“Instinctual” wouldn’t be the first word that comes to mind to describe the vertical pulling abilities of most adults, but it only takes a few seconds of watching a 5 year old climb walls like Spiderman to admit that the instincts are there — no matter how deep they may get buried as we age and neglect them.

Whether it’s a pulling ourselves up after a fall or scaling a fence to retrieve a lost frisbee or ascending a vertical rock face, we lean into vertical pulling any time we want to go from down here to up there.

Now let’s talk about how to get really good at it…

Neutral Pulldowns

While prior patterns were able to avoid “cheating” by including machines or cables, Vertical Pulls have limitations that can’t be side-stepped as easily — namely, the lack of exercise diversity and the steep strength/body-control prerequisites. Alas, concessions must be made with this pattern to adhere to the spirit of the progression spectrum.

Neutral Pulldowns (either the cable or machine variant) offer a perfect intro to Vertical Pulling due to the reduction and simplification of variables. The loading can be scaled according to the trainee’s strength level. ROMs can be standardized because mobility is less of a limiting factor. Scapular movement, elbow drive, and upper-body positioning can be learned in a low-pressure environment. Intensities can be pushed high without risk of injury or setback, which allows the lats (and other upper back muscles) to receive a hypertrophic stimulus.

*Note: A neutral grip is emphasized in the early stages of the progression due to lowered mobility requirements (e.g. wrist, elbow and shoulder joints), more biomechanically favorable arm path (i.e. more adducted and tight to midline), and increased strength (via increased lat and biceps engagement) compared to pronated counterparts.

Neutral Rack Pull-Up (Feet on Ground)

Transitioning to free-weight exercises, this specific variant of the Neutral Rack Pull-Up challenges the trainee to support their bodyweight against gravity but cuts down on some of the complexity with the increased stability and modulated assistance that comes with having feet flat on the ground.

The skills refined  in this phase — coordination, proper vertpull technique, and control through a full ROM — will be heavily relied on as the new variables are introduced later on.

*Note: The neutral grip can come through using a Swiss bar, TRX straps, rings, or D-handles on a straight bar. We recommend TRX or rings at this stage (if possible) when coordination, proprioception, and refinement are more important than the loading potential that might come from a Swiss bar.

Neutral Rack Pull-Up (Feet Elevated)

Copy/paste most notes from above, but prop the feet up on a bench or box. Doing so reduces one’s ability to self-assist and decreases the movement’s stability, thus requiring more mastery over the pattern. This subtle change in the set-up creates a significant difference in how the tension is experienced (i.e. the pattern gets much harder).

*Note: Because the priorities at this stage have tilted towards strength, we recommend using a Swiss bar (if possible) to maximize loading potential.

Assisted Pronated Pull-Up

This next variation — the Assisted Pronated Pull-Up — finally pulls the pattern into a familiar groove.

While the core principles of strength, positioning, and control are retained from earlier movements, the switch to a more traditional vertical pull set-up and a pronated grip engage slightly different muscles and subtly alter the execution’s biomechanics — each of which contribute to making the exercise more challenging.

Assistance — whether through machine, band, or even a partner — helps to counterbalance the increase in difficulty that’s introduced by the change in positional orientation and grip.

*Note: There is a significant difference between band and machine assistance when it comes to stability and ease of micro-loading. For these reasons, we recommend using machine assistance when possible.

Pronated Pull-Up

The Pronated Pull-Up requires the trainee to (literally) pull it all together.

From a dead-hang, an extremely high level of body control is needed to sustain optimal positions through the active ROM without external stability or assistance. The challenge lies not only in being physically capable of getting from point A to point B, but in doing so efficiently. Pronated Pull-Ups are an exercise in preventing energetic waste as much as anything, and this demands massive engagement from the upper-back, shoulders, lats, forearms, and core.

While this variant is the pinnacle of achievement for many gym-goers and the ability to perform bodyweight Pronated Pull-Ups is unquestionably impactful from a holistic perspective, most trainees will see greater hypertrophic and strength outcomes by dedicating more of their Vertical Pull volume towards less complex movements.

More than any other pattern, the Vertical Pull demands a level of practicality with exercise selection.

Many of the most impactful variations in the vertpull arsenal are laced with strength and stability prerequisites. And this creates a challenge when attempting to adhere to free-weights only. While machines and cables shouldn’t always be the default modality, their general utility can’t be overlooked here. Use them liberally to build the foundation of Vertical Pulling and fill in the gaps that are left behind with pull-ups variants.

Regardless of one’s starting point or weakness, there’s a spot on this spectrum or a variant thereof that can be tailored to make Vertical Pulls work for any individual’s needs.

Wrapping Up

Incorporating and mastering each of these movement patterns in training can pave the way towards building the strongest, most balanced, most functional, and most healthy YOU.

While we’ve tried to present a reasonably structured spectrum of progressions and regressions, it’s crucial to remember that everybody is unique. Some people will be able to make phenomenal progress using the example exercises above, while others will have to modify according to their specific circumstances. So use our recommendations as a framework then listen to your body, make adjustments as needed, and figure out what works for you.

Whether you’re a complete novice or professional athlete, the underlying principles of progression and regression remain the same. Understanding, respecting and properly incorporating these foundational patterns will ensure you reap the maximum gains while minimizing the unnecessary risks.