Top hold
Jump or step to the top of a pull-up and hold there, elbows bent.
3 × 5–15 s
Brachialis
muscle
Where it runs
Under the biceps, from the lower half of the upper arm bone to the top of the ulna in the forearm.
What it does
Bends the elbow in any grip.
In a pull-up
Does much of the elbow bending with the palms facing away.
Drills that work it
Lowering from the top
Start at the top of a pull-up and lower yourself as slowly as you can to straight arms.
3 × 3–5
Band-assisted pull-up
A strict pull-up with a band looped under a knee or foot to take some weight.
3 × 3–6
Strict pull-up
From a still, straight-arm hang, pull until the chin is over the bar, with no swing.
3 × 1–3
In the programs
- Phase 2 — Own the top and the way down — Shoulder: kipping works, strict pull-ups do not
- Phase 3 — Strict again — Shoulder: kipping works, strict pull-ups do not
Works alongside
Other structures the same drills work.
- Latissimus dorsi
- Biceps
- Lower trapezius
- Teres major
- Rhomboids
- Triceps, long head
- Latissimus and teres major tendons
- Long head of biceps tendon
- Forearm and finger flexors
- Pectoralis major
- Subscapularis
Questions about this
- What muscles start a pull-up?
- Are band-assisted pull-ups or lowerings better for getting back to a strict pull-up?
General anatomy, simplified. It describes a structure, not anybody's shoulder, and cannot say what is wrong with yours.