The pull up is quite possibly the ultimate measure of strength. It’s also one of the greatest muscle building exercises in existence, which is precisely why it’s been called the upper body squat. Lat pulldowns can’t even come close to comparing. Whenever you move your body through space the level of neuromuscular activation is dramatically higher.
People all too often ask, “How much can ya bench?” A more appropriate question would be “How many pull ups can you do?” The pull up measures your strength to weight ratio better than almost any other exercise known to man. You are pulling up one hundred percent of your bodyweight, in the exact manner the human body was designed to work. It’s one of the most natural exercises you can do. While not everyone can squat or deadlift due to lower back or knee problems, pretty much everyone can do pull ups. Or should be able to do pull ups…
To this day I am still haunted by the image I witnessed in a local park a few years ago when I was there training. A man my age was there with his wife and his son. He was shooting some hoops, watching his kid play, and basically just enjoying the beautiful July weather. At one point he wandered over to the pull up bar and got on it. He then proceeded to twist and squirm and strain for the next 10-15 seconds as he attempted and failed to do one pull up. ONE PULL UP! Now mind you, this guy was not obese. He had the average adult male physique- 5’9”, 165 pounds with a 38 inch waist, ten inch arms and “a chest like a wet blanket,” as Frank Rizzo of The Jerky Boys would say.
The second hand embarrassment was enough to make me want to dig a hole and jump in it.
“Look at the man you married, honey. I can’t do a single pull up. But don’t worry, I can keep you safe.”
“Hey buddy, watch how strong daddy is. Don’t you want to grow up to be just like me?”
To paraphrase Matt Rhodes, a man who can’t do pull ups is a woman. Or some other form of living being, because the women at my gym can do ten or more. But you can’t call yourself a man if you can’t do pull ups. It’s as simple as that.
Below are the top 10 ways to improve your pull ups.
1) Don’t go to failure- This is the biggest problem I see with pull ups. Everyone goes to failure on every set. That’s because it’s so easy to do. As soon as a single rep does not look exactly like the previous one and you can’t get as high, the set is over. If your speed slows down noticeably the set is over. You would never continue a set of squats if you could no longer lock out the weight. If you got all the way up on rep five but were only able to get up ¾ of the way on rep six you wouldn’t proceed to do four more reps of partials until the set ended with the weight crashing down on you and crippling you. But that’s exactly how people finish their sets of pull ups. The form gets worse and worse and worse, and they keep going and going and going, climbing up the invisible ladder, swinging and kipping. When you do this you get no stronger. And most of the time you get weaker. The negative effect of training to failure is seen more on chin ups than any other exercise. No one knows why this is, but trust me, that’s how it is.
2) Lose excess body fat- If you are carrying excess body fat your ability to do pull ups will be greatly reduced. Extra body fat is good for lifting more weight in certain exercises that require greater leverage like the squat and deadlift. But that’s all it’s good for. Other than that it’s unhealthy and unsightly.
3) Start in the proper position- All too often people start in the dead hang position with their scapula elevated and their shoulders touching their ears. This is dangerous and incorrect. When you do this all of the tension is placed on your tendons and ligaments instead of your muscles. When you get on the bar you want to pull your shoulder blades down and lock your shoulders into their sockets. This is a far safer position and ensures that the stress will be placed directly on the muscles and not the tendons and ligaments.
4) Maintain a slight elbow bend throughout the set- This goes hand in hand with the above tip. Before starting your set you want to bend your elbows ever so slightly. This bend should barely be noticeable, but it will have a huge impact on your elbow health. Do not start with your elbows completely locked. This, again, places all of the stress on the tendons and ligaments instead of on the muscles. On each successive rep you should lower yourself until your arms are nearly straight, stopping just shy of lockout. But don’t use this as an excuse to cheat. Just shy of lockout means that your elbows are “99% locked out;” you just don’t want that complete extension.
5) Initiate with the lats- When you start to pull, be sure that you fire your lats first; not your biceps. If you have trouble feeling your lats, as many newbies do, have someone poke or slap your lats a few times before you start pulling. Even having a partner keep his hands in contact with your lats throughout the set may help. It may also look a little strange to other members of your gym.
6) Drive your elbows down- To get the most out of your lats when you chin you should think about driving your elbows down and back. Don’t simply pull with your biceps.
7) Pull your chin over the bar- I used to be a stickler for having people pull their chest to the bar. I still instruct beginners to do that, knowing full well that they won’t be able to, but that it will at least instill the importance of getting high. You only need your chin to clear the bar. That last few inches does very little for you lats and instead focuses the stress on the smaller, weaker muscles of your upper/middle back. The pull up should be used to target the lats, first and foremost. Don’t waste energy struggling with that last few inches at the top. Get your chin over while keeping your back arched and then lower yourself. Use other rowing exercises to target those smaller upper back muscles and use the pul up to smoke your lats completely.
