The Elusive Pull-Up

[louisianianka]

@twinmama Excellent guide!!

 

[gurshwin]

@twinmama I disagree somewhat with the statement that bands don't help. I started workin on chin-ups last year, when I wasn't able to do anything but hang from the bar. I worked my way up through rows, inverted pull-ups and negatives and nothing helped me to feel the recruitment of the proper muscles the way a band did.

I've been practicing with bands for the last ~5 months and I can now do 2 unassisted chin-ups in a row, about 5 total when I do them one at a time and take breaks in between. I've moved down to the very smallest band and can now do 5 sets of 5 consecutive chin ups using the band. I definitely feel that I've gotten stronger and it's been really helpful to practice the full range of motion, as opposed to the half-range you get with negatives and other exercises.

Maybe it's different because I'm doing chin-ups and not pull-ups, but i've found the bands to be incredibly helpful!

 

[twinmama]

@gurshwin I appreciate the feedback!
I want to clarify that I didn't mean to suggest bands are worthless. They are great as accessory pieces, which is basically how you used them. You developed the strength via negatives, rows, etc and then used the bands for some targeted muscle development. This is when they WORK. Fantastic.
What I wanted to caution against are the many people I see buy bands and only do banded pull-ups. By not doing rows, negatives, etc they don't build all of the required muscles and typically fail in their pull-up goal.
Congrats on your chin-ups!

 

[saira123]

@twinmama I started weight training with a coach about 2 years ago and one of the things that I told him that I wanted to do was a chin up. He had me focus on negatives and then using a weight belt and doing weighted negatives. Only after a couple months, I could do a chin up! I’ve not been interested in an actual pull up, but I imagine the process would be the same.

I was so amazed at how much the weighted negatives helped me - it really works.

 

[rapturewatcher]

@twinmama Top notch post OP! This should probably be sticked on put on the subreddit sidebar, IMO.

 

[twinmama]

@rapturewatcher Thank you! We'll move it into the FAQ for sure.

I'm glad everyone has found this useful

 

[glegbart]

@twinmama This is great, thank you! I was able to get 1.5 chin ups when I randomly tried on a bar a couple of weeks ago, but I'd definitely like to be able to do a pull up, and hopefully more than 1 rep at a time by the end of the year!

 

[jesusiscoming01]

@twinmama Great resource! Thank you!

I want to add that sometimes it’s not just a matter of strength, but technique. For me and a couple of friends, transitioning from a dead-hang, to a scapular pull, to the next part of the pull wasn’t intuitive, and we needed to practice that part of the motion (for me it was partner assisted pull-ups that drove the movement home).

 

[twinmama]

@jesusiscoming01 Another reason why I think negatives are key. It's hard to teach each part of a pullup, which muscles are flexed at which portion, etc without having someone move through the movement. It really is a whole body move

 

[anon103]

@twinmama Agree that the assisted pull-up machine isn't a solution on its own... But neither are negatives.

What I had to do, and what most people who are strong but can't make progress seem to be missing, is BUILDING LATS.

Kroc rows were hugely helpful for me (alongside foot assisted pushups, holds, and negatives) but other lat exercises can work too. Do a lot of them and do them heavy.

And don't cheat the bottom of the movement. Make sure you're hanging long from your arms before you start the next rep.

(Qualifications: I got up to 10 pullups at bodyweight of 135. I don't train them specifically these days but I can still knock out 7 or 8, even though I'm heavier now.)

 

[twinmama]

@anon103 Fully agree, thank you for adding on to my summary.
That's specifically why I dislike bands so much, they force you to cheat the bottom of the movement. Many people don't realize it, and it kills their ability to do pullups.

 

[anon103]

@twinmama 100%

 

[dawn16]

@twinmama

To be blunt, the assisted pull-up machine in the gym isn’t doing you any favors.

Banded pull-ups, while often suggested, negatively change muscle activation. The part where they provide the greatest assistance (the dead hang) is where one truly needs to develop strength. They make pull-ups feel easier but they do not help you get strong.

FINALLY! More people need to know this. These methods are suboptimal at best.

ETA: Another route you could take as opposed to kipping pull ups: muscle ups, one arm pull ups, or one arm chin ups

 

[ccscott61]

@twinmama Thank you so much! I’ve done so many negatives but never realised that I should try to hold on for 30 seconds - really looking forward to trying that out in the gym.

 

[diarmaidmurf]

@twinmama Thank you for sharing this. I had given up my goal of doing a pull-up but this helped inform and encourage.

 

[twinmama]

@diarmaidmurf

this helped inform and encourage

I am so happy to hear this! I want all women to feel empowered.

 

[tuffstuff]

@twinmama This is a great post, thank you!! I have a question for anyone who can answer. I recently got a breast augmentation (5 mon post-op) and I feel like when I’ve tried pull ups since I’ve been back in the gym it’s super uncomfortable in the pectoral region. I’m afraid to push it because I don’t want to injure myself but I’m sure they’re not impossible to do with implants! What should I do to get my pec strength back?

My strength is back otherwise! I’m an Olympic lifter and I’m hitting all my old numbers again. But I should also add I was never great at pull ups to begin with lol.

 

[kvarsh]

@twinmama I didn’t see the cable lat pull mentioned. What is your opinion on that exercise?

 

[twinmama]

@kvarsh As an accessory movement it's fantastic!

 

[synergy]

@twinmama doing scapular pulls really helped me build the back/shoulder strength that got me my first pull-up!