How I Went From Zero To Twenty Seven Pull Ups…and How You Can Too!
There are a lot of guys and girls who can’t do one pull up (where your palms face outward), and when I was younger, I was no exception. But by using a few tricks, I was able to drastically increase my shoulder and upper back strength and go from zero to twenty seven pull ups. You can do the same by following these simple tricks:
Can’t Complete One Pull Up Yet? Use a Chair…Or a Buddy!
I used to look down upon the idea of using a “crutch” to complete an exercise if you’re not able to do it. That changed in the army when I saw that it seemed to help people get their first pull up done faster if they train their body to complete the motion.There are two ways of accomplishing this. You can either stand on a chair and do one pull up, which is easier than doing a full pull up from the ground.
Or alternatively, you can ask a buddy to “spot” your pull up, and if you’re not able to complete one, he can just push you up to finish the motion. Do this as often as possible (as in, whenever you’re not too sore) and watch as you’re soon able to complete your first pull up!
Find a Really Thick Bar…
The first pull up bar that I ever seriously trained on was this massive pole that a bunch of guys found, balanced onto two close by trees, and then duct taped it on to stabilize it (there’s nothing duct tape can’t do). This pole was so thick that despite being able to palm a basketball, I could barely grip the thing! You also had to jump to reach it. While this definitely made pull ups harder to do, when I finally had a chance to do some pull ups on a normal bar, it was incredibly easy. As a tip, I suggest duct taping around the pole where you’re gripping it to make it slightly easier to handle.
Do ‘Em Whenever Possible
The great thing about pull ups is they take about 3 minutes of your time to get in a full upper back and shoulder workout. So whenever you’re close by to a pull up bar and you’re not feeling sore, take a few minutes out of your day and go do 3 sets of pull ups (you can even do it while waiting for the computer to load), and watch as the amount of pull ups you can do begins to increase big time!
Mix It Up
Have you been increasing how many pull ups you can do steadily but have hit a wall? Try mixing up your routine. Instead of doing normal pull up repetitions, hold yourself for 10 seconds, lift yourself up, hold yourself for 10 seconds, and then repeat. Doing a few sessions of these kind of timed pull ups works really well for pulling you out of a pull up rut.
Try these tricks, and let me know how it goes!
P.S. I’m now on twitter…so follow me!
August 7th, 2009 at 3:52 am
I have downloaded the iPhone App 20 pullups but have not started it yet. Like the 100 pushups app (which I am using), it slowly takes you throug the process.
August 7th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I used to do 3! now I can do a whooping 1/2. Urgh!
August 8th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I used to unable to do a single pullup (did’nt even know there was such a thing as back muscle) but after 3 weeks of using the lat pull down and bicep curl machine everyday I could do five and have increased the repetitions from there. So from my experience machines are a good method for a novice to get a level where they can do a few pullups. note-would’nt recommend bicep curl machine, got very large biceps,stopped using machine ( which is inevitable) and subsequently got massive stretch marks and soft arms.
August 8th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Jeremy – Interesting.
Sophia – I’m sure you’ll get it back. Just gotta hit the pull up bar again!
Henry – I’ve heard people recommend doing the lat pull down but I have to say that I like my chair or buddy suggestion better.
August 14th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
If you are just beginning, here is what I would do: Find your maximum number of pullups you can do, partials don’t count. Let’s say its only 2. Take half, (1) and do it every day, BUT NO MORE. Sounds like too little, but its not. Re-test yourself after two weeks, find your new max, again take half, do ONLY THAT every day.
Alternatively, if you have muscle tissue issues/strain, wait one or two days in between sessions. There are no gains when you work out on already damaged tissue. A day or two in between will be beneficial, won’t kill you.
Important: when doing pullups, tense your lats/arm pit muscles HARD, and clench your butt cheeks like you’re trying to pinch a coin. This is nothing original… Pavel Tstatsouline has recommended this for years, and it works. In fact, anytime you lift anything, tense your lats, butt cheeks, and brace (don’t hollow nor suck in) your abs like you’re about to receive a punch to the stomach. Do those three things always, and you’ll find you gain strength, reps are easier, and you’ll also protect your back from injury.
One more thing, I find looking forward, not up at the bar, spares my neck.