Our month-long pullup program will help you get your first pull-up. Deadlifting is a great way to measure your strength. However, the pull-up will test your functional strength. Because you are pulling your own weight, a pull-up requires you to be strong, stable, and lean. Deadlifts won’t do much good if you are ever hanging from the edge of a rock (we hope so, but it happens).
Pull-ups are difficult to perform. The move won’t work if you are too heavy or weak. There are many options and variations that you can use to get up to your first pull-up. They will be covered below. We also outline a month-long program that will help you improve your pull-up skills.
One-Month Pull-Up Training Program
This program is a three-day per-week, month-long plan that will help beginners pull up their first pull-up. This program is designed for beginners but can be used by anyone who wants to break through pull-up plateaus or as an accompaniment to back training.
For four weeks, you should perform each of these three exercises every week. Between each exercise, take at least one day off. Each workout is composed of three to four exercises and takes approximately 30 minutes. You can progress with a heavier weight. You can add weight to your progression each week but it’s not enough that you feel like the back muscles aren’t working.
Day One:
- Dead Hang: Four sets of 30 seconds each, with a break between sets. If possible, add weight by using a belt and weight around the hips.
- Isometric Pull-Up Hold: 4 sets of 10 seconds, with a break between each set. Perform a 10-second hold at the top of the pull-up.
- Inverted Barbell Row: 5 sets of 5 reps. Rest between sets for 2 seconds. You can add weight to make it heavier.
- Lat Pulldown: 4 sets (6-8 reps), resting 2 seconds between each set. (Add weight, go heavy, do controlled eccentric, and then stretch your lats between reps.
Day Two:
- Towel-Grip Dead-Hold: 4 sets of 30 seconds each, with resting seconds in between. (Add weight if possible, by using a belt and weight around the hips.
- Eccentric Pull-Up: 4 sets of 5 reps. Rest between sets for 3 to 5 seconds.
- Band-Assisted Pull-Up: 5 sets of 5 reps. Resting 2 seconds between sets. (Find a band that will make it difficult for you to complete your last rep but still keeps good form. You shouldn’t use momentum from the band as a way to propel you back up.
- Supinated-Grip Dumbbell Bench Supported row: 4 sets of 8-10 reps. Resting seconds between sets. (As you row, make sure your palms face away from you.
Day Three:
- Fat-Grip Dead-Hold: 4 sets of 30 seconds each, with resting seconds in between. (Add weight if possible, by using a belt and weight around the hips.
- Band-Assisted 1 1/2 Pull Up: 4 sets of 3-5 reps with rest between each set. (Start at bottom of the pull-up. To engage your back muscles, pull your chin up over the bar. Your elbows should be in line with your eyes. You can then pull yourself up. This is a 1 1/2 pull-up.
- Lat Pulldown: 4 sets (8-10 reps), resting 2 seconds in between. (Add weight, go heavy, do controlled eccentric, and stretch between reps with elongated arms.
- Seal Row: 4 sets (8-10 reps each), resting between sets.
How to Do the Perfect Pull-Up
These are five essential points that every lifter needs to know, from beginners to seasoned gym members, when performing pull-ups.
- Get the Right Grip: Hold the bar slightly wider than your shoulder width with your palms facing you. You can adjust this depending on your goals. Before you try to change your grip, it is important that you master the pull-up. Once you have your setup, try to get as much of your palm as possible on top of that bar. To engage your lats, you should press down with your pinky on the pull-up bars.
- Begin with a Dead Hang: You should not perform eccentric pull-ups. Instead, start your pull-ups in a dead hang position. Your arms should be fully extended and your feet must be off the ground.
- Stabilize Your Core: Set your shoulders and stabilize your core before you begin a rep. This position will ensure you are pulling with your lats only and not your arms or traps.
- Pinkies to the Hips and Elbows: You can increase lat engagement by using the pinkies to apply pressure to the bar. Keep your hands on the bar, and pretend you are driving your elbows towards your hips with your pinkies.
- Pause at the Top, Lower under Control and Continue: When you reach the top of the pull up, make sure to lean back and flex your back. Slowly lower your body until you feel the stretch in your lats. This is known as eccentric training. It is a great way for increasing muscle growth.
Pull-Up Has Many Benefits
Here are the three main benefits of a pull-up. When done properly, pull-ups can be a very beneficial exercise for your upper body and back. They also improve your back health and allow you to lift heavier weights.
#1 Bigger, Stronger Back
Pull-ups are a great exercise for increasing back strength and muscle hypertrophy. Because pull-ups are an easy movement to provide progressive overload (either by increasing weight through a weight belt, increasing repetitions, or decreasing the amount of band assistance), they can increase the size of your back muscles.
#2 Transfer to other lifts
Pull-ups can have a significant impact on the transfer of improvements to other lifts. Pull-ups can be used to build stronger traps and lats. This is crucial for squats or deadlifts.
