You can do it! Pull ups can be one of the most daunting exercises. Not only because they are hard, but because they are hard!!!! But that doesn’t mean they are impossible. Almost anyone can learn to do a pull up. If you work hard and enjoy the process, anything is possible, right? Take it from me who started with no natural upper body strength. I worked my booty off to get my first pull up, and now I can do 10.
You need a pull up bar or rings that you have access to 2-3 times a week. Depending on your lifestyle you can use one at the gym, at a playground (monkey bars), or put one in your doorway at home. Wherever it is, make sure it is practical and easy to use. If you want to do pull ups, you have to commit to practicing regularly. Here are a few tips. Do these exercises in this order 2-3x a week.
1. Shruggs: Hang from the bar in “ready position” with your fingers facing forward, elbows straight, shoulders neutral and ribs in (hollow body).
Keeping your ribs in and elbows straight, externally rotate your shoulders (bringing your elbows in toward the midline) and gently draw your shoulders down (away from your ears) and then with control let them raise (eccentric contraction). Do not crank your shoulders too far down. Just move within the natural range of motion that your shoulders have without forcing. Make sure to keep external rotation while you do it.
Do this 10-20 times and then hold for a count of 10 in “ready position.” Shruggs are essential to giving your body the foundation to get strong without injuring your shoulders and back. Now your focus is on the pull ups.
2. Bent Arm Hold: Holding the top of the pull up.
Jump or climb (on a chair) up so you are holding the bar with bent arms. Your chin is over the bar but not touching it (“Bent Arm Hold”). Keep your shoulders down away from your ears and your ribs in (hollow body). Relax your face, and hold as long as you can. Once you can hold for 30 seconds, you can try tucking your legs up and down with your knees together 10 times. Rest and repeat 2-3 times.
3. Negatives: Find “Bent Arm Hold.” Then lower your body by straightening your arms as slowly as you can.
Try counting to 10 slowly. You can combine #2 & 3 into one exercise if you are able to do it with good form.
4. Assisted Pull Ups: Now is the time to do some pull ups.
At the beginning, make it easy. Make it doable. It may be a while before you can do the real thing without help, so remember to make it fun and appreciate that you are getting stronger. There are many ways to do an assited pull up (see below). Here is one idea. Put a large inflatable exercise ball under your bar. Hold the bar in “ready position” and kneel on the ball. Your whole lower leg and feet should be on the ball. Push into the tops of your feet to straighten your legs as you pull up all the way to “bend arm hold.” You will have to play with the height to make it work for you. You can also purchase a super strong resistance band to help with assisted pull ups. Start with sets of 5 assisted pull ups and work up to 10. Rest and repeat. Try to do 5 sets of 5 or 2 sets of 10.
We didn’t have a ball, so we used a cushion on a block.
5. Bodyweight Rows: Find a bar that is low to the ground (about 3 feet high).
Hold the bar with your hands wide, and walk forward so your body is in a diagonal plank position. Draw your shoulders down away from your ears and ribs in (hollow body). From here pull up bending your elbows out to the sides 10-20 times. If you have access to rings, you can do this exercise narrow with your hands at shoulder width, pulling your elbows in toward your ribs.
Notes and Pep talk:
Remember we are all so different. Some body types can naturally build strength faster than others. No worries. Don’t compare yourself to others. Just enjoy the process. Enjoy the feeling of getting stronger. Keep in mind that there are good days and bad days. Sometimes you will feel weaker and shakier. On those days, do your exercises, but ease up a little. Maybe do less repetitions or less sets. Eat extra healthy veggies and lean protein that day, and trust that your body is adjusting.
Persistence. Remember the first thing I said? Pull ups are hard!! If you want to do them, you have to be persistent. Do your exercises about twice a week. It can be tedious and not super rewarding at times. I recommend working with a teacher or a training buddy.
Weight and body type. We are pulling our entire weight with our shoulders (arms and hands assisting). That is a lot of weight. We cannot expect fast results especially if our strength to weight ratio is not ideal. Don’t be hard on yourself. Do your shruggs (3 sets of 10, 3x/week) which will get easier as your strength to weight ratio evens out. Then start integrating the pull ups exercises. Don’t try to do everything all at once. Enjoy the process of feeling your body change into a more healthy, strong, empowered YOU!
Make a goal, and work towards it. For example if you want to do 5 pull ups in the next 3-5 months, make your goal 3 pull ups in 2 months, and then add on a pull up every 2-4 weeks after that. This brain/body communication is key to making steady progress.
Don’t over do it. Overtraining can make things worse and lead to injury. Again, working with a coach is best.
If you don’t have a coach, do my video with me! We can have fun together!
