pull up safety: are pull ups a safe exercise?

Do you want to do pull ups but worry about pull up safety?

A lot of people wonder if pull ups and chin ups are safe exercises. Generally, pull ups and chin ups are some of the safest exercises you can do, for most populations and goals. Pull ups and chin ups are basic strength training exercises, and strength/weight training is very, very safe. In fact, it is one of the safest activities you can do. Do not worry about pull up safety!

Weight Training is Very Safe

While many people might believe weight training is a very dangerous activity, it’s actually one of the safest activities and safest sports you can do.

Many still conjure up images of the “Broken lifter” with bad knees, bad hips and bad back.

As long as you use proper form, overload gradually and follows good basic principles of training, weight training is actually extremely safe and unlikely to cause serious harm.

Even sports like bodybuilding, power lifting and weight lifting–where athletes lift massive tonnages over the training week–present less risk than all field based sports and long distance running.

The rate of injury for these sports and activities ranges from .24-5.5 injuries per 1,000 hours of training, while the rate of injury for long-distance running is 2.5-12.1 injuries per 1,000 hours of participation. Strength sports are statistically safer than long distance running, and much safer than field sports requiring ballistic movements, cutting, pivoting and quick changes in direction (Beardsley, 2014).

Studies of Safety of Weight-Lifting and Powerlifting

Fitzgerald and McLatchie (1980) studied a group of 25 competitive powerlifters and weightlifters age 24-49. The authors found that the study’s subjects did not suffer more evidence of degenerative changes than control groups (non-lifters). In fact, the authors found that only twenty percent of the study’s subjects showed evidence of Grade 2 or 3 degenerative joint changes, less than half the value seen in the general population (1980).

Fitzgerald and McLatchie concluded that chronic and intense weight lifting does not cause degenerative joint disease and that weight training, even with heavy loads and high training volumes, may actually benefit cartilage nutrition and blood flow.

Other studies indicate that even chronic weight training and weight bearing activities do not produce degenerative joint disease.

Even strenuous running of over 25 miles per day, 5 days per week or running 2.5 miles per day with a weighted vest for 550 weeks (over 10 years!) did not cause degenerative joint disease in animal studies (2008).

Research Indicates Weight Training is Safe

Articular cartilage gets its nutrient supply from diffusion of synovial fluid. Weight training through a full range of motion supplies joints with this synovial fluid and joint nutrition.

Joints that are subject to immobilization do not receive proper cell nutrition and the chrondocytes (joint cells) die.

Weight training and weight bearing lead to stronger, thicker cartilage. In the knee, the surfaces that receive the greatest amount of load bearing have the thickest cartilage (2008).

Under most circumstances, weight training strengthens the joints and cartilage.

Weight Training Aids in Falls Prevention

Weight training keeps you stronger and more agile into old age, and is one of if not the most effective measure for falls prevention.

Falling can have disastrous consequences for older adults–nearly 50 percent will not regain their mobility and up to 30 percent will die. Falls are caused by a multitude of factors. These include biological factors like strength, gait and balance but also social, demographic, and other lifestyle factors.

Weight training–coupled with balance training and lifestyle changes–can help you avoid the consequences of falling later in life.

Weight Training Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Just as weight bearing exercise helps the muscles, tendons and joints grow stronger, it also strengthens your bones. Weight training helps encourage new bone formation–regardless of age and reproductive status (2008).

This is very important for women, especially smaller-frame women. Weight training can help women prevent potentially devastating spinal or hip fractures in old age. If you are a woman with a small frame, you should definitely be weight training!

Weight Training Helps People Avoid Metabolic Syndromes and Type 2 Diabetes–and Obesity

Weight training also keeps people healthy by helping people to build and maintain muscle mass, raise metabolic rate, and prevent obesity. Weight training helps to prevent the development of Type II Diabetes by improving blood glucose control and glucose utilization.

Weight Training is Recommended for Prevention and Treatment of Arthritis 

The Arthritis Foundation encourages people to lift weights to prevent or ease the pain of Osteoarthritis. The organization cites benefits like better joint stability, range of motion and improved movement patterns.

