Starting Pull Ups

chases0102

Hi folks,

I would love to include Pull Ups into my routine.

However, I am a novice, and can only manage three before my grips beings to loosen, or there just seems to be nothing in the back/shoulder area.

Any advice on how to start so I could progress?

Cheers.

conzy

There are many ways to skin a cat. Hanley has a good thread on here with progressions.

Things you can do:

Do more sets if you cant do many reps, e.g you might be able to do 3,3,3,3,2,2,1 in a session, 3,3,3,3,3,2,2,2 in the next etc.

You can do chin ups which are easier.

You can use a strong resistance band go get more reps in

You can do negatives, jump up, hold at the top and lower yourself under control to just do the eccentric part of the movement

And just getting stronger at pulling movements will help, more rows, more pull downs

Zillah

Some gyms have a pullup machine with a moving section where you put your knees and it is attached to a counter weight, so you are effectively only lifting a percentage of your body weight.

bigronnie9

I'll vouch for Hanley's technique, thread here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=99227062

1986kennyd

Theres some great apps for android/iOS that follow the methods outlined above. Check out 50 pullups, follow the programme and you can't go wrong.

BrokenArrows

When someone mentions doing pullups and a number i always ask "how are you actually doing the pullups?"

How are you gripping the bar? Hands close together, shoulder width, wide?
How much are you extending your arms when descending?

If you're gripping shoulder width and extending your arms fully when descending then id say 3 complete reps is a good starting point.

If its your grip giving out first and not your biceps, shoulder and back then the only thing you can do to improve is more pullups (or other lifts which require a solid grip and forearm work) to improve your grip.
Be careful with your wrists, give them time to recover as its a lot of strain on them.

Mellor

How's your dead hang?
As in grip the bar, normal width grip. And hang from the bar with straight arms as long as possible.

learn_more

chases0102 wrote: »

Hi folks,

I would love to include Pull Ups into my routine.

However, I am a novice, and can only manage three before my grips beings to loosen, or there just seems to be nothing in the back/shoulder area.

Any advice on how to start so I could progress?

Cheers.

The reason one can't do a pull up is because the weight is too high, ie your body.

The assisted pull up machines don't really work in my experience.

Forget about pull ups. Focus on connecting with your back muscles. You can do that with a simple set of dumbbells. Bend over to 45 to 90 degree angle, and practice connecting with your muscles with dumbbells, not a bar, dumbbells.

Squeeze at the top, and lower slowly.

Do that for a few months. You will feel your lats like you never did before.

Struggling to do lat pull ups is a bad idea imo. Don't do then unless your lean, have strong arms, and then go for it. If you can't do them, then you can't do them. It's no big deal. There are plenty other alternatives you can do without straining yourself to much. You'll end up with an injury in you continue to struggle with pull ups.

Fitness if for the long haul, come back to it in a year. You'll be much stronger then.

Mellor

Being able to do 3 pull ups is more than strong enough to continue to work pull ups.

Why do you think the assisted pull do doesn't work?
It literally solves the problem you identify above. Lower load, hit the target reps, then you increase and repeat. That the basic form of most weight lifting.
There are other options too, like banded pull ups. and they have other advantages.

The bent over rows with dumbells are an alternative way to work your back. But it's a different plane to pull ups. Ideally you should do both.

learn_more

Because I don't think that your first experience of doing an exercise properly is learned well when all you can do is 3 reps. The brain muscle connection isn't learned well if one only spends 10 seconds doing it.

I take your point about the assisted machine. All I said was that assisted pull up machine never worked for me, neither did the lat pull down machine. I never got a proper mind muscle connection with either of those, as a beginner. I don't know why that was and I found as a beginner that bent over rows at varying degrees of angle was much less of a strain on my arms, and I connected with my muscles much better. The OP said he was loosing his grip. I'd say this exercise is way too advanced for him at this stage.

I suggested bent over rows with dumbbells as a means to working up to doing unassisted pull ups. Of course when one is capable of doing both, do both.

Mellor

learn_more wrote: »

Because I don't think that your first experience of doing an exercise properly is learned well when all you can do is 3 reps. The brain muscle connection isn't learned well if one only spends 10 seconds doing it.

Mind muscle connection is only one minor aspect. It very slightly changes the activation pattern of various muscles.
Progressive overload is still the main underlying requirement. If the goal is to do more pull ups. You should get stronger at pull ups.

I take your point about the assisted machine. All I said was that assisted pull up machine never worked for me,

That mat be what you meant, but actually not what you said. "It doesn't work" sounds very definitive and a beginner might think you are talking about seeing multiple people fail with it.
If it didn't work for you fair enough. Could be lots of reasons, may have been making a programming mistake as a beginner or anything.

The OP said he was loosing his grip. I'd say this exercise is way too advanced for him at this stage.

If he can do 3 pull ups he's strong enough imo. That could be 6 in a month.
Ive queried the grip part above. I find it hard to believe that grip is giving out undervodyweight before his lats.

I suggested bent over rows with dumbbells as a means to working up to doing unassisted pull ups. Of course when one is capable of doing both, do both.

Horizontal movements work similar muscles but it different ratios. I'd guess that the different plane plays a bigger part than mind-muscle connection.
I agree about doing both.

Irishcrx

Pull ups and Chin ups are a slightly more advanced movement so don't worry if the strength isn't there yet to perform vasts amounts of them. You have two options as the others said...
* Continue to do them in each set day for your back and aim for 6, if you fail at three...try again until you can hit 6 in one set,
* Build more muscle in your arms and back via bent over rows , dumb bell rows , lateral pull downs etc