Pause Pull-Up

Muscles worked by the Pause Pull-Up

Primary

LatsLatissimus Dorsi

Secondary

BicepsBiceps BrachiiRear DeltsPosterior DeltoidRhomboidsRhomboid MusclesTrapsTrapezius

Also called: lats, lat, latissimus dorsi, latissimus, back wings.

Equipment

Pull-Up Bar

Also called: chin-up bar, chin up bar, power tower, pull up bar, doorway bar.

How to do the Pause Pull-Up

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, arms fully extended.
2. Pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar.
3. Pause and hold that top position for a moment.
4. Lower yourself back down under control to a full hang.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• The pause removes momentum, so the pull is harder than a regular pull-up -- expect fewer reps.
• Keep your shoulders engaged during the hold instead of relaxing into the bar.
• Lower slowly instead of dropping straight into the next rep.

At a glance

Pause Pull-Up in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Archer Pull Ups
• Assisted Pull Ups
• Band Assisted Pull Ups
• Behind-the-Neck Pull-Up
• Chin-Ups
• Close Grip Lat Pulldown
• Close-Grip Pull-Ups
• Lat Pulldown

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "pause-pull-up",
  "name_en": "Pause Pull-Up",
  "name_de": "Klimmzug mit Pause",
  "name_es": "Dominada con Pausa",
  "description_en": "A pull-up variation that adds a brief isometric hold at the top of the movement, with the chin over the bar, before lowering back down.",
  "description_de": "Eine Klimmzug-Variante mit einer kurzen isometrischen Halteposition am oberen Ende der Bewegung, das Kinn über der Stange, bevor du dich wieder absenkst.",
  "description_es": "Una variante de dominada que añade una breve pausa isométrica en la parte superior del movimiento, con la barbilla sobre la barra, antes de bajar de nuevo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "pull",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "advanced",
  "equipment": "pull_up_bar",
  "body_part": "back",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "latissimus_dorsi"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "biceps_brachii",
    "posterior_deltoid",
    "rhomboids",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "calisthenics",
    "pull_day",
    "knee_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "shoulder_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "pull-up",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, arms fully extended.",
    "Pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar.",
    "Pause and hold that top position for a moment.",
    "Lower yourself back down under control to a full hang.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Hänge dich mit Obergriff an eine Klimmzugstange, die Arme vollständig gestreckt.",
    "Ziehe dich hoch, bis dein Kinn über der Stange ist.",
    "Halte diese obere Position für einen Moment.",
    "Senke dich kontrolliert zurück in den vollen Hang ab.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Cuélgate de una barra de dominadas con agarre prono, brazos completamente extendidos.",
    "Tira de tu cuerpo hacia arriba hasta que la barbilla supere la barra.",
    "Haz una pausa y mantén esa posición superior un momento.",
    "Baja con control de vuelta a la posición de colgado completo.",
    "Repite el número deseado de repeticiones."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "The pause removes momentum, so the pull is harder than a regular pull-up -- expect fewer reps.",
    "Keep your shoulders engaged during the hold instead of relaxing into the bar.",
    "Lower slowly instead of dropping straight into the next rep."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Die Pause nimmt den Schwung heraus, daher ist der Zug schwerer als bei einem normalen Klimmzug -- erwarte weniger Wiederholungen.",
    "Halte die Schultern während der Halteposition aktiv angespannt, statt dich in die Stange hängen zu lassen.",
    "Senke dich langsam ab, statt direkt in die nächste Wiederholung zu fallen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "La pausa elimina el impulso, así que el tirón es más difícil que en una dominada normal -- espera menos repeticiones.",
    "Mantén los hombros activos durante la pausa en lugar de relajarte colgando de la barra.",
    "Baja despacio en vez de caer directamente a la siguiente repetición."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/pause-pull-up-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/pause-pull-up-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "pause-pull-up");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.