Pull ups/chin ups

Reznik

I'm looking for more exercises I can do at home, and I'm thinking of getting a pull up bar. But I can't actually do pull ups yet. What exercises would you guys recommend to build up to doing pull ups, aside from repeatedly failing at doing pull ups?

I train at a martial arts gym and I have access to some weights there. My upper body strength is pretty shit right now so I've just been trying to lift some free weights at home a little each day. I don't really have a set routine and when I'm at the gym I prefer to focus on technique stuff rather than fitness stuff, but I can set aside some extra time on the weekends.

Artereis

Bent over rows do good things for pull up preparation.

Gork

The best way to build up the strength to do chin ups and pull ups is to do the negative portion of the exercise (the lowering from the bar) as slowly as you can.

Grab the bar and jump straight up. Contract your muscles when your chin is above the bar and lower yourself as slowly as you can. Repeat until you can’t lower yourself slowly anymore.

Keep that up a few times a week and you will be able to do a few. Just keep doing negatives after the regular reps and your numbers will increase.

dispatch.o

Additionally you can get assistance straps that can reduce the amount of body weight you lift on a pull up if you'd rather do the full motion. Some free standing pull up bars also adjust height, so you can just allow a portion of your weight to stay supported on your legs.

Negative pull ups are probably the easiest bet on any kind of inexpensive door-frame bar though.

Newblar

Negatives seem to be consensus answer when I’ve looked into this.

I didn’t know about negatives when I first started doing pull-ups so I was doing pull downs, assisted pull-ups and body weight rows. They’ll work but probably not as well.

Instead of pull-ups, at first you may want to aim towards chin-ups or hammer pull-ups. They’re generally easier to do as they use your arms a lot more. Once you can do two or three of them you can probably do a pull-up.

SE has active fitness and weightlifting threads. There’s people all over the fitness scale from newbs to very fit people so they’re good for providing advice or encouragement.

Fitness
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/213956/fitness-and-weight-management-its-a-lifestyle/p1

Weightlifting
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/216229/make-anabolic-gains-amigos-weightlifting-strength-training/p1

Reznik

Thanks guys. I'll start with the negatives and do more rows as well.

Will definitely check out the fitness and weightlifting threads. I tend not to venture into SE++ so I didn't even know they were there.

Gork

Reznik wrote: »

Thanks guys. I'll start with the negatives and do more rows as well.

Will definitely check out the fitness and weightlifting threads. I tend not to venture into SE++ so I didn't even know they were there.

Rows are great exercises for back development, but unless you really know what you’re doing, they might not carry over to pull ups and chin ups. Rows can be used to target any part of the back, really, depending on how you do them. Chin ups and pull ups are dependent on your lattisimus dorsi, for the most part. So if you’re not doing a row that targets your lats, they won’t help nearly as much as negatives.

wonderpug

dispatch.o wrote: »

Additionally you can get assistance straps that can reduce the amount of body weight you lift on a pull up if you'd rather do the full motion. Some free standing pull up bars also adjust height, so you can just allow a portion of your weight to stay supported on your legs.

Here's a link to a strap I bought for home pullups. I got purple, but you can get a stronger or weaker band depending on how much assistance you want or need. Aim for whatever band would let you do 6-8 pull-ups. Shoot for doing 3 or 4 sets of 6-8 pull-ups, with a 2-3 minute rest in between sets.

Gork

Lastly, chin ups and pull ups are deceptively hard, so don’t get discouraged. They’re a bodyweight exercise, so just like your weight can vary wildly from day to day, so can the number you’ll be able to do. Something like a particularly productive bathroom trip right before you do them could add a few extra.

Yes, I am advocating pooping to get more reps.

Daimar

This was posted in the fitness & weight management thread on SE++ a little while ago, lots of good technique stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL-v1BjhzJE

Fiendishrabbit

Gymnastic rings with adjustable bands (the equipment Inda uses after her deadhangs). There are a ton of different exercises that will not only strengthen the smaller muscle in your shoulders (since they're free hanging) but you will always be able to adjust the resistance perfectly. They will also help with your pushups and benchpresses. IMHO one of the best pieces of equipment for strenghtening your shoulders and arms.