8] Use a variety of grips- There are countless ways to pull your body up. You can do chin ups with your palms facing you at a number of different grip widths. You can also do chin ups with your palms facing each other, or pull ups with your palms facing away at multiple grip widths. You can pull up on bars, rings, fat bars, ropes, towels, suspension straps, beams, Eagle Loops, and even baseballs or softballs hanging from a chain. The variations are endless. Use as many different chin ups as possible to avoid burnout or overuse injuries.
9) Use a variety of rep ranges- To do a lot of pull ups you need strength and you need endurance. Strength is built with low reps. You can do low reps with a weighted vest or dip belt or you can simply perform more difficult variations of pull ups. Endurance is built with high reps. This is where the use of bands comes in handy. Having a few different levels of band tension will allow you to vary your rep range greatly. This will help you boost your chin up numbers a lot faster. Some days you train in the range of 1-5 reps for maximal strength. Some day you train in the range of 6-12, and others you train in the range of 15-30, with a band, to improve your endurance.
10) Strengthen your grip- The stronger your grip is the easier pull ups will feel. I suggest getting a Captains of Crush Gripper and using it a few times per week. You can also add in some more specific grip work at the gym like fat bar holds, hexagon dumbbell holds, as well as various pinching and crushing exercises. I highly recommend investing in a pair of Fat Gripz and using them for a large majority of your exercises.
Start using these top 10 ways to improve your pull ups today and drop me a line to let me know how they’re working out for you.
PS. For an awesome 16 week program that will rapidly and dramatically increase the number of pull ups you can do check out Uncaged.
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20. Feb, 2010
at 8:00 am #
“I got a chest like a shit house, its gotta be built up Gordon.”
You managed to incorporate 2 of my favorite things into 1 post, pull ups and the Jerky Boys.
I live in NJ, but not near your gym. Love to workout there some time.
Dan
20. Feb, 2010
at 8:19 am #
Cool! :) I’m excited to learn how to do these – plus it’s my goal for the year. These tips are truly helpful as I have done all of the mistakes. Then gotten discouraged.
This is the year! :)
20. Feb, 2010
at 8:31 am #
Thanks Jason
Great tips. I am a hill runner and have strong legs with poor upper body strength. I had started a program including pull ups and chin ups and this will really help.
Aye
Neil
20. Feb, 2010
at 8:47 am #
Great stuff Jason. Keep it up mate.
There’s a lot of males out there that have no right to call them selves men! Very sad
20. Feb, 2010
at 9:18 am #
I’m still amazed some guys at my gym can pull a lot of weight in a machine but lifting themselves looks like agony. Also, full extension does not apply for this kind of exercise, note to myself.
21. Feb, 2010
at 6:54 am #
…………….and # 11 is get the hell away from the lat pulldown and be a real man!
21. Feb, 2010
at 3:03 pm #
If my goal is to improve my chin-ups/pull-ups what is the best frequency? If I am training upper body 2x per week, should I do chins in one workout and only to rows in the next or should I do chins at each workout?
Thanks,
Marc
22. Feb, 2010
at 12:22 pm #
I can certain appreciate this article as the Lats are very important in upper body strength and athletics but I’m still waiting for a comprehensive and exhaustive article on the key exercises, benefits, dynamics, stretching/treatment options, etc. for the posterior chain…as it is the foundation for nearly every athlete.
Personally, I feel this group of muscles are neglected far too often in favour for mirror muscles. It is also my own personal opinion that without a strong posterior chain, an athlete is at a greater disadvantage for winning championships or even beating personal bests in the weight room.
Looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say about this.
Andrew
Vancouver, BC
Andrew
22. Feb, 2010
at 2:27 pm #
Which rings do you recommend? I’ve been meaning to try them for a while now and my gym doesn’t have any.
Thanks!
22. Feb, 2010
at 2:30 pm #
Andrew, check out T Muscle’s new series “Inside the Muscles”. Might be a little of what you’re looking for.
02. Mar, 2010
at 11:21 pm #
Great pic of Sergio Oliva!
08. Mar, 2010
at 11:15 pm #
Thank you! I was directed here from Nina Shank’s blog, and I’m working on perfecting my pull-ups. Thanks for all your great tips, I’m well on my way to being a woman who can do 10 or more!
