Exercise - Pull ups and Chin ups - How to get your first pull-up

How to get your first pull-up

Pull-Up Progression

If just the thought of pull-ups so far has you shaking your head because you can’t imagine doing even one, don’t worry. Here’s an exercise progression that can help you get there. Once you complete each phase, move on to the next.

1. Flexed arm hang: 30 seconds

   

2. Seated pull-up + TRX: 10 vertical reps

   

3. Straight-leg pull-up + TRX: 10 vertical reps

   

4. Drop-down pull-up: 5 reps lasting 5 seconds

   1. Start with an overhand grip with your hands about 6 to 12 inches wider than shoulder-width apart, to start.
   2. Start with the chest at the bar, then let your body drop to the lower position until the hands get straight.
   3. Do this very slowly - it should take a minimum of 5 seconds.
   4. That’s 1 rep.

5. Assisted pull-up + Band: 15 reps with 1-inch band

6. Pull-up: after 15 reps, add max weight for 2 to 6 reps

Pullups for the total beginner - Five phase program to build up from zero to eight pullups

by Scooby1961

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRznU6pzez0

The pull-up is absolutely one of the most important exercises that a new-comer to fitness can do. Unfortunately, it’s also the most difficult. Many of you can’t do a single pull up. Lets look at a five Phase program that will help you build up your strength so that you can do eight solid pull ups without a problem. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman, whether you’re 13 or 80, you can do it.

First, a quick word about weight. There’s a lot of reasons to lose fat and get your six pack out. And I’m about to give you another one. The number one way to make pull ups easier is to lose fat and weigh less. Every pound of fat is like an anchor pulling you toward the ground. Get rid of that anchor and the pull ups become so much easier. If you want to see how to lose fat, please see my video “losing fat is as easy as 123”, for an easy way to lose body fat.

A pull up is more difficult than a chin up. And we’re going to use that fact to help you build up to the point where you can do eight solid pull ups.

There’s a four method you can use to build up. We’re going to use my favorite, which is the chair method. But if you have access to a gym, you can use a pulldown machine, or if you want, you can use the partner training method, where a partner lifts you from your knees, or you can use resistance bands. We’re going to do the chair method, because you can do it safely and easily by yourself.

Phase 1 - 5 sets of chinup Walk-the-planks, 8 reps per set, one minute rest between sets. Workout every other day.

So for phase one, we’re going to take our chair and put it behind the pull up bar. We’re going to grab an under-hand grip, a chin up, not a pull up, because this is easier. And then we’re going to walk the plank. We’re going to step off, tense our muscles and lower ourselves slowly to the ground, as slow as we can and then we’re going to walk around. Get back up the chair again. Walk the plank again. Lower your shoulders. Slowly as you can. Walk the plank, you are going to do that eight times.

So you are going to walk-the-plank eight times. You’re going to rest one minute, and then you’re going to do it four more sets. So that’ll be five sets total of walking the plane, eight times each. So that’ll be 40 times you’ll walk the plank. And you’re going to do that every other day until you can lower yourself really slowly above the slope. When you can lower yourself that slowly, then it’s time for phase two.

Phase 2 - 5 sets of pullup Walk-the-planks, 8 reps per set, one minute rest between sets. Workout every other day.

Instead of doing walk the planks with a chin up, palms facing us, we’re going to do walk the planks with palms away. Here is what it is going to look like. Palms away. Walk off. Down slowly. Slow as you can. Walk around again. You’re going to do this eight times. And just as in phase one, you’ll do that eight times. You will rest for a minute, and then you’ll do it four more times, total of 40 Walk the planks. And you’ll do that every other day, until you can do this slowly. And when we can do this slowly, it’s time to move on to phase three.

