A Principle Based Approach

Exercise Selection

It is crucial when designing your training plan that you pick exercises which are difficult enough to provide a stimulus and create physical change yet not so challenging that you cannot perform them for the required volume (sets and repetitions) or without good technique. Everyone reading this article is at a different point on their way towards a pull up. so I cannot provide an article with one plan, I can however provide you with the principles that I would use if I were to design a training plan helping you move towards your first pull up. So make sure you are making logical exercise choices.

Build Hanging Strength

The hang is the base exercise of the pull up, if you cannot hang from a bar then you are never going to be able to perform a pull up. This is a tough first step fro a lot of people. It is hard on the hands and the shoulders. A great deal of beginners are often surprised and feel dejected by how hard just hanging from a bar can be. Just be aware that this is a difficult exercise for most beginners.

Build Vertical Pulling Strength

Vertical pulling is the movement pattern that the pull up is within. If you have a look through our movement library you can see we have many vertical pulling variations that can be used to build strength in this movement pattern. Building strength in the vertical pulling movement pattern will require you to perform 8-12+ working sets of vertical pulling in your week of training to make consistent progress. For optimal training these sets would be split across two different sessions.

Build Horizontal Pulling Strength

Horizontal pulling exercises are much less specific to pull ups but are still a crucial part of working towards your first pull up. These are a crucial part of your training week if you are wanting to build towards your first pull up. Similarly to the vertical pull movement pattern, the horizontal pull can also be progressed through adding 8-12 sets into your week of training.

Build Static Strength

Static strength is a brilliant supplement to pulling strength, there are many different variations of static holds that you can do to help build towards your first pull up. The most notable exercises being the chin over bar hold. This requires a good level of strength to perform so make sure that you feel comfortable performing it prior to jumping into a position that is too challenging for you. Another even more challenging exercises is the bent isometric hold, if you are able to perform this, then you are very close to your first pull up.

More accessible static holds can be found in horizontal pulling positions, which will still be very effective for working towards your first pull up. these include the top of ring row hold and the top of inverted press up hold. All of these exercises will help build a strong upper back that will be capable of performing a pull up.

Use Eccentric Exercises

Eccentric exercises are not magical exercises which are going to accelerate your progress leaps and bounds. The only thing that will do that is training consistency. That being said, they are extremely effective when it comes to building towards your first pull up. They allow us to overload the vertical pull movement pattern whilst we are not capable of performing pull ups. The key thing to remember when performing eccentric exercises is that they need to be performed with control, if you cannot control the eccentric portion of the exercise then you should not be performing the exercise. When using eccentric exercises, these will count towards your 8-12 sets per week that are required for progress.

Build Core Strength

Core strength will not be the make or break of performing a pull up. I have clients who can perform 5 pull ups and they find a 45 second plank very challenging and other clients who have excellent core strength but are a long way from performing a pull up. That being said, building a strong core in conjunction with pulling strength will put you in the best position possible to be able to perform a pull up.

Build Patience

Getting stronger and building muscle takes time and effort, years on end. This is especially true for females trying to get their first pull up. It can literally take 2-3+ years for females even with a consistent pursuit. Just accept this as part of the fun process that is training the body to be strong and capable.

Use Pragmatic Goals

Rather than just having your eye on the very end goal, in this case, performing your first pull up. Set pragmatic goals. This can be done every time you write a training cycle, for example if you are using an active hang to build hanging strength then you could set a goal of a 30 hang in two months time. This breaks down the goal into segments that seem much more manageable which is far more motivating than aiming for something that is two years away.

Being Honest About Your Weight

This is a tough one, as I would never want to force a goal of weight loss on someone who considers themselves not needing to lose weight. However we need to be realistic here. If you are overweight or obese performing a pull up is going to be far more challenging. I’m just noting this as it is something you need to consider when you are trying to set realistic and achievable goals.