21. Mar, 2010
at 8:01 am #
I been trying pull ups for a couple years and couldn’t understand why i wasn’t really progressing? Till i read “don’t go to failure”! Fuck me! I been climbing that invisible ladder this whole time! Couldn’t do five close grip chins and now i can do wide grip over hands piece of cake! Thanks jay, just started my programme and now i’m amping to get into it
16. Apr, 2010
at 1:10 pm #
Great tips. Especially making the distinction between (near-)full extension and exaggerated dead-hang. I’ve personally made that mistake, and almost immediately developed pain that forced me to quit pull-ups for a while. Also, the stopping before failure tip is something that may not be intuitive to many people. Thanks for posting this helpful advice.
25. Apr, 2010
at 7:12 am #
@ Dan- Always good to hear from a Jerky Boys fan. Let me know if you ever want to come by the gym.
@ Claudia- Make it happen.
@ John- Very true.
@ Byron- Exactly.
@ Marc- Frequency is important. Twice a week would be better than once. Five times per week, doing only one set per day is often even better.
@ Andrew- I’ll get to it.
@ Brian- I will double check the name of the rings and get back to you.
@ Ilyse- Awesome!
@ Taipari- Great to hear. Keep killin it!
25. Apr, 2010
at 8:11 am #
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that measures one’s ratio of strength with the pull-up. Most of the ‘no-necks’ love to bark about heavy their bench is, but shy away from the good ole’ pull-up.
Thanks for the tips, I’m trying to increase my reps – may have to get my hands on some bands.
Good stuff!
25. Apr, 2010
at 8:23 am #
Great article bro… one tip that’s helps everyone with their pullups is not to look up and to keep your head neutral… when you look up your neck pinches the nerve and de activates your lats the major mover in a pull up… try it out… just make your you do some neck rolls after you pinch that nerve to loosin it back up…
25. Apr, 2010
at 10:15 pm #
Driving your elbows down back is a great tip. Nice to have reminders like this. Thanks
26. Apr, 2010
at 12:44 am #
pullups a great measure of strength per body weight…and accessible pretty much anywhere. love it
except for the kipping ones….thats too hard to do while loading extra weight :)
26. Apr, 2010
at 10:59 am #
I can’t do ‘em, either. Attempting to do ONE without my Iron Woody band and not being able to get anything going made me feel like crying. But since it was 2am at the gym there were no witnesses so it was okay.
Yea, I keep trying, thinking ‘eventually… when I get rid of a bit more of the body fat, it’s just going to happen… (*sigh*).’ :(
26. Apr, 2010
at 8:25 pm #
Yeah, I agree…attempting to add heavy weights without proper form is futile, not only a waste of time and effort, actually can do you more harm than good!
10. May, 2010
at 7:32 am #
Thanks, guys.
Stacey, you’ll get there. Just be persistent.
13. May, 2010
at 7:48 am #
Jason,
One of those who presently struggle to do just one pull up. Have a pinched nerve (C6-C7 vertebra) affecting strength. Any ideas on how to safely do pull ups and not aggravate the existing condition? Good tips…still plan on being a “man” soon!
Andy
24. May, 2010
at 4:17 pm #
I am in 7th grade and can do 21 pull-ups, hopefully with your tips I can make 25.
Thanks!
30. Jun, 2010
at 10:41 am #
No need to chin over the bar. Don’t believe me, champs such as Oliva and Scott utilized this technique with great results.
07. Nov, 2011
at 6:47 pm #
@Mace:Agreed. I always tell people they should be called chest ups. Lead with the chest and arch the back. Trying too hard to get your chin over the bar leads too shitty form and rounded shoulders.
30. Jun, 2010
at 12:25 pm #
Thanks, great tips about HOLDING SCAPULA DOWN and not fully straightening the arms. I would not even go 99% straight arms and I think 90% are perfectly fine–even less, depending on SHOULDER HEALTH. Neglecting these things at first gave me the hell of a case of shoulder impingement, which still affects me, so people with shoulder issues shouldn’t go too low on pullups. And no, a man who can’t do pullups isn’t a woman and still a man, there’re different kinds of men and women, we live in a free and diverse country…at least I do. I’ve been told a few times that I’m a “man” just cause I’m athletic and can do things like pullups, etc, sexism is alive and well.
28. Oct, 2010
at 4:55 am #
Jason,
What do you suggest if you can’t do any to start? Using a chair, bands or something else?
07. Nov, 2011
at 6:51 pm #
@Jessica: Use bands or do assisted chins on the floor with the Jungle Gym XT (http://jasonferruggia.com/junglegymxt )
@tyciol- No worries.
@K. Gopal- A pull up is palms facing away from you, a chin up is palms facing you.
15. Nov, 2010
at 4:12 am #
“Don’t go to failure” is such an important point. Reaching failure will slow down or even stunt your strength gains, which will also hurt your muscle gains.
“Initiate with the lats” is also a great point. When I started doing pull-ups, I could only feel it in my biceps for quite some time. Once I started focusing on engaging my lats, my progress started speeding up.