#3 Improved sense of accomplishment
Recall the time you did your first pull-up. That was an amazing feeling. The pull-up is an excellent tool to track upper body strength and progress, and can also be used to boost confidence. You can also master pull-ups and unlock new levels of strength and fitness outside of the gym.
What Should You Do if You Are Unable to Pull-Up?
You shouldn’t be embarrassed to do pull-ups. Start by strengthening your back with easier back exercises. We will show you a few alternatives and variations that can help you get to your first pull-up. If you are unable to perform a pull-up, a band-assisted pull-up is an excellent option.
They are often done incorrectly. Common mistakes, including body swinging (lacking body tension), sloppy repetitions, and lack of muscle control with the lats at the top and throughout the movement can lead to stagnated results. Many beginner lifters use too many band-aids and don’t try to force themselves to do more than two to three sets (which will build the strength to lift your body weight, not higher reps of 10, or more).
To build pull-up strength, you can also do eccentric reps. This is when you jump up and then slowly lower yourself down. After every back workout, you can do three to five sets of three to five reps. Another option is to simply hold your head up high and keep it there for as long as you can.
You can then time yourself and aim to beat it during your next workout. This pull-up can be done three to four times per week. Continue to work on your back-building movements and then you can try a pull-up every now and again. You’ll eventually be able to do a pull-up.
Variations for Pull-Ups
The following program includes a variety of pull-up options and variations. This will help you to build your back strength and muscle mass, and master your pull-up technique. We will be discussing a few pull-up accessory exercises below.
- Chin-Up: A lot of lifters can pull off a chin-up without difficulty, due to the fact that the arms are involved to a greater degree (biceps & anterior shoulder). The chin-up is a great way to build upper-body pulling strength. However, it is important that you do it correctly and avoid overusing it.
- Isometric Pull-Up Holds: Pull-ups using isometrics, such as towel grip pull-up or hold, can increase muscle strength and force output. They can also help develop tension in weak areas (such as at the top, middle or bottom). These exercises are available in the 3-day beginner pull-up program.
- Eccentric Pull-Ups: For beginners, it is worth training in the eccentric phase of the pull-up. This will help increase muscle strength and growth. This is done by having the lifter begin at the top of their movement, possibly combining this with an isometric hold at the top. Then have them lower for 5-10 seconds. After they reach the lockout position, let them jump up again and continue to do so.
- Tempo Banded Pull-Ups: Banded pull-ups, as mentioned above, are a great option for beginners. They reduce the force and strength required at the weakest phase (from full arms extended). However, tempo pull-ups, which are similar to tempo pull-ups, can help beginners increase muscle strength and coordination.
- Jumping Pull-Ups: Jumping pull-ups are a great way to increase your reps and build muscle endurance. Jumping allows the lifter to reach the sticking point by moving, allowing them to complete the pull-up. You can adjust the height at which you jump to make it more difficult to cross the gap between strict pull-ups or jumping pull-ups.
- Kipping Pull-Ups: Kipping pull-ups are a pull-up that can improve muscle endurance. They are also useful for many functional fitness programs. Lifters need to spend time learning how to do the strict pull-up or the kipping pull-up. Each variation has its own benefits and risks.
Pull-Up Alternatives
The following program will discuss alternative pull-ups that you can do in place of pull-ups. It will also provide tips on how to improve your grip strength, pull-up muscle endurance, and back strength.
- Barbell Row: Barbell row is a great back-strengthening exercise that almost every bodybuilder, strength-athlete, and recreational lifter uses. Although it is not as easy as the pull-ups, the bent-over row can be a great addition to your training because you can lift heavier loads relative to your body weight.
- Lat Pulldowns: You can use machine training such as the lat pulldown to identify the muscle groups that are required to pull up. Machine-based training, such as the lat pulldown, will allow beginners to lift more weight to cause greater muscle damage.
- Suspension Rows: You can do suspension rows on rings or TRX suspension trainers. They are great for increasing upper back strength, body awareness, grip strength, and grip strength. The suspension row allows you to quickly adjust the difficulty of your movement between sets and even during a set. This makes it ideal for all levels of training.
- Seal Row: The seal row is an alternative to the barbell row and is suitable for both beginners and more advanced lifters who want a stronger back. The seal row is an alternative to the traditional row that requires the lifter not to bend over. This is a great way to help beginners who don’t have the best posture control or cannot train their back enough because of poor body positioning. This is a great way for lifters with lower back problems or fatigue to get additional back training (especially after deadlifts or squats). The seal row also limits the momentum that can be used for moving the load. This equates to increasing strength and isolation.
- Dumbbell Row: All levels can do the dumbbell row, which is a unilateral back exercise. This exercise is great for increasing grip strength, and endurance, and improving body positioning (flat or arched back). The dumbbell row is a versatile exercise that can be used for strength, muscle hypertrophy, or endurance.