Weight training keeps people healthy and helps people avoid diseases of obesity and frailty; it is a safe and recommended activity for nearly all populations. 

Now that your fears about weight training have been assuaged, let us discuss the pull up exercise: it is one of the safest exercises you can do!

pull up safety: Pull ups and Chin ups are Extremely Safe Exercises

Pull ups and chin ups are extremely safe exercises.

Pull ups and Chin ups Involve Multiple Muscle Groups working Together to Produce Movement

Pull ups and chin ups both involve movement at multiple joints, therefore they are multi-joint movements. Multi-joint movements distribute stress among all the moving joints and prevent the likelihood of overload at any one joint.

Pull ups Promote Spinal Decompression

The pull up position, with feet suspended, allows the spine to decompress. Exercises like pull ups, vertical hangs from a bar and reverse hyper-extensions all promote spinal decompression. These exercises can all be used in a proper training program to promote long-term back health.

Pull ups and Chin ups Develop the Pulling Muscles

Most individuals need more pulling and rowing in their weight training programs. Few individuals devote as much attention to pulling exercises (pull ups, rows, etc) and exercises for the posterior chain as they do pushing exercises (chest press, overhead press).

Incorporating more pull ups and pulling exercises into a weight training routine can help strengthen and stabilize the shoulder joint complex and also reduce the risk of shoulder injury (Snarr et. al 2017).

Pull ups can make you more bulletproof on the athletic field.

Pull ups are a key exercise for athletes as they may actually help them to reduce their risk of upper body and shoulder injury.

According to Snarr et. al, “strengthening the supporting musculature of the shoulder girdle may enhance an individuals’ ability to transfer power between the upper and lower extremities during total body movements,” (2017) and reduce the risk of athletic injury.

Most People Should Perform Pull ups

Most individuals should perform pull ups. The exercise is very safe and may even reduce the risk of injury to the back and shoulders.

Some Individuals Should Avoid Pull ups (for Now)

Individuals experiencing shoulder pain or shoulder impingement, who have recently had shoulder surgery or shoulder replacement should avoid pull ups and chin ups, at least until their condition improves. If you are unsure about your condition and whether you can safely do pull ups or not, consult a sports medicine physician or physical therapist to discuss your pain, causes and solutions.

What Variations of Pull ups put More Stress on the Shoulder Joints and Connective Tissue?

Prinold and Bull (2016) examined the traditional, wide grip, and underhand grip pull up exercises and the kinematics of all three exercises. They concluded that the underhand pull up (chin up) presents the highest risk of shoulder impingement due to the extreme external rotation and elevation of the arms in the overhead underhand grip position.

They noted that while the underhand grip chin up is the easiest pull up variation, it is likely the variation most likely to cause shoulder impingement.

Prinold and Bull also recommended avoiding the kipping pull up technique, as the kipping pull up may reduce dynamic control of the scapula, especially in the starting position.

The researchers concluded that shoulder width techniques are safer than either wide or underhand grips.

What are some ways to Avoid Injury in the Pull up?

Do a Proper Warm up!

Jumping right into your pull up training with no warm up is probably not the smartest technique.

Start with a general warm up of 5-10 minutes of walking or light cardio on a bike, and then perform the following upper body warm up. The first part of the warm up is designed to provide blood flow to your shoulders, while the second part will activate your shoulder joint complex.

5-10 minutes Cardio of Choice

Wall Slides: 5 Reps

Wall Slides Facing the Wall: 5 reps

TRX Rear Delt Fly: 5 reps

TRX Face Pull: 5 reps

Band Straight Arm Pull down: 5

Use Proper Technique on pull ups too!

Proper technique involves keeping the shoulders packed back and down, both at the start and the end of the movement.

Initiate the movement by pulling your shoulders back and down (retracting and depressing your scapula). Don’t initiate the movement by bending your elbows first.

Pay attention to your shoulder position at the top of the movement. Your upper back should produce a small arch at the top. You never want your back to produce a concave position at the top of the movement. This is not an ideal position for maximal muscle recruitment, nor is it the safest technique.