26. Nov, 2010
at 3:18 pm #
i also found this to be a real good article on how to get started if you cant do any Pullups
10. Feb, 2011
at 1:44 pm #
I have no idea what you’re talking about with tendons and ligaments, tension is ALWAYS on the tendons, that’s how muscles pull. As for ligaments, that’s only if you relax. We have muscles with depress (lower traps, pec minor) and downward rotate (levator scapula, rhomboids) our scapulae, so letting them come up is part of the movement.
The criticism of the lat pulldown also doesn’t make any sense, if more nerves are stimulated it’s likely from your legs flailing through the air, not from it being any harder on the working muscles. Lat pulldowns are easier because some pulleys may be designed to make it easier to pull a given weight, the difference between open and closed chain movements is less in pulling than in pushing. There isn’t anything near the “balance” difference there is in a squat, you can’t fall over during a pull up, it’s self correcting.
18. Feb, 2011
at 11:48 am #
Chin ups are admittedly a stickler for me, looking into the post I think it been do to with going to failure every time I do chin ups (trying to improve on my last performance.) I will have to rethink my plan of attack now thou.
Thanks Jason
06. Jun, 2011
at 12:43 am #
Another great article from you Jason, However i don’t understand number three
“When you get on the bar you want to pull your shoulder blades down and lock your shoulders into their sockets.”
Got any videos demonstrating this one?
11. Jun, 2011
at 4:21 pm #
Just incase there are any other girls out there with small hands forget the fat gripz. I could not even get my hand around them once they were on the bar. Actually caused discomfort
in the area between the thumb and palm.
20. Jul, 2011
at 5:45 am #
Hey Till, are u out there? You told me a day ago that the diff between a chin-up and pull-up is the grip (palms inward for chin-up, outward for pull-up), but in this article Jason seems to be using the terms inter-changeably. What u said makes sense, so are the terms being loosely used here?
Gopal
30. Oct, 2011
at 10:16 pm #
Till is buying into a modern bad usage. These all involving pulling ourselves up, so using pull ups to refer to everything makes the most sense. Call it a chin up if you pull up high enough to touch your chin to the bar.
It’s fine to have terms for grip, but they should make sense, calling them chin/pull does not. Palms inward is a supine grip, so call it a sup-up. Palms outward is a prone grip, so call it a pro-up. SOLVED
This article has some good points but not sure I’d call it great. Avoiding complete extensions seems silly, you’re not getting a full stretch or RoM that way. Ligaments need to get stronger too and people use locked elbows for things like leg raises all the time.
06. Nov, 2011
at 9:47 pm #
I agree, the image of a man at the park with his wife and kid who can’t even do one pull up is horrendous. It is comforting to know that at least there are dead beat dads who abandon their wife and children who can do a pull up. Obviously the key to being a great person, a good father and provider, and success in life in general is to do a pull up. Thank you for you insightful article about the key to masculinity (or should i say insecurity).
Keep pulling up!
07. Nov, 2011
at 6:45 pm #
@Low t,
Sorry to hear about your problems. Keep working on the tips I have provided here and you will not only be able to be a good dad but also actually do some pull ups, as every man should be able to do.
Good luck
08. Nov, 2011
at 11:13 am #
So great that you think the opposite of “Big” is “Low.” Enough said.
08. Nov, 2011
at 12:41 pm #
@Big t: Ahaha. Oh man, that’s too good. Wow.
08. Nov, 2011
at 4:24 pm #
Haha, just playing with you man. On a serious note, have you ever heard of the Armstrong pull up technique? I’ve been trying that to increase pull up strength, but i that some of that work out incorporates burn out…. just curious what you think. thanx
17. Nov, 2011
at 9:14 pm #
“this guy was not obese. He had the average adult male physique- 5’9”, 165 pounds with a 38 inch waist”
Jason, I’m no expert on obesity, but someone 165 with a 38″ waist has got to be obese.
21. Jan, 2012
at 11:19 pm #
So i’m training to become a PJ in the air force, and in the (PAST) test I have to take, to be qualified for special ops, I have to do 10 pull ups, 52 push ups and a wide variety of other running and swimming events, the only thing I struggle with is the pull ups and push ups, I can do 35 push ups and 5 pull ups before my arms give out on me… yet I can lift 145 lbs. I am 5’9″ and weigh 145, 18 years old. What part of my body should I work out in order to be able to progress greatly in these events? My recruiter sais I should be able to do pull ups easily for how small I am but I just can’t get the hang of it. If someone could email me and help me out, it would be great. bradgetzdown@aol.com <-
29. Jan, 2012
at 3:59 am #
do u recommed the following :
Pull up behind the neck
daily chin up/ pull up or it will be overload for shoulder and elbow
if so maximum reps per days