There are many different exercises you can pair with pull ups to create a superset-based workout.
Pull up superset pairings are going to help you increase muscle and strength, build endurance, scorch calories, and reduce your workout time in half.
The “key” to a perfect pull up pairing is to alternate exercises that utilize different muscle groups, reducing rest periods, allowing you to workout quickly and with little to no wasted time.
Before going into the exercises that are ideal to pair with pullups, let’s go over what a superset is.
Superset Definition
A superset is when you alternate two comparable, opposing, or unrelated exercises with one another and little to no rest in between.
The best way to superset your pullups is with an opposing muscle group. In the case of a pull up, think of it pairing with a push exercise like a pushup.
In doing so you work opposing muscle groups. The pull up will work the lats, middle back and biceps while the pushup will work the chest, triceps, shoulders, and abs.
Just by doing these two exercises, you work the majority of the muscles of the upper body.
Exercises to Pair with Pull Ups (Supersets)
A pull up superset is one of the best ways to strengthen the body in a small amount of time.
Picking the perfect exercise to pair with your pull up will depend on your goals for the workout or the week.
If you pick an unrelated exercise like a sumo squat, you will be using your inner thighs, glutes, quads and back muscles.
After that, jump right into your pullups and work your lats, forearms, rhomboids and biceps.
The pushup is the perfect exercise to pair with your pull up. Working opposing muscle groups, you can scorch your body, burning calories, building muscle, giving you a workout in a limited amount of time.
Other exercises to pair with a pull up as a superset include:
- Pistol squats
- Reverse Lunges
- Squat Jumps
- Upside down shoulder presses
- Mountain Climbers
- Push-up Jacks
- Planks
- Bench Press
- Bicep Curls
- Chest Flies
Pull Up Combination Exercise
A great way to superset your pull up is with a pull up combination exercise.
You will want to do one rep of something followed by a pull up.
This could be something like a burpee jumping to a pull up bar and pulling up.
In this way you get work the leg muscles, chest muscles, core, and back muscles. Almost every muscle in the body is worked with this combination exercise.
What’s also great is you burn tons of calories at the same time during this intense hiit workout.
Exercises to Help with Pull Ups
If it’s difficult for you to do a pull up in the first place, it might be good for you to engage with exercises that help develop strength in your biceps, lats, forearms, and back.
The first exercise you should do to increase the strength of your pull up is the lat pulldown.
This is a simpler form of the pull up and can help you work your way up to a pull up by increasing the weight over time.
The second exercise you can do to increase your ability to do the pull up is with the assisted pull up.
Many pull up machines at the gym have a spot for you to place your knees and get the assistance you need to pull up without having to pull the weight of your entire body.
Use different angles and grips to make sure you hit all possible muscle groups. Try some wide grip pull ups, underhand pullups and alternate grip pull ups.
Next, mix in some rows and deadlifts. This will strengthen your upper, middle, and lower back to give you the stability you need to keep your body in one place during the exercise.
Last, do jump pullups to failure. You don’t have to have a large vertical leap to accomplish this, just a little bounce to get your body moving in the right direction.
“This pull up bar is my favorite to put in home on the door jam!!”
Summary: Exercises to Pair with Pull Ups (Supersets)
If you need some ideas of the exercises you should be pairing or super setting with pull ups, start by assessing your goals and what you want to accomplish for the day or the week. If you need opposing muscle groups, do pushup variations with your pull up. For similar muscle group pairings, do some bicep curls or lat pull downs. A great unrelated pullup superset will be anything with the legs. Give yourself a minimal amount of rest and give yourself a great hiit workout in the process.
If you liked this article, check out: 7 Exercises that Help with Pull Ups
