If pull ups aren’t one of your favorite exercises, it's time to change that. After all, the pull up is among the best upper body exercises you can do for strength and hypertrophy.
But what if you can’t do pull ups?
First of all, don't feel embarrassed or anything, it is a very difficult exercise. Second, with hard work, dedication, and a foolproof pull up progression plan, nearly everyone can learn how to do pull ups, not to mention move on to more advanced pull up variations, including you.
In this guide to mastering pull ups, we will cover:
- How To Get Your First Pull-Up
- Pull-Up Progression Plan
- Pull Up Test Comparison
- Pull Ups Muscles Worked
- Benefits Of Pull Ups
- Pull Up Variations
- Pull Up Workouts
- Pull Up Challenges.
- FAQs
If you can do pull ups, you will still find this pull up guide useful, as we outline ways to progress beyond just strict pull ups. That way, you can continue to develop upper body strength, endurance and muscle with this absolutely essential, age-old bodyweight exercise.
Without further ado, it's pull up time.
HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST PULL UP
Now, here's what you've been waiting for - the perfect pull up progression program. It’s going to run through three programs.
- How To Get Your First Pull-Up (Bodyweight Only)
- Increasing Your Pull-Ups (Bodyweight Only)
- Gym-Based Pull-Up Program
Because everyone will be starting at a different level, this program will be laid out with progressive exercises.
However, getting your first pull-up and increasing your initial numbers is pretty straight forward.
FYI - This is not a Crossfit pull up progression plan, so you won't be learning kipping pull up progression or butterfly pull up progression. You are here to master the strict pull up.
Equipment needed: You will need a low bar and a high pull up bar. In addition, you should also have a selection of resistance bands for assisted pull-ups.
Getting your first pull-up is the hardest part of your pull-up journey. It can be extremely frustrating as you can’t even pull yourself up an inch!
No worries. Here’s what to do.
You’re going to train two days a week;
-
Session 1 will be hypertrophy and endurance focused
-
Session 2 will be strength focused
Keep in mind getting your first pull-up is the hardest part. In addition, the time required varies greatly from person to person.
Some may get it in a couple weeks while others may need 10 weeks.
Session 1
Your first session is going to be focused on building muscle and improving muscle endurance.
To do this, your exercises are going to be focused on performing higher reps. In addition to building muscle, it will also begin to train these movement patterns.
Be sure to give yourself plenty of rest between each set unless mentioned. This is actually one of the biggest setbacks that keep people from progressing.
- Primary pull-up exercises: 2:00-3:00
- All other accessory exercises: 1:30-2:00
- Deadhangs: 1:00-1:30
Dead-Hang 3-5 Sets
Start your session with a dead-hang. This exercise simply has you hang from a bar .
Even though it seems simple, these are crucial for improving your grip strength as well as your core. Plus, it begins to condition your entire back.
Progression: Your aim is to simply increase the time you hang. Start with something low (10s), and gradually increase.
Assisted Pull-Ups 5 X 6-10
After dead hangs, move onto assisted pull-ups. Use a larger band, or even two, so that you can get at least 5, quality pull-ups.
Progression: Your goal is to gradually perform more reps and then jump to a smaller band. Aim to start with a band that allows somewhere between 6-10 reps.
Planks 3-5 Sets
Take a break from training your back and do some planks. Remember that a strong core is crucial for increasing your pull-ups.
Progression: Try to hold each plank longer or train more difficult variations such as single hand planks.
Inverted Rows 5 X 6-10
After your pull-ups, you’ll move onto the inverted row. You should be able to get at least 8.
If you need, you can use a band to help assist you. To do this, you wrap the band around your back in the same manner as if you were doing resistance band push-ups.
Progression: Similar to the assisted pull-up. You can either use bands to assist or higher bars, if you have access.
Assisted Chin-Ups 3 X 8-10
Your last exercise will be assisted chin-ups. Chin-ups are performed with your palms facing towards you.
While similar movement patterns, chin-ups are generally easier to perform as you engage your biceps to a greater degree and have greater mechanical advantage.
However, they will still help you on your journey to your first pull-up and add variation to your training.
Use a band that ideally allows 8-10 reps.
Progression: Same thing with attempting to use a smaller band.
Session 2
Your second session will be focused on getting your first pull-up and performing an unassisted rep.
To do this, you’re going to use more challenging variations that have you lift a higher percentage of your body weight.
Assisted Pull-Ups 3 X 1-5
After your warm-up, you’ll perform assisted pull-ups again. However, use a band that only allows around 1-5 reps.
Progression: You’ll start with a band that allows somewhere between 1-5 reps.Your goal is to gradually perform more reps and then jump to a smaller band.
Negative Pull-Ups 5 X 2
Negative pull-ups are a great exercise to prepare your body to perform a pull-up.
It consists of just the eccentric muscle contraction – this is the “going down” phase. When examining the force production of your muscles, research shows that you are capable of producing more force during this portion of the rep when the muscle fibers lengthen.
While you may not be able to lift your body, you should be able to lower your body in a controlled manner.
