How To Do Pull-Ups For Beginners
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Here are pull-ups for beginners, that will take you from negative chin-ups to your first full pull-up and beyond!
When To Do This Program
Ideally you make the following a part of my workout plans for beginners or teen beginners, because just working your back wouldn’t make a lot of sense.
Given those schedules, you will be working on your back 2 – 3 times per week, which is also what you should do if you choose to not follow the rest of my routines.
No Pull-Up Bar?
If you don’t have a pull-up bar at home, that’s no problem. This article has tons of suggestions where you can do chin-ups and pull-ups.
Pull-Up Vs. Chin-Up
Now let’s get some terminology out of the way. A chin-up is when you grab the bar and your hands are facing toward you. In this position your biceps provides more assistance when doing the motion:
The chin-up position
A pull-up is when you grab the bar and your hands are facing away from you, which mostly neutralizes the biceps:
The pull-up position
Negative Chin-Ups: Great Choice For Beginners
All that being said, let’s get started. Because chin-ups are easier to do than pull-ups, we will begin with those and make them even easier: we’ll do them as negative chin-ups. “Negative” means that you only part of a movement where you lower the weight. In case of a chin-up that is your body. To do this, we’ll use a chair.
Step on it, so that your chin is approximately at the height of the bar, grab the bar with hands facing toward you, slightly pull yourself up, hold for a second and then slowly lower yourself to the ground:
Hold this position for about a second
Your first workout starts with three sets of these, with six repetitions per set and between every set you take a break of one minute. On each following session, you add one more repetition to a set:
- Workout 1: 6 – 6 – 6
- Workout 2: 7 – 6 – 6
- Workout 3: 7 – 7 – 6
- Workout 4: 7 – 7 – 7
- Workout 5: 8 – 7 – 7
- Etc.
Doing Your First Full Pull-Up Test
When you reach 12 negative chin-up repetitions on all three sets, it is time to test if you are ready for a real pull-up. Without using the chair, grab the bar, hands facing away from you and try to pull yourself up.
If you are: well done! Start over with six repetitions each, doing as many real pull-ups as you can and do the rest negative, once more adding one repetition to a set per workout.
If you still can’t do a full pull-up, don’t be discouraged, you will get there! Do as you did with the chin-ups: perform three sets of negative pull-ups, each for six repetitions and add one more repetition to a set per workout. Beginning with the second of week of this, repeat the above test before you start and check if you are able to do a real pull-up. Once you are, you are ready for the step above.
Video
If all this is still a bit unclear, here is a video:
8 Comments
EC, i’m sure someone has mentioned this before, but on chrome the video player looks somewhat funny. it’s not really of any consequence, but the quality settings and time don’t show up right.
also, 1×1@bw+45 chin today :D(225 total). went up quicker than expected, probably could’ve gotten a little more
Hey EC,
First off, i have to say. This place is awesome. You’ve done a great job. Its nice to see someone who is down to earth and has a sense of humour when it comes to working out.
Anyway, whats your view on the “Grease the groove” method? Its actually something I picked up on Scoobys forum. Basically you put your pull up bar up and everytime you walk past it/go under it, you do a short set. So I can do about 6 chin ups now. So everytime I go past the bar, I do 3 chins and then leave it until i walk past it again.
I actually started with the walk the plank method but have started this method and it does seem to be having some positive effect.
The only thing im slightly worried about is that i may be overtraining, if i do this everyday?
Heah Rob, thanks for the kind words! 🙂
I actually like the method and did a video recommending it:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/how-to-do-more-pull-ups/
As you will notice, the only difference I recommend is that I’d say don’t do complete sets (as in going to failure). That indeed might be a little too much.
Hi I can’t do one pull up and was wondering if i should do this everyday or just 3 times a week.
Thanks Dale
Heah Dale, you should do it three times per week. Otherwise your muscles won’t have time to repair and get stronger.
Hey EC !
I am really grateful for your workout plan and videos. They are of immense help as they helped to imbibe a discipline and plan in my home workout !
I started doing chin ups with the door gym pull up bar. I managed 3 sets of 6 and was progressing well. But I am having pain in my left elbow and shoulder. Any idea if this is because of wrong technique ?
Heah Alok, hard to say from here. It could be bad form or some weakness that was there before.
Give it a bit to heal and then try again. If at all possible, film yourself while doing them and then check how your form is. Even I sometimes catch myself on film doing things I would have sworn I don’t do 🙂
I agree you cannot comment from thousand miles away 😀
I had a forearm fracture and dislocated elbow around 13 years back in school. That’s all I remember for my left arm. I was doing so well with your regimen , but this pain made me take a pause and made me upset 🙁
I will give rest to the arm and skip the push ups.
Thanks man !
Keep up the good work !