Phase 3 - 5 sets of chin up walk-the-planks. On the first two reps in each set, do as much of a real chin up as you can, followed by 6 reps of walk-the-planks. 8 reps per set, one minute rest between sets. Workout every other day.

we’re going to do something a little more impressive. First of all, we’re going to use the chin up grip. But instead of starting off with Walk-the-planks, we’re going to try to do a chin up. So we’re going to grab a bar and we’re going to do as much of a chin up as we can. I don’t care if you can only do half a chin up or a quarter. Do whatever you can. And then finish it off with walk-the-planks. So that first partial chin up counted as one. And then I’m going to do seven walk the planks. And thats one set. I’ll take a minute rest and do it again. I’ll do as many chin ups as I can, or as much of a chin up as I can, and then I’ll do walk the planks for the other 7.

So once again, in phase three, what we’re going to do is five sets of eight reps a total of 40. But in the first rep, we’re going to do as many chin ups as we can. Either a partial or do a couple full ones. And you’re going to do this again every other day, until you get to the point where you can do two chips. Once you can do two chin ups before you move on to the walk-the-planks, it’s time to move on to phase four.

Phase 4 - Monday workout. 5 sets. Do as many real chin ups as you can, followed by reps of walk-the-planks to give 8 total reps. One minute rest between sets.

In Phase four, we start to get serious. Instead of working out every other day, we’re only going to have two workouts per week, a Monday workout and a Thursday workout. The Monday workouts can be very similar to what we’ve been doing. What you’re going to do, it’s all chin ups. You’re going to do as many chin ups as you can, and then you’re going to walk the plank to get your other reps, till you have eight total. And then you’re going to rest for one minute, and do it four more times. Again a total of 40. So that’s pretty similar to what we’ve been doing.

Phase 4 - Thursday workout. 5 sets. Do as many real chin ups as you can, followed by a static hold. Rest 2 minutes. Do the next set. Total 5 sets.

The Thursday workout in Phase 4 is where we start to get serious. You get to start experiencing some pain here. What you’re going to do, you’re going to do a chin up. You’re going to do as many chin ups as you can. So let’s say I can do two one, I can do two good ones, and then I’ll start to struggle. So you go up as far as you can, and then you hold, just hold. Don’t let yourself down. Just hold. Hold as long as you can. Try to hold it for a minute if you can. Just hold, hold, hold, until you’re dying, till you think your arms are going to fall off, till you think your abs are going to pop. Thats how long you will hold it. And then let yourself down.

And then rest two minutes and do it again. Do it a total of 5 times. You’re not going to be doing any reps in your Thursday workout in phase four, but you’re going to be working your butt off. So when you get to the point where you can do eight chin ups with good, slow form, then it’s time to move on to Phase 5, which is our final phase, which will get you to eight pull ups.

Phase 5 - Monday workout. 5 sets. Do as many real pull ups as you can, followed by reps of walk-the-planks to give 8 total reps. One minute rest between sets.

Again, it’s similar to phase four. There’s going to be a Monday workout and a Thursday workout. The Monday workout is going to be high volume and the Thursday workout is going to be a killer low volume. Except, everything is going to be with pull up. We won’t be doing any chin ups in Phase 5. So it’s going to do the same thing. You are going to do as many pull ups as you can, with good form. So let’s say we do one, two. This is the Monday workout. So then we’re going to do walk the planks, lowering yourself as slowly as you can for 8 reps. And then we’ll rest a minute. Do that 4 more times. Again, a total of 80 reps total on the Monday workout Phase Five.

Phase 5 - Thursday workout. 5 sets. Do as many real pull ups as you can, followed by a static hold. Rest 2 minutes. Do the next set. Total 5 sets.

The Thursday workout is where we’re going to have fun. Again, what we’re going to do is, as many pull ups as we can. Let’s say I can do two. That’s my second one. And I get up until I can’t go up anymore. And the static hold. Just hold it right there. Hold, hold, hold. As long as you can. Try to hold it a minute. Until you quiver and shake, your arms are falling off. Then rest 2 whole minutes. And do it 4 more times. Thats the Thursday workout in Phase 5. And keep doing that until you can do eight pull ups. It’s a good combination of high reps on Monday and low reps, and struggle on Thursday. And you’ll get your 8 pull ups.

And remember, again, the number one thing you can do to make pull ups easier is to lose body fat. So work on that.