Strength is something you have to work on. Even the strongest guys still get in the gym to either get stronger or maintain the strength they already have. Pull-ups are true measure of upper body strength, but many people don’t know the simple steps to do your first pull-up. However it is not that difficult in reality, you just break it into clear individual steps. With a little preparation, steady practice, and the right approach, you can be on your way to completing your first pull-up. Here’s how to do it in 5 easy steps.
The only equipment you need is a pull-up bar and a chair or exercise band. You can go all out and purchase a heavy-duty pull-up bar for your garage or back yard, or you can get an inexpensive door-mounted pull-bar for inside your home. Either option will work, and I’ve had great success with both. The only other things you will need are patience and persistence. I know for a fact this system works.
Here is how to succeed at your goal to do your first pull-up simply by using these 5 simple steps:
Step 1. For the first two weeks, simply hold yourself in the up position for as long as you can. Try a couple holds each day in the morning when you wake up, and in the evening when you get home for the day. If you have the opportunity, also do a couple holds throughout the day. Take a break on the weekends and get started again on Mondays.
This first step is of crucial significance because it will build the muscle through isometric contraction, and pretty much everyone can do this for at least a few seconds.. Be sure you don’t neglect or by-pass this, because otherwise you wont condition the connective tissues and nervous system when you move on to the next step.
Step 2. For the next two weeks, start your pull-up in the up position. Hold for 5 seconds and slowly allow your body to descend to the down position. This important step will demand all your attention for a time and it will place significant demand on your nervous system. Over the next two weeks, do three to four sets of two repetitions every other day. You can space the sets out throughout the day – completing a few in the morning and the rest in the evening, or however you would like. It’s important to do this every other day so your body has a day to recover.
Step 3. For weeks three and four, you’re going to be doing assisted pull-ups. You can do these by placing your feet behind you on a chair, or by looping an exercise band through the pull-up bar and down around your feet. If you have someone else to work with, you can also do partner assisted pull-ups by having your feet crossed and held behind you by your partner or by having your partner push upward on your shoulders for assistance through the sticking points.
You do this step so you can develop the full range of motion for completing actual bodyweight pull-ups. Another reason for this is just to get the musculature and nervous system used to moving the body through the motion of the pull-up. As with the previous phase, do three to four sets of two repetitions every other day, and space the work sets out throughout the day or do them all at once as a single training session..
Step 4. During weeks five and six, you will continue with assisted pull-ups, but now you will be adding more repetitions to your sets. Now you will up your work sets to five assisted pull-up repetitions per set. Continue with the three to four sets per day on an every other day interval. By this point in the training plan, you should be noticing how much easier it is to pull yourself up to the bar. It wont feel completely effortless, but you will be surprised how quickly your body adapts and becomes able to do the work.
Step 5. By week seven you will begin doing sets of single pull-ups. Congratulations! You’ve just done your first pull-up! As you get stronger and your body further adapts, you can begin adding repetitions to your sets and creating variety by experimenting with different hand positions. You will find that underhand grip is the easiest, and overhand grip is the hardest. Neutral grip, with the palms facing each other on a neutral grip pull-up bar, is also a little easier than overhand grip and builds the muscles in the middle of your upper back. Placing the hands close together in an overhand grip is great for building the forearms.
Also, you can do towel pull-ups, which are completed by putting a small towel over one side of the pull-up bar and holding the towel with one hand instead of the bar. These are another way to build the forearms and grip strength. Two towels with a towel in each hand is even harder and very advanced.
Have fun and keep working at it. Pull-ups are a great way to demonstrate your strength and are very impressive. Follow these tips on how to do your first pull-up in 5 easy steps.
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