Eccentric Only Pull Up Overview
The eccentric only pull up is a back move. It works your lats. The lats are the big wing muscles on the sides of your back. It also works your biceps and mid back. The biceps are the muscles on the front of your arms. You need a pull-up bar. You jump to the top and lower yourself down slowly. The eccentric only pull up is a great step toward full pull-ups. It builds the strength to pull your own weight. The slow lower makes your muscles strong. It is good for people who cannot do a full pull-up yet. Use it on back day or pull day. It also fits at the end of a workout.
What Is The Point of the Eccentric Only Pull Up?
The eccentric only pull up builds incredible back strength by focusing on the lowering phase. Perfect for breaking through pull-up plateaus and building muscle fast.
How To Do The Eccentric Only Pull Up
- Set up under a pull-up bar with a box or bench so you can easily reach the top position. Grab the bar with an overhand grip a little wider than shoulder width, since you will be starting from the top of the movement.
- Jump or step up until your chin is over the bar and your arms are fully contracted. This top position is your starting point, so get there with your legs rather than pulling yourself up.
- Set your shoulders by pulling your shoulder blades down and back, away from your ears. Squeeze your lats and keep your chest up so you own the top position before you lower.
- Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your body stays rigid and does not swing. A tight, controlled body is what makes the eccentric productive and safe.
- Begin lowering yourself slowly, aiming for a three to five second descent. Fight gravity the whole way, keeping tension in your lats and biceps rather than just dropping.
- Keep your elbows tracking down and slightly in front of you as you descend, feeling your lats stretch. Resist the urge to speed up as you pass the hardest middle portion of the movement.
- Lower all the way until your arms are fully straight and your lats are fully lengthened. Do not cut the descent short, because the stretched bottom position is a key part of the stimulus.
- Step or jump back to the top and repeat for controlled reps, usually 5 to 8 slow descents. Stop the set once your descents get fast and out of control, since sloppy eccentrics do little good.
Eccentric Only Pull Up Form Tips
- Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders.
- Pull your shoulders down and back at the top.
- Lower slowly. Take three to five seconds each rep.
- Keep your core tight so you do not swing.
- Keep your body long and still on the way down.
- Do not drop the last part. Stay in control.
- Breathe in as you lower. Breathe out as you reset.
- Keep your chin tucked a little, not craned up.
- Squeeze your back and arms to slow the fall.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Eccentric Only Pull Up
- Dropping too fast instead of resisting gravity. The entire value of this exercise is the slow lowering, so a quick drop wastes the whole rep. Aim for a controlled three to five second descent and fight the bar the whole way down.
- Not setting your shoulders at the top. Starting to lower with loose, shrugged shoulders puts the joint in a weak, vulnerable spot. Pull your shoulder blades down and back and squeeze your lats before you begin each descent.
- Swinging and using body English. A kipping, swinging body turns a strict strength drill into a chaotic flail and steals tension from your lats. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your body stays rigid all the way down.
- Cutting the descent short at the bottom. Stopping before your arms are straight skips the deep stretch that builds real pulling strength. Lower all the way to full extension so your lats lengthen completely on every rep.
- Doing too many reps and losing quality. Grinding out ten fast, ugly descents does far less than a few slow, hard ones. Cap the set at 5 to 8 controlled reps and stop when you can no longer slow the descent.
- Neglecting the top hold entirely. Rushing off the top means you skip the strong contracted position that also builds strength. Pause briefly with your chin over the bar and your lats squeezed before you lower.
- Letting your elbows flare wide and lose the lat line. Flaring elbows straight out shifts stress off the lats and onto the shoulders. Keep your elbows tracking down and slightly forward so the lats stay in the line of pull.
- Holding your breath the entire descent. Going breathless on a long five second rep makes you tense and shaky. Exhale slowly and steadily as you lower so your bracing stays intact.
- Starting from a bar that is too high with no plan. Jumping wildly to reach the top wastes energy and can jar your shoulders. Use a box or bench so you can step into the top position cleanly every rep.
- Ignoring this as a stepping stone to full pull-ups. Some people write off eccentrics as not real reps, but they build the exact strength you need. Treat them as serious training and your first strict pull-up will come faster.
- Losing tension in the middle of the range. Many lifters control the top and bottom but let go through the hardest middle portion. Keep the descent even and slow the whole way, especially through that mid-range sticking point.
Eccentric Only Pull Up Workout Tips
- Aim for a slow three to five second descent every rep. The controlled lowering is the entire point, and it builds the pulling strength that leads to full pull-ups.
- Set your shoulders down and back before you lower. A stable, retracted shoulder protects the joint and puts your lats in the strongest position.
- Use eccentrics to build toward your first strict pull-up. Fighting gravity on the way down develops the exact strength you need to eventually pull up.
- Keep your body rigid by bracing your core and glutes. A tight body stops swinging and keeps all the tension on your lats and biceps.
- Cap your sets at 5 to 8 quality reps. Once you can no longer control the descent, the set is done, since sloppy drops add little.
- Lower all the way to full arm extension. The stretched bottom position is a key part of the stimulus, so never cut the descent short.
- Step or jump to the top to save energy. Getting into the start with your legs lets you spend all your strength on the lowering.
- Keep your elbows tracking down and slightly forward. This keeps your lats in the line of pull and takes stress off your shoulders.
- Program it early in your back workout when fresh. Eccentrics are demanding, so do them before other pulling work while your strength is high.
- Exhale slowly and steadily through each descent. Controlled breathing keeps your brace tight over the full five second rep.
- Progress by slowing the descent further over time. Adding a second or two to your tempo is a simple way to keep overloading the movement.
- Pair them with banded or assisted pull-ups. Combining eccentrics with assisted concentrics attacks the full pull-up from both directions.
- Expect fast strength gains from eccentric overload. You can control more weight on the way down than you can lift up, which drives rapid progress.
- Rest fully between sets to keep quality high. These reps are neurologically taxing, so give yourself two to three minutes to recover.
- Try a slightly wider grip to bias the lats. A grip just outside shoulder width emphasizes the lats over the biceps during the descent.
- Stay patient and consistent with the tempo. Rushing the reps defeats the purpose, so trust the slow descent and your pulling strength will climb.
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