Can’t do any pull-ups? Here’s how to go from 0 to 20 in 60 days

Is the top of the pull-up bar more of your practice swinging bar for your future career as a circus trapeze artist? Do you find yourself swinging your body instead of raising it? It doesn’t matter how heavy you are or how out of shape you think you are in, if you put in the time and the work over a 60 day period you can go from a droopy back zero to body raising hero in no time.

Let’s start off by examining why people can not do a pull up in the first place. A pull-up is an upper body compound pulling exercise where the body is suspended by extended arms, gripping a fixed bar, then pulled up until the elbows are bent and the head is higher than the hands, utilizing an overhand (pronated) grip. A traditional pull-up relies on upper body strength with no swinging or “kipping”^[1] (using a forceful initial movement of the legs in order to gain momentum). The exercise targets mainly the Latissimus Dorsi muscle in the back along with many other assisting muscles.  So basically, if your back muscles, and to a lower extent your biceps, together can not lift the weight of the rest of your body…you can’t do a pull up.

Therefore, to strengthen your back muscles while not being able to do it through pull ups, attack the back with other workouts that target the back.  Here is what you:

1. Lawnmower Rows

There are a couple different ways for doing these. I prefer to do them off the floor with both feet on the floor, with a staggered step and one hand on the dumbbell rack.

But for the most part a lot of others like to use a weight bench. Place one leg (knee) up on the bench for support, and the other on the floor creating a base. In both positions bend over so your back is parallel with the ground. Now reach down and pick up a dumbbell while keeping your back flat and parallel to the floor. The other arm should be locked out on the bench.

After you have a dumbbell in one hand, arm fully extended and palms facing inward. Lift the weight up to your side under control.  Lower it slowly under control on the eccentric movement and then repeat using the other arm.

Without cheating lift the dumbbell as slowly as you can. Keep your stomach tight, and do not rotate your body especially your hips. Once you’ve “rowed” lower the dumbbell slowly and repeat.

One-arm dumbbell rows personally are one of my favorite back exercises. And for a big thick back you need to use heavy dumbbells. But, if you have a tendency on each rep to get that old lawn mower started then you are not doing this movement right. Doing them that way will make you a point of discussion on how not to do things in the gym, and of course they will not increase size or strength if done in that manner. So, are you a lawn mower starter when it comes to dumbbell rows?

Remember, to keep your back parallel with the floor resting one arm and a knee on a bench. Grasp the dumbbell with the free arm, raise the dumbbell right up to your side squeezing the lats then lower the dumbbell to the starting position about an inch off the floor. Do 6 to 8 reps for strength and 10-1 2 for lean. Always start with your weaker side or weaker arm.

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. More pull ups .

Now if you get to the point where you can even do one pull up, you can now keep doing that pull-up over and over again.  Each time you do pull ups, make it your goal to do one more pull up than you did last time. 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.

4. Dead Lifts

Deadlifts is the best exercise for posterior chain muscle strengthening. This chain includes erector spinae, glutes and hamstrings. It is also the biggest Muscle Builder [ other than squats ] recruiting more muscle motor units than any other exercise. And lower back is the most important muscle of your body and for good reason – Stability.

Steps

1. Place a barbell loaded with weights in front of you.

2. Now grab the barbell using an underhand grip with one hand and overhand grip with the other hand. Remember to keep your back as straight as possible and contract your back and hamstrings.

3. Now raise the bar from the ground using your hamstrings and glutes.. You should keep your legs slightly bent, back straight and head looking up. The initial movement is to be provided by your heels and not toes or elbows.

4. Raise it o the point where your body is erect. Do not hyper extend your body as the weight shifts to the lumbar spine. Hold the bar for a moment at the top of the lift and remember to lock out. Complete the lift and do not go only half way through.

5. Now lower the bar slowly at a steady slow pace by bending at the hips first and then at the knees and let the weight touch the ground for a moment before you begin the next rep.

And do you want to mix it up before you rock the pull up? Try these.

Additional Back Exercises

These exercises will help you add variation and avoid boredom. Also hitting muscles from new angles is an excellent way to develop new neural connections thereby stimulating faster muscle growth.

• One Arm Dumbbell Rows
  
• Good Mornings
  
• Hyperextensions
  
• Pullovers

Good Luck with your pull ups quest!

What do you think? Any suggestions on pull up improvement? All comments and feedback are welcome.