Do More Pull Ups!

012210

Strength:

Deadlift (progress weight each set)
5-5-5-5-5

Complete 1 attempt:

Max pull-ups

Metcon:

100 Push-ups

*perform on toes, each time you drop to your knees run 100m

Do More Pull-ups

Some people can't do any at all, and some people can do some, but not nearly enough to make a real workout out of. Don't feel bad if you are one of these people. A lot of people are in this same pull up situation. For example, I used to be. Today however I'm not, and I want to show you how to get to this point yourself. Below I will explain 4 possible ways to increase your strength in the places you need it in order to do more pull ups. I'll also explain exactly how I did it myself.
(One quick note. The difference between pull ups and chin ups is how you grip the bar. Pull ups are done with your palms facing away from you. Chin ups are done with your palms facing you. Throughout this article I will only use the term "pull ups." However, everything written here applies just as equally to chin ups and really every other grip as well.)

4 ways to do more pull ups:

1. Do pull ups!

That wasn't a typo. In all honesty, the best way to become able to do more pull ups is to actually DO pull ups. If, for example, you can only do 3 reps today, make it your goal next time to do 4 reps. It may or may not happen that next time. You may still only do the same 3 reps. You may even do 3 and a half reps. Or, you may actually get all 4 reps. Either way, the best possible way to increase the number of pull ups you can do is to actually walk up to the pull up bar and try to do just one more rep than you were able to do the previous time. With enough intensity and focus, you can do it. If you can't, just try again (and try harder) next time. If you can... then 5 is your new goal.

2. Do negatives.




The word "negative" is used to describe the lowering of the weight during an exercise. For example, when you're lowering the bar to your chest while bench pressing... that is the negative. During pull ups, the negative would be the point when you are lowering your body downward after pulling yourself up. At this point you may not be able to do the pulling up part of the exercise, but that's only 50% of the work. How about the other 50%? That's where negatives come in. You end up using the same muscles to lower yourself as you would to pull yourself up. This means negatives will help improve your ability to do the pulling part of the pull up.



In order to do negatives, you have to start off at the point when you're already pulled up. There are 2 simple ways to do this. First is by jumping. Grab the pull up bar like you normally would, but then instead of trying to pull yourself up, jump up so that your chin is above the bar the same way it would be if you did the actual pulling yourself. The other (and even easier) way of doing it is to just stand on something that is high enough for you to already be in that already-pulled-up position. Depending on your height, standing up a dumbbell may do the trick.



Now that you're in the position to do the negative part of the pull up, you're goal is to lower yourself down as slow and controlled as you possibly can. Focus on the muscles being used, and try to keep your body as stable as possible. Once you have lowered yourself back to the starting position, repeat this all over again. Don't let go of the bar and take a break. Do the negative, then go right back into that already-pulled-up position... and then do another negative. Do a few sets of as many as you can.
3. Use an assisted pull up machine.
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