Don’t Jump Right into an Aggressive Pull up Training Program

Doing too much, too soon can over-stress your body so much so that it is not recovering optimally from training and getting stronger and more resilient. In fact, the opposite can happen. Your strength starts plateauing and you end up with aches and pains.

Follow the ten percent rule; never increase your exercise volume, intensity or frequency more than ten percent each week.

In fact, for most trainees, improving by about one percent per session or per week is a great rate of progress, especially if you have already passed your “newbie gains” stage.

This rate of progress to volume, frequency, intensity or weight used will allow you to make excellent progress over the long-term. Over time, you can make huge improvements to your strength and fitness level without pain or injury.

Any of the sample programs I have included on this site (check here or here for some examples of some programs) will build your pull up strength without breaking you down.

Use the Neutral Grip if You have Shoulder Pain

If you already experience shoulder pain, traditional pull ups or underhand grip chin ups might reproduce or worsen your pain.

The most shoulder-friendly pull up variations are ring pull ups and neutral grip pull ups. This position allows for a “neutral” shoulder position at the top of the movement, not extreme internal rotation OR external rotation.

This “neutral” grip is very shoulder friendly. While you should still get your pain checked out by a doctor or physical therapist, using the neutral grip can be a good “band aid” fix while you sort out your shoulder issues.

In the long-term, pull ups can help you recover from any shoulder pain or injury by building your pulling muscles and improving your upper body movement patterns.

Do a LOT of Rowing and Upper Back Work

The pull up itself builds the upper back and shoulders, but if you really want healthy shoulders and great posture, you should also do your fair share of rowing and horizontal pulling.

Good exercises for this purpose include bent over rows, chest supported rows, TRX Rows and more.

You should also do exercises like Face Pulls and Rear Delt Flies to build your upper back and shoulders and smaller stabilizers.

Doing lots of rows can really help to prevent shoulder injuries by helping you attain structural balance and make up for all the time you sit hunched over a computer.

Stretch and Perform Upper Body Mobility Exercises

Most of you will have some tightness in your lats, pecs, or front deltoid muscles (I do) and you will need to work on correcting this. In addition, you may have some difficulty getting your arms completely overhead without compensating through your lower back.

If this is you, you should perform stretching exercises for the lats, pecs, and front of the shoulders.

Some choices I like for this purpose include the corner stretch (shown in the squat rack), this lat stretch on the floor or on a chest high barbell, or the Lying Pretzel Stretch.

Mobility work for the upper body can also help your ability to achieve proper positions in motion or during athletic/training activities.

Drills I like to improve the mobility of the upper body include the Reach, Roll, Lift and the upper body can opener.

Follow these Tips, and Stay Safe

If you follow these tips, you are going to stay very safe with your pull up training, and most likely, your training in general.

In reality, pull ups are a very safe exercise. If you warm up properly, use proper technique, stretch and work on your mobility, do a lot of rowing and shoulder health exercises, and ramp up your training gradually, you will stay safe and avoid injuries.

You may even find that pull ups make you more resilient in the rest of your life and even in your sport.

In Sum, Do your Pull ups

No matter whether you are an athlete, you are a little banged up, or are just looking to get as big and strong as possible, you can (most likely!) safely train the pull up.

References

Baechle, T. R., Earle, R. W., Kanehisa, H., & Okada, J. (2008). Essentials of Strength and Conditioning. Boston: Pearson.

Fitzgerald, B., & McLatchie, G. R. (1980). Degenerative joint disease in weight-lifters. Fact or fiction? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 14(2-3), 97–101.

Latham, N., & Liu, C. (2010). Strength training in older adults: The benefits for osteoarthritis. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 26(3), 445–459. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2010.03.006

Prinold, J. A. I., & Bull, A. M. J. (2016). Scapula kinematics of pull-up techniques: Avoiding impingement risk with training changes. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19(8), 629–635. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.08.002

Snarr, R. L., Hallmark, A. V., Casey, J. C., & Esco, M. R. (2017). Electromyographical Comparison of a Traditional, Suspension Device, and Towel Pull-Up. Journal of Human Kinetics, 58, 5–13. http://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-2017-0068