📖 Static demo — read-only snapshot

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Negative Pull-Up

Draftstrength50%intermediate⬤ expert-opinion evidence
Evidence chain View FHIR resource(snapshot)movements → muscles → citations · and the interoperable FHIR form · served as a static snapshot here, not the live API route

Why Include This

Eccentric capacity exceeds concentric capacity, so a negative can be loaded at full bodyweight before a full pull-up is possible. The controlled lower is also where scapular control tends to break down first.

Evidence basis: expert-opinion

Positions & Range of Motion

Start
top of the pull-up, chin over the bar, reached by stepping or jumping up
End
full hang, arms straight, shoulders under control rather than dropped
Range of Motion
chin-over-bar to full hang, eccentric only

How to Perform

Eccentric-only pull-up: the athlete steps or jumps to the top position with the chin over the bar, then lowers under control to a full hang over three to five seconds.

Watch on YouTube↗

Opens a YouTube search for “Negative Pull-Up”

Equipment:pull up barstep
Starting position: hanging

Coaching Cues

  1. 1

    Count five seconds on the way down — the last inch is the one that matters

    (verbal)
  2. 2

    Arrive at the bottom, don't fall into it

    (verbal)

Evidence-Based Dosing & EMG Data

Recommended Dosing

3–5 sets × 3–5 lowers of 3–5 s, 2×/week (consensus programming, not RCT-derived)

Muscles Involved (7)

Primary Movers

Latissimus Dorsi— Working eccentrically to control shoulder flexion.

Secondary Movers

Biceps Brachii
Brachialis
Teres Major
Lower Trapezius
Rhomboid Major

Stabilizers

Flexor Digitorum Profundus

Easier Variations ↓

1

Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Regress to Band-Assisted Pull-Up.

Harder Variations ↑

1

Chin-Up

Progress to Chin-Up.

Target Movements (4)

Shoulder FlexionGlenohumeral Joint
Elbow ExtensionHumeroulnar Joint
Scapular ElevationScapulothoracic Articulation
Scapular Upward RotationScapulothoracic Articulation

Goals This Helps With

Rehab, performance, prevention, and mobility goals this exercise supports — essential means it's a cornerstone:

Improve Your Pull-Upperformance

Research Notes

claude-researched 2026-08 (bodyweight ladders). Rung ordering is community consensus, not trial evidence — see source bodyweight-progression-consensus-2026. EMG and RCT sourcing pending.

Evidence Sources (1)