Machine-assisted pull-up

The most controllable way to progress towards a pull-up: assistance comes off in measurable steps, so progress shows on the stack rather than in how it felt.

• Compound
• Machine
• Beginner

How to do it

• Knees or feet well planted on the platform
• Stay tight: do not hang off the machine
• Pull until your chin clears the bar
• Extend fully on every rep

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 8–12 reps · 1–3 RIR

Tempo: Pull for 1–2 s, squeeze at the top and lower for 2–3 s resisting the load

Common mistakes

• Setting so much assistance the exercise stops costing anything
• Cutting the range at the top or the bottom
• Never reducing the assistance and stalling

Muscles worked

Primary

• Lats

Secondary

• Back
• Biceps

Alternatives

• Band-assisted pull-up
• Pull-ups
• Lat Pulldown