11 Pull-up Alternatives That You Can Do at Home


1. Inverted Row 

How to do it:

  • In a racking machine, place a barbell at waist weight.
  • Lie on your back, right beneath the bar, on the floor.
  • Hold the bar securely with both hands, shoulder-width apart, in an overhead grip.
  • Your heels should lie flat on the floor, and your body must be in a single direction with your arms completely extended.
  • Pull your chest up to a bar till it meets the bar.
  • Stay for a second at the top of the action before gradually lowering yourself down to the initial position.

Do between 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps. For strength, stay closer to 6 reps. For size, opt for reps higher in the range.

2. Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

How to do it:

  • Sit on the sat row machine and connect a single bar handle.
  • Maintain a neutral spine by slightly bending your knees and leaning back through your hips.
  • Grip the bar with an underhand grip, your hands further apart over your shoulders.
  • By forcing your elbows back and tightening your shoulder, pull the bar back towards your abdomen for a second.
  • Then, gradually bring the bar to its beginning position.

3. Bent Over Rows

How to do it:

  • Bend your knees slightly and tilt forward so that your body is above the bar.
  • While keeping your back straight, hold the bar with an underhand grip and your hands shoulder-width wide.
  • Pull up with your elbows while remaining bent over till the bar touches your upper abdomen.
  • Lower the bar gradually to the beginning position, when your arms are completely outstretched.

The bent over row is a multi-jointed exercise that works a variety of muscles. It increases upper and lower back strength, as well as glutes, hamstrings, lats, and shoulders.

4. Lat Pushdown

How to do it:

  • Place the cable machine’s bar higher than your head level.
  • Hold the bar with both hands, adopting an overarm hold wider than shoulder-width apart.
  • Pull aside until your arms are completely extended, and your back is stretched.
  • To extend your lats, keep your knees and elbows slightly bent, your chest up, and your back arched.
  • Lower the bar into your hips until it touches your thighs.
  • Allow the bar to return to its initial position slowly and steadily.
  • Repeat until the target number of repetitions is reached.

5. Single Arm Lat Pulldown

How to do it: 

  • Position the cable and stirrup at head height, and then hold the stirrup in a neutral position.
  • Go into a half-kneeling posture with your side’s shoulders lined with the cable and your arm fully stretched for a lat stretch.
  • Squeeze your lats at the bottom as you pull down into your elbow until your elbow is at your side.
  • Allow the cable to gradually return to its initial position when your arm is fully extended.
  • Repeat, then switch positions.

The latissimus dorsi muscle is involved in significantly more than the latissimus dorsi pulldown. The teres major, middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoid, brachialis, biceps brachii, and brachioradialis are also implicated.

6. Close Grip V Bar Pulldown

How to do it:

  • Put a V bar on the cable machine.
  • Place yourself on the seat, then reach up and hold the bar with a neutral grip.
  • Maintaining your core tight, draw down through your elbows, tightening the lats as you lean back a bit till your arms are at your upper chest.
  • Get back to the starting position slowly by repeating the movements.

7. Close Grip Chin Up

How to do it:

  • Reach up and hold the bar with both hands with an underhand grip, 3-6 inches apart.
  • Pull yourself up till your chin is above the bar, beginning from a dead hang with your shoulders depressed.
  • Slowly return to the starting posture with arms fully stretched.

8. Assisted Pull-Ups

How to do it:

  • Adjust the pin to the requested weight stack quantity.
  • Hold the bar over your head with both hands, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, utilizing an overhand grip.
  • Position your knees on the cushioned surface.
  • Lower yourself to a dead hang position to begin.
  • Pull yourself up once your chin is above the bar and your elbows are by your chest area. Then retract your shoulder blades.
  • Hold briefly at the peak while pressing the shoulder blades downward and in.
  • Reduce your weight gradually until you’re back in the dead hang position.

9. Bodyweight Rows

How to do it:

  • Set the bar at around waist level. 
  • Position under the bar, face up. Lie down on the floor under the bar.
  • Using an overhand grip that is slightly wider than shoulder-width, hold the bar.
  • Maintain a perfectly straight line with your body by contracting your abdominals and buttocks as if you were doing a plank.
  • Pull up to the bar once your chest is in contact with it.
  • Return to the ground with good form.

10. Kneeling Lat Pulldowns

How to do it:

  • Fasten the band to an origin point and grasp both ends with both hands. Your palms should be facing up.
  • Maintain your knees on the floor and slowly lower your arms to shoulder level.
  • Retain for a second. Then, gradually return to the beginning point.
  • For each set, repeat 12 to 14 reps.

11. Overhead Dumbbell Press

How to do it:

  • Maintain a straight back and stand up straight.
  • In an overhand grip, grab a dumbbell in each hand at the shoulders.
  • The thumbs should be on the inside, with the knuckles facing up.
  • Exhale as you controllably lift the weights over your head.
  • At the apex of the motion, take a slight pause.
  • Inhale and bring the weights back to your shoulders.

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