the TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up, which uses the same pull with your feet on the floor.
- Q: Can I do a full hanging pull-up on a TRX?
Only if both the straps and the anchor are rated for your full body weight, since nothing else supports you. In a study of 15 resistance-trained adults, full hanging pull-ups on suspension straps showed no significant difference in lat or biceps activity from pull-ups on a bar, so the straps are a fair substitute once you are strong enough.
- Q: How many sets and reps should I do?
Three sets of 8 to 12 controlled reps is a good starting point. Once you can do 12 with a slow lowering phase and little push from the legs, move on to a harder variation rather than adding more reps.