Pulling the barbell in an incline: exercise technique, what muscles are working

personal trainer of the Spirit Fitness chain of fitness clubs

“The barbell pull is one of the most effective exercises for complex development of the whole body. Despite the fact that it is mainly aimed at working the muscles of the back, it also involves muscle groups of arms and legs – biceps, buttocks and the back of the thigh.

An excellent basic exercise suitable for all types of workouts in the gym. The pull-up can be the main exercise in a split back workout, as well as in a full body circuit workout.

One of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, Dorian Yates was very fond of the incline barbell pull. He always made this exercise the main exercise when it came to working out his back. As a rule, the bodybuilder preferred the reverse grip pull.

“I worked very hard in the barbell pull,” Yates said, “and in general I could have worked even harder, but I didn’t do it because it would have meant sacrificing form for weight.

Dorian Yates

Table of Contents

Benefits of the exercise

The standing incline barbell pull solves several important problems.

Strengthening of the rectus muscle of the back. Its development (it goes along the spine) forms a reliable and stable fixation of spinal discs. This means that if performed correctly and without overloading, the trainee will prolong the health of the back.

Strengthening of under-utilized back muscles. Pulling the barbell in an incline works the most “lagging” areas of the back – the middle and bottom. These are the muscles that, when properly toned, keep your posture and spine in a neutral, safe position, maintaining a natural flexion in the thoracic region (these are the rhomboid, round, widest, middle and lower trapezius muscles).

Posture maintenance. Stretching strengthens the upper back and helps in preventing rounded shoulders, characteristic of people who spend a lot of time at the computer.

Strengthening the cortical muscles. Performing the exercise correctly requires stabilizing the body, which helps strengthen the abs and muscles of the lumbar spine.

Increase in strength and muscle mass. Regular inclusion of the barbell incline pull in the training program helps to increase muscle mass, give the back a wider width, increase muscle density, and improve strength.

Three variations of the pull and technique

The barbell incline pull can be performed in three variations: overhead grip, narrow t-grip and reverse grip.

Pulling the barbell in a bend with a grip from above (classic)

The starting position can be either the barbell on the floor or on the rack at a level just below the knees. The first variant means that the initial movement of the deadlift will be added to the exercise. The second one means that the active phase of the pulling movement starts at once.

At the initial stage of mastering the exercise, it is recommended to take the barbell from the rack. In addition, it is important not to move away from it, since walking with free weight changes the center of gravity and shifts the spinal discs. It is necessary to strictly fix the movement on the spot both at the beginning and at the end of the exercise.

Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. Tilt your torso about 45 degrees to the floor – this is your working angle.
Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the bar with your palms facing down. Keep your elbows and knees slightly bent. Keep your shoulders back and your shoulder blades together. Your neck should be an extension of your spine: no bending down or tilting your neck.
Remove the bar from the rack and start the movement from the knees to the lower abdomen. Keep your body still during the exercise: only your shoulder girdle, arms and back should be active. Legs, abdomen and straight muscles of the back work in statics.
When lifting, the back is always in flexion. Do not slouch, otherwise the intervertebral discs will receive a negative load.
It is also important that the bar always touches the surface of the thigh during the movement – this ensures the correct center of gravity during the exercise.
After reaching the lower abdomen, hold for half a second with your shoulder blades maximally aligned and your elbows in a narrow position. After that, lower the bar down.
Perform the barbell pull smoothly. The positive phase of the movement is up quickly (on exhalation), the negative phase is down to the knees slowly (on inhalation). The greatest load occurs in the negative phase of the movement.
After completing the exercise, smoothly return the barbell to its place.

Perform three or four approaches of 10-12 repetitions.

Pulling the barbell in a bend with a narrow grip t-grip

This exercise is performed with a special V-shaped handle and a fixator on the floor for the barbell. “Pancakes” are placed only on one side of the barbell. Advantages of such a pull over the classical pull are that the broadest muscles of the back and forearms are more loaded (the pull with the grip from above evenly works both the broadest muscles and the middle of the back).

Starting position – barbell on the floor, the bar passes between the legs, V-handle is placed under the bar close to the “pancakes”, knees and arms bent. Body – at 45 degrees, shoulders pulled back, shoulder blades together. The neck is a continuation of the spine on the same line, the head is not tilted or lowered.
Squat down with a fixed body and back to grab the barbell handle. Next, stand up slightly with your legs slightly bent and begin pulling the barbell from knee level to your abdomen.
After reaching the handle to your abdomen in the positive phase (quickly), lock your shoulder blades together for half a second and keep your shoulders back. Next, slowly lower the handle to knee level with the barbell.
To complete the approach, sit down and gently place the barbell.

If the disk “pancakes” – high, it will be possible to do only half of the amplitude. Therefore, I recommend using low disks of 10-15 kg to set the weight of the barbell to increase the amplitude of the movement.

Perform three or four approaches of 10-12 repetitions.

Pulling the barbell in a bend with a reverse grip

Suitable for working out the rhomboid and middle trapezius muscles, as well as the muscles of the arms, forearms and biceps. Due to the reverse grip, the load will be more on the arms and mid-back. You can’t take a big weight: the biceps is a small muscle, and emphasizing a big weight can lead to injury. Strive to do the exercise under control: do not chase weights, but the quality of the exercise.

