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Introduction
Hello my friends, it is your brother Hampton from Hybrid Calisthenics. If you can't do pull-ups yet, don't let it ruin your day. Let me see if I can help you out.
Explanation!
Beyond just being a great exercise, pull-ups are a fundamental movement. The human body is built to hang and climb. But despite that, you shouldn't feel embarrassed if you can't do a pull-up. You're probably just never taught how to build up to it. Just like with push-ups, if you can't do it, many people are told to just keep trying until they can.
Now, this is funny to me, because if someone couldn't bicep curl, say, a hundred pounds, you probably wouldn't just give them a hundred-pound barbell and tell them to keep trying until they get it. You'd probably start them off with lower weight and work their way up, doing things they can do until they're strong enough to move on. You can do the exact same thing with pull-ups. Like I often say, there are many different kinds of pull-ups. Some are easy, some are hard. So don't be ashamed if you can't do a pull-up. Fitness is a journey, and we all start from somewhere. There are some very strong people now who once couldn't do a pull-up.
So again, we're going to find a pull-up variation that we can do. We're going to work it hard once or twice a week until we hit a certain standard of sets and reps, and when we hit that standard, we know we are strong enough to move on to a slightly harder exercise. Did I get everything? I only explained this all the time, you think I have it memorized by now.
Progressive Pullups
One of the easiest pull-up variations that I have everyone start with is called the wall pull-up.
Stage 1: Wall Pullups
Even some people who, by their own definition, are not very fit laugh at this exercise. They tell me to give them something harder because it's too easy, it's too gentle. Well, first of all, not everyone is in the situation that you are in. Even if you consider yourself out of shape, this is a valuable rehab exercise. Some people have been in a car accident, some people have injured themselves severely, and this is a great way to start.
However, the true benefit of wall pull-ups for beginners, in my opinion, is learning to develop mind-muscle connection and build proper form. A lot of people start with exercises that are too hard for them, and as a result, they develop bad habits. When you do this, really focus on activating your back, really focus on activating your bicep, and really try to feel the pulling motion. Feel what muscles are working and what the most efficient way to do it is. Strength is also a skill. Don't keep your back too stiff and just bend like this. On the other hand, don't keep your back too loose and just do this. This is really a good exercise to develop good form habits.
After you can do three sets of 50 wall pull-ups, which I admit is a fairly easy goal for most people, you can move on to something called horizontal pull-ups.
Stage 2: Horizontal Pullups (Chest Height)
Find something around chest height. After you have that, you just lean back like this, and they go like this. These are great exercises in their own right. Again, it's a great opportunity to develop the principles of good form.
An important note for all pull-ups is not to go too fast. You don't want to kip or yank up like this if you're not conditioned for it yet. A good rule of thumb is to go up for one second, pause for one second, and come down for one second, pause for one second, and repeat.
After you can do three sets of 30 at chest height, move them to around hip height.
Stage 3: Horizontal Pullups (Hip Height)
Again, the lower the harder. Oh look, the hybrid chickens are loose. Chicken, what are you doing? Go back, go back.
Now, if you don't have these gym rings or an adjustable bar, you can do horizontal pull-ups from underneath the table or from a broomstick underneath two low, sturdy objects. Once again, here we go. They look exactly the same, they're just lower.
A really important factor is where you put your feet. If I move my feet back like this, I didn't change the height of the rings, I didn't adjust the buckles, but they are much easier. By the same token, if I move my feet way back and allow the rings to hang as low as possible, it's actually lowering the rings, lowering the height, despite me not adjusting the ropes, and they are significantly harder this way.
After you can do three sets of 25 of those, we're actually going to raise the height of our pulling object until we can sit on the ground like this.
Stage 4: Jackknife Pullups
These are called jackknife pull-ups, and they just look like this. Now, you may notice at the bottom part of the exercise it's a vertical pull, and as we straighten our body, we go horizontal. So vertical, horizontal, and back down. Here's a few reps from the side just to show you how they look. Nice and slow.
[Music]
Do two more. Seriously, what are you doing? Why are you over here? You have plenty of food. You have plenty of food. You just like to escape looking at you, bucko. Yeah, look away in shame.
Jackknife Pull
If you don't want to sit on the ground, or you don't have something that goes low enough, you can do them from a chair like this.
Stage 4: Part Two
After you meet the goal for jackknife pull-ups, there's a few things you can do. Some people find they can do regular pull-ups from there right away. Other people need to use gradually less and less assistance from their legs. You can alternate like this until you eventually don't need your legs at all and pull yourself up.
Half Pullups
Another thing you can try is using partial range of motion with half pull-ups like this. Partials can be a handy way to learn a new exercise, but always follow it up with a full range of motion, even with an easier variation. Even after you can do a pull-up, I was still trained with the easier variations until you can do three good regular pull-ups.
[Music]
But after you can do a pull-up, come back and give me a high-five and comment "Hampton, you son of a gun, I did it." You don't actually have to do that, that'd be pretty cool.
Stage 5: Full Pullups
Now, as you approach your first clean rep, you may have questions about the grip. Some people find it easier with the palms facing away, and others find it easier with the palms facing towards them like this.
Grip
A pronated grip is usually called a pull-up, and a supinated grip is usually called a chin-up. But in my opinion, there is not a significant difference in difficulty between the two. Learn both. Start off by doing whatever feels the most comfortable. Also, I don't know what it is, but I've never liked the word chin-up. If I become President of the Universe, we're going to universally call all pulling motions pull-ups. You're pulling yourself up.
Hampton's Plans to Overtake the Universe
I like using gym rings because I can sling them over anything, a pull-up bar, a tree branch, and they allow my hands to turn during the pulling motion. Your hands may want to pronate or turn in as you pull them closer to your body, and gym rings allow this to happen smoothly.
Gymnastic Rings
If you like the rings I use in this video, I sell them in my shop. I'll leave a link in the description and/or the comments.
Outro
Hey, I really hope that helps you out. If you have a question or you feel like I left something out, please leave a comment. I do try to read all of them. I am your brother Hampton from Hybrid Calisthenics. I am cheering for you, and I hope you have a beautiful day.