Guide to Australian Pull-Ups: How-To, Muscles Used, Benefits, and Tips

Pull-ups and chin-ups are excellent bodyweight workouts for the back and biceps. On the flip side, you have to be quite strong to do them. The Australian pull-up is by far the finest technique to prepare for traditional pull-ups and chin-ups. It’s essentially identical to an upside-down push-up and trains the exact opposite muscle groups, making it an excellent addition to any upper body workout. To complete this move, all you need is a solid, immovable bar that is grippable and high enough off the ground for you to fit underneath.

In this post, we’ll show you how to execute Australian pull-ups and discuss muscles worked, benefits, and, performance-boosting techniques.

How to Perform Australian Pull-Ups

To get the most out of any exercise, you must perform it correctly. Correct exercise technique not only means a more productive workout, but it should also be safer. Follow these step-by-step instructions to perform Australian Pull-ups correctly:

• Set a bar at around waist level. Check that the bar does not move. A barbell placed in a squat rack or a Smith machine can be used.
• Place your feet on the floor beneath the bar. Hold it with an overhand grip that is somewhat wider than shoulder width.
• Lean back and keep your arms straight. Pull your shoulders down and back, bracing your core.
• Lift your hips such that your weight is supported solely by your heels and hands. Check that your entire body is straight, from your heels to your shoulders.
• Bend your arms and raise your chest up to the bar while keeping your body perfectly aligned. Maintain straight wrists and focus on leading with your elbows. At the height of the rep, squeeze your shoulders together.
• Return to the beginning posture by slowly extending your elbows and keeping your torso straight the entire time.
• That’s one rep; repeat for prescribed number of reps.

Muscles Worked By Australian Pull-ups

Australian pull-ups, also known as body rows and incline rows, are a compound exercise.

That means they involve several joints and muscle groups working together. The main muscles used during Australian pull-ups are:

Latissimus dorsi – The agonist or principal muscle during Australian pull-ups is the latissimus dorsi, sometimes known as the lats. Your lats are responsible for extending and adducting your shoulder joint. The lats are responsible for the width of your upper back when they are well-developed.

The mid-trapezius and rhomboids – the mid-trapezius and rhomboids are located across and between your shoulder blades, respectively. Their major role is to pull your shoulder girdle in. They, in other words, pull your shoulders back. Australian pull-ups have more mid-trap and rhomboid activation than standard pull-ups and chin-ups.

Biceps brachii – Your biceps flex your elbows and are placed on the front of your upper arms. While Australian pull-ups are most clearly an upper back exercise, they also work your biceps.

Forearms – Australian pull-ups necessitate and develop strong forearms and grip. This exercise utilizes the majority of the muscles in your forearms. Grip strength is vital in many sports and makes many ordinary tasks easier, such as carrying grocery bags and opening jars.

Core – In order to perform Australian pull-ups, you must keep your body straight. To maintain proper alignment, your core muscles (rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae) stabilize your midsection.

Gluteus maximus – In addition to your core muscles, your glutes or buttock muscles must operate to maintain your body straight. Because the glutes are a strong and powerful muscle, they don’t work very hard during Australian pull-ups, but they will be contracted to an extent!

Benefits Of Australian Pull ups

What is it about this workout that makes it so beneficial? That’s an excellent question! The primary advantages of Australian pull-ups are as follows:

Excellent to learn and perform pull-ups – Australian pull-ups are a fantastic stepping stone to pull-ups and chin-ups if you aren’t strong enough to do pull-ups or chin-ups yet. Because they use the same muscles, you can utilize them to gain the strength required for pull-ups and chin-ups.

A pull-up/chin-up alternative – Many workouts call for pull-ups and chin-ups, but what if you can’t do them? You COULD do lat pulldowns, but it might not be appropriate for the regimen you’re following. Replace pull-ups/chin-ups with Australian pull-ups to target the same muscles while staying true to the workout’s philosophy.

A fantastic postural workout – Australian pull-ups engage the muscles between your shoulder blades, making them an excellent postural exercise. You may have a rounded upper back and slumped shoulders if you spend a lot of time hunched over a desk. Pull-ups from Australia could be a beneficial remedy.

Minimal equipment required – There is no need for weights or equipment to perform Australian pull-ups, making them suitable for home and garage training. This exercise can also be done at playgrounds or anyplace there is a waist-high bar, beam, or obstacle to hang from.

Simple to regress and improve – by adjusting the angle of your body, you can make Australian pull-ups easier or harder. Raise your bar to relieve strain on your arms or elevate your feet to boost the intensity of your workout. As a result, Australian pull-ups are an excellent back builder for beginners, intermediates, and advanced exercisers.

Tips for Australian Pull-Ups

With these helpful suggestions, you may get even more out of this exercise!

Keep your chest up – by keeping your chest up, you can boost back activation. Leading with your chest pulls your shoulders down and back, giving your mid-traps and rhomboids the finest exercise possible. Maintaining straight wrists and moving your elbows backward can also help.

Try underhanded Australian pull-ups – while this exercise is typically performed with an overhand hold, it can also be performed with an underhand grip. Because a palms-up grip activates the biceps, you may be able to accomplish more reps or lift more weight. You should give it a shot; you might like it!

Create full-body tension — Although Australian pull-ups are an upper-body workout, you’ll get more out of them if you tighten your complete body. To keep your body as straight as possible, contract your quadriceps, glutes, and core. The more stable your body is, the more force your back and biceps can create.

Chalk your hands – don’t let sweaty, slick hands ruin your performance. Chalk your hands to ensure you receive the finest exercise possible. Is there no chalk? Just be sure to dry your hands with a gym towel before beginning your next set.

Take Away

If you aren’t strong enough to lift your complete body weight with just your arms, Australian pull-ups are a terrific alternative to pull-ups and chin-ups. They are, however, more than just a stepping stone to pull-ups or a beginner exercise; they are also valuable in their own right.

Australian pull-ups are a good posture exercise since they are a horizontal pulling activity. They engage your core as well as your lower body, whereas chin-ups and pull-ups do not. There are also other variants you may utilize to make this workout easier or more difficult. It truly IS appropriate for all levels of exercisers.