{"id":29740,"date":"2014-07-10T07:15:42","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T11:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=29740"},"modified":"2022-01-20T08:35:33","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T13:35:33","slug":"how-to-do-pull-ups-add-reps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/how-to-do-pull-ups-add-reps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do a Pull-Up (Or Add More Reps)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pull-Up\"
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pull-ups are kind of like parallel parking \u2014 you\u2019re either good at them or you aren\u2019t. Some of us may have dominated them since grade-school fitness tests, while others have struggled to do even a few reps. And, for the ladies out there, you may still be working on getting your first clean pull-up under your belt (and you\u2019re not alone<\/a>!). Women have 40 percent<\/a> less upper body mass than men, making pull-ups harder. Even Marines struggle \u2014 55 percent<\/a> of females can\u2019t meet the Marine Corps minimum standard of three pull-ups.<\/p>\n

No matter which category you fall into, pull-ups are worth working at. They train multiple muscles, including the back, arms<\/a> and core, and are the ultimate test of relative strength or your strength in relation to your body mass. Improving your pull-up number will boost overall body strength<\/a> and give you a muscular, more defined back. We asked Ben Bruno<\/a>, a Los Angeles-based trainer to celebrities and athletes, for a plan that would take anyone from beginner to American Ninja Warrior<\/a> in no time.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Be Eccentric<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Eccentric
GIF: CrossFitSanitas<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If performing a single pull-up rep is out of your reach (literally), start by working the eccentric portion of the movement, i.e. lowering your body down from the top position.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Grasp the bar with hands outside shoulder width and palms facing away from you.<\/li>\n
  2. Use your legs to jump into the top position of the pull-up, so your chin is over the bar. (If that\u2019s too hard, place a step or bench next to the bar so you can walk up to it and get into position).<\/li>\n
  3. From there, slowly lower your body down to a dead hang. Try to make it last five seconds.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cYou\u2019re always stronger on the negative [lowering] phase of a rep than the positive one,\u201d says Bruno, so even if pulling yourself up is impossible, controlling your descent from the top is doable.<\/p>\n

    Perform three sets of three reps, jumping back<\/a> up and lowering slowly on each. Repeat frequently, up to five days per week, progressing the time you take to lower yourself. \u201cShoot for holds of 20 to 30 seconds,\u201d says Bruno, \u201cor as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Step 2: Pay the Toll<\/b><\/h3>\n
    \"GIF:
    GIF: CoastalCrossFit<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    When you can control the negative phase of a pull-up, you\u2019ll find you have the strength to do a handful of complete reps. At that point, you can employ what Bruno calls the \u201cpay the toll method.\u201d You\u2019ll need regular access to a chin-up bar \u2014 consider hooking one over a doorframe<\/a> in your house or finding a suitable (and sturdy) tree branch or pipe.<\/p>\n

    Perform five to six sets in a day of as many reps as you can, but save a rep or two on each set. (For instance, if you can do eight reps going all-out, only complete six.) \u201cYou\u2019ll keep coming back to the pull-up bar throughout the day,\u201d says Bruno, \u201clike you were paying a toll to go on with the rest of your day.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Do this four to five days per week. The regular practice will engrave the movement pattern into your muscle memory and you\u2019ll improve rapidly. You can change your grip<\/a> up, too, alternating between sets of chin-ups (with palms facing you), neutral-grip pull-ups (palms facing each other), and wide and narrow hand placements.<\/p>\n

    Step 3: Crank Up the Volume<\/b><\/h3>\n
    \"Mixed-Grip-Pull-Up\"<\/a>
    GIF: Ben Bruno<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Now you\u2019re ready to integrate pull-ups into your regular workouts. On two different workout days per week, perform sets of pull-ups in between sets of your other exercises. Bench and overhead pressing both pair well with pull-ups, pumping up your entire upper body.<\/p>\n