Australian Pull-Up — High Angle (~45°)

Pull horizontal · reps · bilateral The first loaded pull: chest to the bar, body angled — the angle sets the load.

The movement

Hang under a bar around hip height, body straight and angled, heels on the floor. Pull the chest to the bar by driving the elbows back and down, then lower to straight arms. The higher the body angle, the lighter the load.

Set-up — and what each part is for

• Bar ~hip height; grip pronated, thumbs wrapped, a little wider than shoulders.
• Body one straight line head-to-heels, ~45° to the floor, heels down. Glutes and abs braced. → feel a flat, hard plank; the hips don’t sag.
• Head neutral.

The rep — rehearse it before you do it

• Set the shoulder blades (pack down), then pull the chest to the bar, elbows back and down. → feel the lats and mid-back do the work, not the hands.
• Top: chest touches the bar, brief pause, body still straight.
• Lower in 2 s to fully straight arms before the next rep.

Breathing

Exhale on the pull, inhale on the lower. Free throughout.

Watch for

• Hip sag → the chest reaches by tilting instead of pulling; brace before you pull.
• Chin/face to the bar instead of the chest → the chest is the target; chin-first means the back isn’t engaging.
• Partial range → arms reach full extension between reps.
• Bent legs → the body is one straight unit; bent legs change the angle and unload it.

Within the level

• Harder: walk the feet forward (lower angle, more load); slow the lower; pause at the top.
• Easier: feet back / bar higher (more upright, lighter).

Dose

Test your max in clean form, then practice at half rounded down, capped at 5 reps per set, spread through the day. Stop well short of form breakdown.

No adjustable bar? Set the load by foot position: feet forward = more horizontal = harder; feet back = more upright = easier. Aim for ~45° here.