Pull ups take a good amount of upper-body strength, and you can develop the muscles needed fairly easily. We have been helping people develop their pull ups for years, you are no different!
Three movements you can do with a pull up bar and some weights to get a pull up.
- Dumbbell Row – Do these 3 times per week, 15 reps a day, 5 reps at a time. Start with a moderate weight and increase to a heavy weight where you can barely get the last rep in! Be nice and slow on these! Body angle doesn’t matter as much. Use different angles frequently (kneeling and pulling from a bench, bent over rows, or bracing yourself against a chair or wall with the opposite hand you are working with). DB’s work just fine, but if you have a KB, or a Barbell, they will work just fine too.
- Negatives – Pull up Grip and Chin up Grip – Do these at least 2 times a week and do 2 small sets of 2 or 4 reps at a time. The important aspect of these negatives is to go as SLOW as possible on the way down, and rest when you need to. You may use bands or a box to support, as long you put your best effort into it every rep.
- Buddy Pull ups – you start buddy pull ups by hanging from a bar and bending your knees. Your buddy is behind you and grabs the top of your feet for support. This makes you start from a dead hang. Your buddy can help as much or as little as they like, and if you are stellar at pull ups already, they can actually pull you down to add some resistance! Much like the negatives, these will tire you out, so do these movements on days you are not doing negatives, 2 or 3 times a week for 5-7 reps until you build your strict pull up!
These movements are just to get you started, but we find that they are necessary for success. Progress will go faster if you work with one of our expert coaches who can tailor the program to your specific goals.
Have questions? Email us at gym@crossfitsolidcore.com