The Chest To Bar Pull Up Is The Gold Standard Pull Up Variation

When I programme the chest to bar pull up for myself or for my clients, I have the impression that if the pull up were a competitive movement like the squat is in powerlifting or the clean and jerk is in weightlifting then the standard would actually be a chest to bar pull up. For all of the other movements in the weight room we obsess over using a full range of motion, yet with the pull up we are perfectly happy finishing well before the end range of motion. This is why I think the strict chest to bar pull up is such an important vertical pull variation to master as for me it is the gold standard pull up variation.

Benefits of The Chest To Bar Pull Up

Vertical Pull Strength

Being able to perform 5+ repetitions on the chest to bar pull up is a sign of high levels of strength in the vertical pull movement pattern. This will mean that you have a strong and capable back musculature. Performing the chest to bar pull up is not only a sign of strength, but will also drastically help to improve your ability to produce force in the vertical pull movement pattern. If you have set a goal for a number of pull ups you would like to perform, getting strong in the chest to bar pull up will make going back to traditional pull up variations seem much easier. Vertical pulling strength will also be very beneficial for athletes, making this a great exercise selection for those looking to use resistance training to improve sports performance.

Strict Gymnastics Work

If you strive to perform any form of strict, challenging gymnastics variations like the strict bar muscle up or the strict ring muscle up then the chest to bar pull up is an excellent progression towards these very challenging exercises. Muscle up variations require the chest to be pulled either to the pull up bar or to the rings, so you will need to be strong in the full range of motion in the vertical pull, not just in the traditional pull up variation.

Negatives of The Chest To Bar Pull Up

Inaccessible

The only negative aspect of the strict chest to bar pull up is how challenging it is. We actually do not have it in our movement library as our model could not perform the exercise, this just shows that it is an extremely challenging exercise as Celeste (the model in our videos) is in incredible shape. The lat pull down will be the perfect replacement to the strict chest to bar pull up as you can move through a full range of motion of the vertical pull unlike in the pull up.

Progressions and Regressions of The Chest To Bar Pull Up

Regression: Banded Chest To Bar Pull Up

The banded chest to bar pull up is an excellent variation that can be used to help ease into the traditional chest to bar pull up. The banded variation will allow an individual to build strength in the specific movement without requiring the requisite strength to perform it, making it a great stepping stone towards the non banded movement. However, this exercise even when done with a band can still be extremely challenging for a large percentage of individuals. If this variations is too challenging I suggest building strength in the chest to bar range of motion with the lat pull down.

Progression: Weighted Chest To Bar Pull Up

The weighted chest to bar pull up is for extremely advanced individuals who can perform around 6+ repetitions on the chest to bar pull up without any additionally weight. This exercise is for increasing the strength in the vertical pull movement pattern. The number of repetitions performed on this exercise will likely be very low due to how challenging it is. Performing a low number of repetitions is not a negative, it likely means you are highly effectively working on the strength of the vertical pull movement.

Common Mistakes Seen in The Chest to Bar Pull Up

Not Coming To A Dead Hang

It is easy to increase the amount of pull ups or chest to bar pull ups you are capable of performing through building momentum as you lower to the dead hang position. This momentum can then be used to help with the initial part of the next repetition. This makes it impossible to know how much momentum you actually used, meaning it is hard to write a progression for the exercise and will likely mean you will use more and more momentum. Come to a full dead hang at the end of every repetition and then start again.

Not Touching The Chest To The Pull Up Bar

Just like when people perform pull ups and do not bring their chin over the bar, when people perform chest to bar pull ups they often just miss bringing their chest to the bar. This is important as it prevents you from accurately tracking your actual performance and knowing where you are at. If you perform three real chest to bar pull ups and then two where you do not touch the bar but claim you did how are you going to progress from here? Have a very clear line of what is a repetition and what isn’t so you can accurately track your performance. If you are not touching your chest to the bar you will not be getting the benefits of working through the full range of motion, which is the whole point of the exercises.

Chest To Bar Pull Up For CrossFit

The kipping chest to bar pull up is a movement performed in competitive CrossFit (any CrossFit classes). So individuals who strive to perform in Crossfit competitions can use the strict chest to bar pull up to improve their vertical pulling strength which will help build the base required to perform their competition exercise. Obviously along side this strength exercises, muscular endurance will need to be developed and technical ability alongside sport specific training (training the movement under fatigue).