Ideas for Pull Ups

Members have given you some great advice, I would like to add a bit.

I have lost a very good amount of weight, and gained muscle by working the body parts that would help to reach my goal, when I did this, I was able to do things that I could never do before.

Instead of going right to the hard stuff, and where I wanted to lose the most. I got all the parts that would make the harder stuff easier first.

I worried less about my end result, and made my arms, legs, back, and endurance, stronger, then when I got to the push up, leg ups, I was less tired, and less hurt, which made me want to work harder.

Hope things work out well for you, good luck, NRE.

reply to post by Aeons


Easiest and simplest way is with weights at a gym or wherever you can get on a pull down bar, basically do lat pulldowns. Whatever your weight is, that is what you should be able in doing pulldowns on that machine. So if you cant pull your weight then go down in weight start with sets of 20 at whatever weight you can do, mostly as a warm up, then go up in weight do sets of 15 to 10, and try to go up in weight and do sets of 5 or 3. Once you build up your strength try to do pulldowns at your weight, and if you can do pulldowns at your weight or a little over your weight on the lat pulldown machine. Then you should be able to do regular pullups on the bar.

Without the weight machine, just do chin ups, pushups and curls. Chin ups are a lot easier and more comfortable for people and when you can do 10 chin ups you should be able to do 5 pullups, or you can go the direct route and just practice doing pullups. Start trying to do one and keep trying every day.

You use your back and a lot of biceps when doing pull ups, so basically anything that works those two muscle groups will help you in doing pullups.

But maybe aeons you just need to lose some weight

Then those pullups will be easier. Doing pullups all depends basically on your weight, I know some dudes who are pretty huge all muscle and can barely do 4 pullups. Sure they can do sets of 400 pounds or over on the bench press and all, but because they are just to heavy, and the fact that muscle weight more then fat. Well the bigger you get the more you go up in weight, the more you have to pull up when doing pull ups.

If you want to do lots of pullups its basically just finding a ballance of your body weight to your muscle/strength, which is why body builders or big dudes cant cant do pullups to save there lives. Its a lot easier to do pullups when your 200 pounds or 160 pounds, then when your over 300 pounds, even if its all muscle.

The pull up works out mostly the lats, but also hits the rhomb, delts, biceps, and forearms.

So look for exercises that works out those muscles.

Lat Exercises

Rhomb Exercises

Bicep Exercises

ForeArm Exercises

The easiest way to keep it simple and get a single pullup after a couple weeks of practice is to do static holds and negatives 3 times a week.

Try Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Jump up to the pullup bar, so that your attain a height of at least above the chin, up to the chest if possible. Hold for as long as you can, and then descend to a dead hang as slow as possible. Rest a couple of minutes, and repeat it four more times. Do this 3 times a week, and you'll have your first pull up by the third week.

I'd also suggest some lat pull downs, and bicep curls.

I'm currently able to handle 7-8 wide grip pull ups when fresh, and aim to increase that number to 12+ by the fall.

I don't know if someone has posted this but assisted pullups with a machine will help. Place your knees on the machine and set the correct weight. Keep on going down with the weight as weeks pass. Remember you will have to strengthen the body with a strength training routine as other mention..