Starting position – barbell on the floor or on racks at a level below the knees. The back – at a 45-degree inclination, the neck is kept straight in the line of the spine, the head is not tilted or tilted. Knees bent, shoulders pulled back, shoulder blades together, slightly converged.
Squat down to pick up the barbell from the floor or from the racks (remember to arch your back when picking up the barbell, do not slouch). Place your hands on the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing up, i.e. reverse grip.
Pick up the barbell and stand up, but do not straighten your legs completely – keep your legs in a “slight half-sit” position.
Start pulling the bar from your knees to your stomach. When you reach the maximum point, hold for half a second – bend your arms as much as possible, bring your shoulder blades together and pull your shoulders back.
Once locked in, lower the bar to knee level.
Remember: the bar should always touch the surface of your feet. This is how we keep the center of gravity and hold it correctly. Also, the back is always fixed.
To complete the exercise, smoothly squat down and lower the barbell to the floor or on a rack.

Perform three to four approaches of 10 to 12 repetitions.

How to use different variants of pulls for back training?

There is no universal pull for the back, so I recommend alternating: each workout perform different types of barbell pulls in the incline. Of course, you can do with one grip, but for the full development of the back, it is better to use all methods. This will make training not only more effective, but also more varied.

Common mistakes

Slouching and lack of back control. One of the most common and “insidious” mistakes is rounding your back while lifting weights. It increases the risk of spinal injury by putting excessive pressure on the intervertebral discs. This mistake often leads to pain and severe spasms. When performing the exercise, make sure you always maintain a flexion – there are mirrors in the gym for this purpose. It’s also a good idea to ask to videotape yourself. This will help improve your self-control during the exercise.

Cheating or “dirty” performance. Often when performing an exercise, the trainee starts to help himself with his legs and straight back muscles. The reason is that they are very strong (especially together) and can take most of the load. However, if you move your legs when lifting the bar – stand up and bend your knees without fixing the body – you will get something between a deadlift and a bent-over barbell pull.

Many, of course, will say that professional athletes, for example, bodybuilders and weightlifters, do this. But here it is important to remember that both the former and the latter do it at the very end of training, when there is not enough strength to refine muscles and control technique. Such athletes have tremendous strength and reserve of strength accumulated by years of hard training. They know when they can afford cheating.

You should not spoil your technique in the early stages of training: you should do the exercise cleanly and technically. This will ensure that you don’t get injured and your strength and endurance will increase. And when you reach high strength and muscular indices, then you can carefully use chiting.

Jerky movements. A common mistake when building strength and endurance is too fast movements with lack of control in the peak zone. As a rule, they are performed with small pauses and the same speed in the positive and negative phases. Remember, if you make jerks in an effort to perform an exercise quickly, you can easily tear ligaments and muscles.

Of course, when working at the ultimate maximum with a belt or in a powerlifting suit, you should move in this way. But this story is not about us yet. The exercise is performed for a large number of repetitions, and here you need smooth controlled movements that will help you avoid injury. Develop strength and endurance gradually – you’ll benefit more from it. Don’t chase weight, train with quality and safety.

Incomplete range of motion. Sometimes when performing pull ups, trainees don’t lower the bar low enough or don’t raise it fully to the end of the movement. This prevents full activation of the target muscle groups and limits the effectiveness of the exercise.

Overloading. Often athletes tend to put as many “pancakes” on the barbell as possible at once. However, using too much weight can lead to a loss of control and technique, which often leads to the use of momentum or “lever” movements, compensation at the expense of other muscle groups and an increased likelihood of injury.

Contraindications to performing the exercise

Injuries to the back or intervertebral discs. The barbell pull is an exercise with a strong axial load. It is contraindicated in acute or chronic diseases of the spine (with intervertebral hernias more than 1-2 mm, severe displacement of vertebrae, as in scoliosis and kyphosis), as well as injuries to the ligaments of the arms, shoulder joints. If you have such restrictions, you need to first consult a doctor and undergo a course of treatment and LFK. You can start this exercise only with the permission of a medic.

Knee injuries. Since the exercise requires stability of the knees, it should be avoided if there are injuries to the knee joints and ligaments.

Cardiovascular disease. Lifting weights significantly increases blood pressure. Therefore, you should be careful with the inclusion of traction in the training plan of people with vascular and heart health problems (high blood pressure, varicose veins of the 2-3rd degree and so on).

Excess weight. It creates an additional load on the spine and joints, which can lead to injuries. Therefore, people who have it, should approach the performance of the barbell pull in the incline with special caution.

General recommendations for performing the exercise for beginners

The most important thing in any basic exercise is the technique of execution. Therefore, at the initial stages it is important to control everything you do very carefully.
Be sure to warm up before training. An elliptical machine and a rowing machine are good for warming up the whole body: they use all muscle groups. If you don’t have one of these in the gym, you can jog on a treadmill for 10 minutes.
Before the main approach, do pull-ups with an empty bar.
At the start, do approaches with minimal weights to prepare muscles, ligaments and CNS for productive work. Avoid excessive working weights (you will still have time to load up).
To maximize the effectiveness of the incline pull, first of all, watch the correct position of the back (it should be slightly bent in the lower back).
Before each repetition, fix the body.
Control the speed of movement. Up – quickly, down – slower.
Do not hold your breath. Without it, strength quickly runs out and blood pressure rises. During the exercise breathe naturally, always exhale on the effort. In this case, breathing and movement should be synchronized. The more intense the movements, the more intense will be the breathing.