“I’ll never be able to do a pull-up!” – you, maybe
Well, certainly not with that attitude.
But seriously, the road to your first pull-up can be a long & disheartening one. Most people don’t know what/how to train and have delusional expectations of how quickly they should be progressing.
However, I do believe that most everyone is capable of performing a strict pull-up. It may take some people longer than others, depending on strength, body weight, limb lengths, and other factors… but it’s possible, nonetheless.
It took me a full year to go from 0 to 1 pull-up, and I was doing multiple sets, at or near failure, nearly every day. I’m not recommending that approach, but just trying to put things into perspective. If you’ve been at it for 4 months with no pull-up in sight, it’s fine. Keep going.
But first, make sure you have a general understanding of what it takes to get stronger:
INTENSITY — you could have the perfect exercises to build pull-up strength, but if you’re not taking those moves at least 1-2 reps shy of failure (and sometimes testing them all the way to failure) you’re not sending a loud enough signal to your body to get stronger. With any movement you’re trying to strengthen, if you’re consistently leaving 5 reps on the table because “it already burns”, you’re going to be disappointed with your progress.
FREQUENCY — If you’re practicing pull-ups once a week, or just “when you feel like it”, your progress will reflect that. You won’t see noticeable gains, especially with a challenging movement like pull-ups, with a couple sets per week and no structure to your training. Have a routine in place that genuinely challenges you 3x/week, and don’t be afraid to just practice the skill of the pull-up between those sessions (doing an easy set of band-assisted with 2 or 3 reps in reserve, for example)
VARIETY OF REP RANGES — 3 sets of 10 is great, but if you’re only operating within that range, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Don’t be afraid to test out the lowest resistance band & go for lower reps, like 1-5. Training with lower rep ranges will improve your muscles’ ability to contract hard… and after all, you are training for your first pull-up, which is essentially a 1 rep max.
PATIENCE — building strength requires consistent, real effort for a long period of time. Relax into the process.
Now, here are a few of my favorite exercises to progress towards your first pull-up. Search any of these on YouTube & you’ll find them:
Passive & active hangs: pull-ups require a lot of grip/hanging strength, so it would benefit you to increase how long you can grip the bar. Passively hanging = shoulders relaxed, everything fully extended. Active hanging = incorporating some shrugging/retraction of your shoulder blades (AKA a scap pull-up)
Feet assisted pull-ups: ensure you keep your hips under your chest (vertical torso position)
Once you’re busting out the feet assist with no problem, try performing Rack Chins (similar concept, but with less lower body assistance).
Band assisted pull-ups: the problem with bands is that they assist you at the toughest part of the rep (the bottom), so choose a thickness that really challenges you to use your own strength coming up as opposed to letting it do half the work for you. Don’t be afraid of lower rep ranges!
Isometric holds: Jump to chin over bar & hold that top position as long as you can — or get yourself to the 1/2 pull-up position (arms at 90°) and hold as long as you can.
Negatives/eccentrics: jump to that chin over bar position, and then take as long as you can lowering yourself to the bottom. Rest, then perform another slow rep. Once you’re able to do several good, slow reps, start adding weight! A 5# medicine ball or dumbbell between the legs can add a really nice challenge for these & are a great way to ensure you’re progressing.
This is just scratching the surface, but I hope it’s helpful! Don’t hesitate to reply to this email if you have any questions.
& don’t give up 🙂
– Sofia