Pull-up form check: a live coach on your phone
The pull-up is the benchmark of upper-body pulling strength, and the rep that counts is the full one: from a dead hang with straight arms to your chin over the bar, and back down under control. The usual faults are half reps at the top, no real hang at the bottom and a swing that does the work.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the rep properly in front of your phone. Bodyweight squats, push-ups and lunges need nothing at all, and you can check the hinge and press patterns with a very light weight or none: the coach judges your movement, not your kit.
What good looks like
- Hang from the bar with your arms straight, shoulders pulled down and your feet off the floor.
- Pull your elbows down toward your ribs until your chin is clearly over the bar.
- Pause for a moment at the top without letting your chin drop below the bar.
- Lower for about two seconds all the way to a dead hang before the next rep.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Half reps at the top
Stopping with your chin below the bar skips the hardest part. Pull until your chin clears the bar.
No dead hang
Starting every rep with bent arms shortens the movement. Lower until your arms are fully straight.
Swinging or kipping
Using momentum from the legs and hips takes the work off the back and arms. Squeeze your glutes and pull straight up.
What Formanti checks on your pull-up
The top of every rep, judged the same way.
- Elbows: 150–186°. a full dead hang: arms straight between reps
Your top
The low point of every rep, judged against the guide ranges.
- Elbows: 25–95°. pull until your chin is over the bar: elbows well bent
What you hear and see when you are off
Pull higher: chin over the bar
The coach says: “Chin over the bar”
On screen: Pull higher: chin over the bar.
Drill: Negatives and band-assisted pull-ups: reach the top, then lower for 4 seconds. Pause 1 second with your chin over the bar.
Hang all the way down
The coach says: “Full hang”
On screen: Hang all the way down.
Drill: Pull-ups with a 1 second dead hang between reps, shoulders pulled down but arms straight.
Drills you can do alone
- Negatives: jump or step to the top and lower for four to five seconds to a dead hang, building the strength for a full rep.
- Band-assisted pull-ups with a thin band, keeping the full range from a dead hang to chin over the bar.
How to set up your phone
Phone at chest height, 2 to 3 metres to your side (or in front), with the bar and your whole body in view, feet included. Film from the side: back and hip angles cannot be judged head-on. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
New: ranges from standard coaching references, not yet checked against real lifters.
Frequently asked questions
Can the phone see my chin over the bar?
It cannot see the bar. It measures your elbow angle: a full rep reads as clearly bent arms at the top and straight arms at the bottom. Treat it as a count of full-range reps.
Does it work from the front or the side?
Either, as long as your whole body, feet included, is in view. The elbow angle that decides the rep is readable from both.
More lifts to check
Deadlift · Squat · Push-up · Lunge · Overhead press · Bent-over row · Romanian deadlift · Bicep curl · Tricep extension · Lateral raise · Glute bridge · Dip · Sit-up · Jumping jack · Plank · Wall sit