Reps Only exercise

Towel Pull-up form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The towel pull-up is a pull-up variation performed by gripping one or two towels draped over the bar, shifting significant demand onto the forearms and finger flexors while still training the latissimus dorsi and biceps. Climbers, grapplers, and strength athletes use it to build crushing grip strength alongside pulling power, since the thick, unstable towel grip fatigues the hands before the back.

Towel Pull-up illustration

How to do Towel Pull-up

  1. 1Drape one or two towels over a pull-up bar and grip a towel end in each hand at shoulder width.
  2. 2Hang with straight arms, squeeze the towels as hard as possible, and set your shoulders down away from your ears.
  3. 3Brace your core and exhale as you pull your chin above bar height, keeping your body from swinging.
  4. 4Avoid letting your grip slide down the towel or kipping to finish the rep.
  5. 5Inhale as you lower under full control to straight arms, maintaining towel tension between reps.

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Track Towel Pull-up in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.