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Exercise library / Commando Pull-Up

Commando Pull-Up

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A more challenging exercise. Make it a goal if you like. “Show alternatives” below lists easier steps toward it.

A pull-up variation done with a staggered grip: the hands sit one in front of the other on the bar and the body is turned sideways, so the head passes beside the bar on each repetition. It demands more from the lats, arms and trunk than a standard pull-up.

Main focus
Strength
Level
Advanced
Equipment
Bodyweight, A pull-up bar
Load
Your body weight
Stability
Free: you control the whole movement

Keep something steady within reach: a counter, wall or sturdy chair.

Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

A bar or station you can grip firmly, and something safe to step onto and off.

How to do it

  1. Grip the bar with the hands one in front of the other, palms facing each other, and hang with the arms straight and the body turned sideways.
  2. Brace the trunk and pull the shoulder blades down to start the movement.
  3. Pull yourself up, driving the elbows down, until your head clears the bar on one side of it.
  4. Pause briefly at the top with the chest close to the bar.
  5. Lower under control to a full hang.
  6. Take the head to the other side of the bar on the next repetition, or swap the hand positions each set.

How much

No amount is given; use your own programming.

How it should feel: The muscles you are working should feel the effort. The last repetitions should be hard but controlled, never shaky or painful.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Keep the legs and trunk still; swinging turns the pull into a kip.
  • Alternate the sides evenly so both arms and lats do the same work.
  • Start with a few repetitions per set: the staggered grip is harder than a regular pull-up.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Check that the bar is secure and that your grip is firm before you take your feet off the floor or a step.
More safety notes
  • Start with the help of a band, a step or a machine that supports some of your weight.
  • Step down to finish. Do not drop.
  • Keep your shoulders active and away from your ears.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • Your grip is slipping.
  • You feel pain in a shoulder, elbow or wrist.

Other ways to do this movement

Sign in and we will show other ways to do this, with other equipment or at a different level, chosen from your own answers. Sign in

Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.