5 Tips To Get Your First Pull-Up
Dreaming of getting your first pull-up and wondering how to get there?
While your first pull-up might seem like a far away goal, knowing the exercises to do to get there can help. Here are 5 helpful ways to start building towards that first pull-up:
Practice hanging from the bar. Building your grip strength and ability to hold up your own bodyweight is one of the first steps when it comes to getting a pull-up. Practice by starting with a small amount of time (it might only by 5 seconds, it might be 10 seconds). Work up until you can comfortably hang from the rig for 30 plus seconds.
Build your lat and back strength. The bottom line is that you need to have a strong back to be able to do a pull up. So that means regularly doing exercises to build your back and lat strength like lat pulldowns, dumbbell pullovers, bent over rows, and more!
Assisted pull-ups. To feel how to engage your lats and start the pull with assistance, either use the assisted pull-up machine at the gym, or you can try a banded pull-up using the assistance from the band to help get your pull up started. These should still be a challenge to get your chin up and over the bar, but you should feel like you have the assistance you need to get started.
Pull-up negatives. It might feel counterproductive to start from the top of a pull-up and work your way down, but pull-up negatives can be very beneficial to finally getting that first pull-up. Using a bench or box to climb up and start at the top of a pull-up, trying to keep the tension and slowly descend to the bottom of a pull-up will help build strength and control for a pull-up.
Strengthen your core. Being able to maintain a tight core while also pulling yourself up is key to hitting your first pull-up. Regularly doing exercises like hollow holds, plank holds, and any core exercises hanging from the bar will help immensely.
