Why couldn’t I do a single pull-up?

[daisy215]

@pablob It took me two weeks of training close to every day, before I could do one pull up. Do as far as you can go every day, the muscles will build. Im similar weight and height to you. Then it took me 3 months to to nearly complete 10. Don’t stop because it gets put into your muscle memory. I didn’t do any training for 4 months and when I started again I could still do 5 which I was so happy about

 

[fadedjehovahswitness]

@pablob It could be limitations in your back. The most common weakest link preventing someone from doing pullups are the scapulae. I’m getting back into it after almost a year off and have been doing band assisted pullups (from beginning to add weight at my peak).

Rows and scapula pulls can be effective. I also would recommend “how to bulletproof your shoulders” by fitnessFAQ and incorporating that into your routine.

Edit: I’ve also seen some recommendations to do pullups on a machine. While this can be beneficial, one of the main muscle groups worked in the pullup is the core, and is totally eliminated if you’re standing up on a weight. I would strongly recommend band-assisted pullups and scapula pulls instead.

 

[emper]

@pablob Train with weighted lat pull downs and work your way up to your body weight. You want to make sure your form is almost perfect and you are engaging your back as well as your arms.

Pull ups involve a lot of muscle groups (which is why they are the best!). So start with less weight than you would think is appropriate to ensure you are engaging all of them. It is absolutely harder to get there the heavier you are, but with consistent training (and good form) you should be able to get there without loosing any more weight.

 

[bukadavis01]

@pablob Somewhat off topic, but my 110 lb 5'6 lady friend was pretty weak and couldn't do a single pull up. Started indoor rock climbing, and now she can do 3 or 4 after only 3 months. Climbing does crazy things for forearm and pulling strength. Plus it's actually fun to do, esp compared to just straight working out.

 

[shamed]

@pablob I'm about the same high as you, and even tho its a bit harder for us then for someone shorter, it isnt a barrier.

what I did was start with negatives. No bands, just used a step to climb to the top position on the bar and go down in a slow and controlled way. after a couple months pullups became viable with perfect form.

you just need to practice

 

[puma150]

@pablob Think less about your arms, think more about keeping your body tight

 

[breezesmother]

@pablob Check out rubberbanditz resistance bands, they've got something beefy enough to do assisted pullups even at 100kg.

 

[fredflinstone123]

@pablob try negative pull-ups. I was unable to perform even a single pull-up, but after a few weeks of training (without bands) , I could perform my first one. Hope it helps. (Sorry for my bad English )

 

[gsmith3286]

@pablob Last weekend I achieved my first pull up. Before that I did rows, negative pull-ups and leg-assisted pull-ups consistently for 2 to 3 months

 

[bkmofo]

@pablob Bra do assisted pull-ups for like 10 days and you’ll be banging them out.

You’re doing great! But be a little patient with yourself sometimes too

 

[galatians3]

@pablob It's a technique issue probably. Try negatives (not an issue at your height) and holding in various positions until you get the knack of the motion.

 

[dawn16]

@pablob It doesn't matter why. If you want to be able to do pull-ups now, start with bar hangs going into negatives. Do 4-5 sets of 3-5 spaced throughout the day. I would recommend 2 days on/1 day off. As.you can do more, do more. You should be able to be doing a pull-up around the 4-6 week mark...maybe even earlier.

 

[yu1987]

@pablob You ever seen an olympic weightlifter in some of the lighter classes? Or maybe a professional arm wrestler? They are very strong at particular movements because they do them.

The pull up motion is not really something a human being does in the modern environment...ever. It isn't exactly surprising that you can't do one without training it first unless you climb trees for fun.

 

[sleepycatawakes]

@pablob If it makes you feel better as a skinny guy I can do a bunch of pull-ups but I'm not that strong.

Do like 5 to 10 every day but like I said if you asked me to pick up actual weights I probably couldn't do much

 

[robbyk]

@pablob Lat pull downs & rear deltoid exercises (face pulls) help with the main muscle contraction required for pull ups. An Inbalance between these two muscle drivers may cause pull ups to be more difficult

 

[patrickwhitmore]

@pablob I would incorporate a decent volume of well executed horizontal rows, paying attention to contracting the back at the end and trying to "push forward" the chest as much as possible. This carries well to pullpus, even though it's not exactly the same movement, and the other advantage is that you can train with a lot of volume if it comes to rows (even being able to do one pullup wouldn't do much to train for pullups, if you see what I mean). You could also try to lose a bit of weight, but eat well and don't starve.

 

[dawn16]

@pablob Poor posture can definitely effect developing the muscle groups that are most important for pull ups and chin ups, but especially pull ups. It can be really easy to accidentally use your biceps in a lot of back training movements without realizing it, especially with bad posture. Focus on form and really make sure you feel it in your upper back, not arms. This was hard for me but made all the difference when i figured it out.
Also, if you have any access to a rock gym i would consider giving that a try. I feel like i developed my back more in my first month of climbing than i did in 2 years of lifting.

 

[mikesayen]

@pablob I recommend you reading “overcoming gravity”

 

[ggg17]

@pablob Your optimum weight is perhaps around 185 Lb. Do chin ups and negative pull ups and one day you will be doing your first pull up. Give it a few months.