How is this different from the TRX Kneeling Pull-Up and TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up?

In the TRX Kneeling Pull-Up and the TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up the legs are bent and can push you up. Here you sit with the legs straight and only pivot on the heels, so the back and arms lift more of your weight.

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. For most people a Pull-Up on a fixed bar is the simpler and safer way to train the unassisted version.

Will this help me get my first pull-up?

Yes. It trains the same pull-the-elbows-down pattern with part of your body weight, and you can make it steadily harder by moving the heels farther away and slowing the lowering phase before moving on to the Negative Pull-Up.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Bending the knees to bring the feet closer to the hips makes it easier. Sliding the heels farther from the hips, or resting them on a bench, makes it harder because the legs can help less.

Should my body lean back at the top?

A slight lean is normal, because the body pivots on the heels and finishes in a straight line under the anchor. If the handles end up at your chest instead of beside your shoulders, you have leaned too far and turned it into a TRX Row.

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, make the setup harder rather than adding more reps.

TRX Pull-Up

What Is the TRX Pull-Up?

TRX 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 seated start, with the heels staying on the floor, so you pull only part of your body weight through a pull-up pattern.

You start sitting directly under the anchor in an L shape, legs straight out in front and arms reaching overhead in line with the straps. From there you pull the elbows down toward your sides, and the whole body rises and pivots on the heels until it finishes in a straight line from heels to head with the hands beside the shoulders. It is the 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.

Because the legs stay straight, they can only steady the body, not drive it upward. That puts more of the work on the lats and arms than the TRX Kneeling Pull-Up or the TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up, where the legs can push you up, so it is the hardest of the three. Sliding the heels farther from the hips makes it harder still, and bending the knees to bring them closer makes it easier. 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 lifters who want extra vertical pulling volume without hanging from a bar. It works well as the main vertical pull in a session or as a lighter set before harder pull-up work. Thinking about driving the elbows down into the back pockets, rather than bending the arms, helps you feel the lats do the work.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Biceps Brachii: High
Teres Major: High
Brachialis: Medium
Brachioradialis: Medium
Lower Trapezius: Medium
Rectus Abdominis: Medium
Rhomboid Major: Medium
Deltoid: Low
Gluteus Maximus: Low

Instructions

Attach the TRX to a secure overhead anchor and lengthen the straps so you can reach the handles with your arms fully extended while sitting on the floor.
Sit directly under the anchor with your legs straight out in front, feet together and heels on the floor, so your body forms an L shape with your hips under your shoulders.
Grab one handle in each hand with your palms facing forward, arms straight overhead and in line with the straps.
Brace your abs and glutes, and pull your shoulder blades down away from your ears.
Pull your elbows down toward your sides, lifting your hips off the floor and pivoting on your heels so your body rises in one piece.
As you rise, open your hips until your body forms a straight line from heels to head, leaning back slightly under the anchor.
Keep pulling until your hands are beside your shoulders, with your chest up and elbows pointing down.
Lower yourself under control by straightening your arms, keeping your body rigid until your hips return to the floor in the L position.
Use your heels only as a pivot and light support, not to push yourself up.

Common Mistakes

Pushing through the heels
The heels are a pivot and a light support, so driving off them with the legs takes the work away from the back.
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.
Hips lagging behind
Leaving the hips on the floor or letting them sag at the top breaks the straight body line and strains the lower back.
Turning it into a row
Leaning far back and pulling the handles to the chest makes it a horizontal row, so keep 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.
Dropping back to the floor
Letting the arms snap straight and the hips thump down skips the lowering phase, which builds much of the strength.

Injuries

TRX Pull-Up is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Your heels stay on 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, and a slipping strap or a door anchor that gives way drops you straight onto your back.

The usual strain points are the shoulders, the elbows and the lower back. 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 pull. Pulling mostly with the arms, or adding lots of sets too quickly, can irritate the tendons around the elbow. Letting the hips sag at the top shifts the strain into the lower back, so keep the glutes and abs tight as the body straightens.

If you cannot rise with the body in one piece, start with the TRX Kneeling Pull-Up or the TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up, where the legs can help more. When sets of 12 feel easy, slow the lowering phase, move the heels farther from the hips, then work toward the Negative Pull-Up and 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, or if the anchor shifts or a strap starts to slide.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Suspension trainer and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the TRX Pull-Up

The TRX Pull-Up is also known as:

TRX L-Sit Pull-Up

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from the TRX Kneeling Pull-Up and TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up?: In the TRX Kneeling Pull-Up and the TRX Self-Assisted Pull-Up the legs are bent and can push you up. Here you sit with the legs straight and only pivot on the heels, so the back and arms lift more of your weight.
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. For most people a Pull-Up on a fixed bar is the simpler and safer way to train the unassisted version.
Q: Will this help me get my first pull-up?: Yes. It trains the same pull-the-elbows-down pattern with part of your body weight, and you can make it steadily harder by moving the heels farther away and slowing the lowering phase before moving on to the Negative Pull-Up.
Q: How do I make it easier or harder?: Bending the knees to bring the feet closer to the hips makes it easier. Sliding the heels farther from the hips, or resting them on a bench, makes it harder because the legs can help less.
Q: Should my body lean back at the top?: A slight lean is normal, because the body pivots on the heels and finishes in a straight line under the anchor. If the handles end up at your chest instead of beside your shoulders, you have leaned too far and turned it into a TRX Row.
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, make the setup harder rather than adding more reps.