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If your pull-ups are going backwards it can be genuinely demoralising — especially when you’ve put in the work. Overtraining, insufficient rest, poor form, not progressing your routine, grip weakness, weight gain, mental blocks, and doing pull-ups too late in your session when fatigued are among the most common causes. Here’s a thorough breakdown of exactly why your pull-ups are getting worse and the targeted steps to reverse the decline.

Feeling lat pulldowns in your forearms is a sign that the lats aren’t being properly activated — and it’s almost always a form or technique issue. Leaning back too far, pulling at the wrong angle, gripping too tightly, lowering the bar too far, not sitting close enough to the pad, and going too heavy are the most common causes. Here’s a thorough breakdown of why you feel lat pulldowns in your forearms and the specific adjustments that will fix it.

A decline in pull-up performance is frustrating — especially when you’ve worked hard to build them up. Muscle adaptation, insufficient rest, overtraining, muscle gain adding body weight, poor form, injury or illness, inadequate nutrition, and reduced range of motion are among the most common causes. Here’s a thorough breakdown of exactly why your pull-ups are decreasing and the targeted steps to get them moving in the right direction again.

Knowing when to add weight to pull-ups is one of the most important progression decisions in bodyweight training — and getting it wrong can set you back significantly. Good form, rep thresholds, grip strength, injury risk, and gradual load progression all need to be considered before strapping on extra weight. Here are twelve specific hints, tips and answers to help you add weight to pull-ups at the right time and in the right way.

Lat pulldowns do activate the triceps to some degree — but if you’re feeling them more in your triceps than your back, something in your technique needs attention. Elbow flare, going too heavy, not pulling the bar low enough, momentum, grip width, and weak surrounding muscles are the most common causes. Here’s a thorough breakdown of how lat pulldowns interact with the triceps and what to adjust to get your back doing the work it should be.

The lat pulldown works more than just the lats — and the trapezius is one of the key secondary muscles involved. All three sections of the traps can be targeted depending on your grip width and bar position, with the behind-the-neck variation being particularly effective for the upper traps. Here’s a thorough breakdown of how the lat pulldown works your traps, the best variations to use, and the complementary exercises that will build stronger, more defined traps.

Weak pull-ups are one of the most common frustrations in upper body training — and there’s nearly always a specific reason behind it. Lack of upper body strength, poor technique, muscle imbalances, carrying excess weight, poor diet, insufficient sleep, inadequate recovery, and stress all play a role. Here are thirteen critical tips to understand exactly why your pull-ups are weak and what you can do to start building genuine pulling strength.

Pull-ups have one of the steepest progression curves of any bodyweight exercise — and there are specific reasons why so many people stall. Lifting your full body weight, joint and connective tissue stress, weak grip, poor range of motion, lack of frequency, mental blocks, and not training the supporting muscles adequately are the most common barriers. Here are twelve vital tips to understand why pull-ups are so hard to progress and what to do to get over the hump.