Pull Up exercises have been used to give men and women a beautiful and muscular back for ages. Before pull up bars existed I’m sure that limbs of trees and other horizontal items were used by the extreme exercise pull-upers to get their back workouts in.
Though aren’t you sick of seeing the same old pull up exercise? Lift up and down, up and down. I don’t mean to say that this isn’t a good exercise. It is, I do them in my workout routines. Though how about something different? Something extreme? I have put together a list of the Top 10 Most Difficult Pull Up Routines On YouTube. These Pull Up Routines are unusual and unbelievable. Review the list and comment below on which you think is the most extreme and difficult.
One of the reasons I love pull ups so much is because it does NOT incorporate isolation. Many of your upper body muscles are required to pull your body up so you are developing whole body strength. There’s a great article that like called Why “Isolation Training” with weights is a bad strategy. Definitely worth the read.
10 Hardest Pull Up Exercises Of All Time
10. Narrow Grip Pull Ups
Great variation to the normal pull up routine using a close grip.
9. Towel Pull Ups
If you want to develop greater forearm and hand strength, use a towel. You’ll have to grip it tight to keep your body from falling, thereby increasing grip strength.
8. Kipping Pull Up
This Pull Up Routine uses body weight to get up. It’s unique and cool and gives you the ability to do more pull ups.
7. Side to Side Pull Ups
Most people don’t realize how many variations there are to the normal pull up. This one increases focused attention on very specific parts of the lat muscle.
6. Barbarian Pull Ups
This video shows a bunch of variations. The one I am impressed with is the one where you pull yourself in front of the bar instead of behind.
5. Clap Pull Ups
These are very impressive and can be done in a few months once you get the hang of the normal pull up.
4. One Finger Pull Up
Few people on the planet can do the one finger pull up. This one is very intense.
3. Weighted One Armed Pull Up
Depending on the amount of weight you use, this could be progressively difficult.
2. Human Flag Pull Ups
The Human Flag Pull Ups are so impressive. Watch this video to learn how to do it.
1. Kipping Clap Pull Ups
One simple variation on the normal Kipping Pull Up and you have one of the most difficult pull ups on earth. Check this video out!
Can any of you out there do any of these pull up exercises? I would love to work up toward the Human Flag Pull Up. This one is wickedly cool!
11 Comments
This is wickedly awesome i love this.
Hi Wilson,
Glad you like it!
Can you do any of these? Some of them ARE truly difficult!
Todd
Any good alternatives to Pull ups Todd?
Hi Kenneth,
If you don’t have a pull up bar I recommend doing stretch pushups. They will help build strength in your upper back, though they don’t strengthen your biceps. You can make a “make-shift” pull up bar at home if you like. Here’s a link on how to do it.
Thanks for the comment.
Todd
Can not do any of these, though I can do one normal pull up.
Journey of a thousand miles….
I can now do side to side(though I still have normal hand position, cause they are normal length always) and i can also do narrow grip
Great Devon!
And also now I can do the easier than normal pull up towell pull up
Yeis, the towell pull up is EASIER than the normal.
Really? I think most people would probably disagree. You are engaging extra forearm and hand muscles that you aren’t using in the normal pull ups. You must have forearms like Popeye!