Progression: Perform 5 sets of 2-3 reps. Each rep should last at least 2 seconds when you begin. However, your goal is to gradually increase the duration of each negative. Concentrate on trying to maintain the same decent speed throughout the whole ROM.
Planks 3-5 Sets
Take a break from training your back and do some planks. Remember that a strong core is crucial for increasing your pull-ups.
Progression: Try to hold each plank longer or train more difficult variations such as single hand planks.
Inverted Rows 3 X 6-8
After your chin-ups, you will perform more inverted rows. However, on this day, try to use more difficult variations. This includes;
- Lift one leg off the ground
- Pull your body to one hand
- Place your feet on an elevated surface
The variation you do will vary greatly depending on your level of fitness. Try to use a version that allows 6-8 reps.
Progression: Continue training with your goal of using more difficult variations as mentioned above. If anything just use bands to assist.
Assisted Chin-Ups 3 X 8-10
Your second exercise will be assisted chin-ups. Chin-ups are performed with your palms facing towards you.
While similar movement patterns, chin-ups are generally easier to perform as you engage your biceps to a greater degree and have greater mechanical advantage.
However, they will still help you on your journey to your first pull-up and add variation to your training.
Use a band that allows for 8-10 reps ideally.
Progression: Same thing with attempting to use a smaller band.
PULL UP PROGRESSION PLAN (Body Weight Only)
So you got your first pull-up….now what!?
As we said, the hard part is over – now you need to focus on adding repetitions. You’re going to use the same schedule of training twice a week with a strength-focused day and a hypertrophy/endurance day.
The primary difference is going to be seen in the strength day.
Session 1
Dead-Hang And Scapular Pull-Ups 5 Sets
You’re going to continue with the dead-hang and scapular pull-ups for your first exercise.
Progression: Increase the duration and reps for each set.
Negative + Assisted Pull-Ups
The primary exercise will have you perform 1 negative full negative at 5 seconds. You’ll then immediately perform assisted pull-ups. Choose a band that allows 6-10 reps.
This will train you to control your entire body weight and then allow you to perform full reps.
Progression: Aim to use a longer negative as well as smaller bands.
Inverted Rows 3 X Failure
Last, finish up with 3 sets of inverted rows to failure.
Progression: Keep on pushing! Simply perform each set to failure
Session 2
Pull-Ups 5 X 1-3
You’re going to start your second session with pull-ups.
For the first few weeks, use the smaller bands you have to perform 5 sets. Ideally, you should be able to get around 2-3 per set.
As you work, you don’t need to perform the same reps for each set. For example, you could perform your first 2 sets unassisted and then use bands for the last 3 sets.
Progression: Your goal here is to eventually perform 5 sets of unassisted pull-ups. Continue adding reps and taking away bands.
Negatives 3-5 X 1
After your pull-ups, you’re going to use negatives.
You’re only going to use 5 sets of 1 rep. Each rep, lower yourself as slow as possible. However, only allows 10-15 seconds of recovery between each set.
Progression: Increase the duration of each rep.
Planks
Take a break from training your back and do some planks. Remember that a strong core is crucial for increasing your pull-ups.
Progression: Increase the duration of each rep or use more difficult progressions.
Assisted Close-Grip Chin-Up
Now that you have some move onto assisted close-grip chin-ups. Use a band that has you perform between 6-10 reps.
The same principles apply in that your overall goal is to be able to try and perform more reps with the same band or use a smaller band.
Progression: Continue working in the 6-10 rep range and take away bands when possible.
Inverted Rows 3 X 6-8
Finish up the session with your inverted rows.
If you feel strong, begin to perform reps where you pull your body up to one hand. As you pull yourself up, try to bring the middle of your chest up to one hand.
Progression: Continue working in the 6-8 rep range and take away bands when possible.
Want to boost your strength making difficult pull ups a thing of the past? Check out our SFS Strength Program developed by Garett Reid (NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S).
Prepare to maximize your strength with our exclusive 13-week strength training program. 3, 4, and 5 day per week programming options.
PULL-UP PROGRESSION PROGRAM (Gym Based)
Just because you want to increase your pull-ups doesn’t mean you don’t have access to a gym. This program is for those who have full access to equipment.
In reality, this isn’t going to be an entirely new program. Rather, you’re just going to add the pull-up program above to some gym based training.
Keep in mind that when it comes to pull-ups, any upper body pulling exercise is going to be great. With that said, there are a couple back exercises that stick out in effectiveness.
Use the same programs as above. However, add these exercises to the routine.
Session 1
Close Grip Lat Pulldown 3 X 8-10
The close grip lat pulldown is a great addition to help you build volume. Perform this towards the end of your session.
Progression: Increase the reps and load so that you stay in the 8-10 rep range.
Bicep Curl 3X8-12
As you’re in the gym, it’s always a good idea to hit your biceps with some isolation. There’s no specific curl and you could even swap every couple weeks.
Progression: Your goal here is to simply stress the biceps. You don’t need to stress too much as long as you’re training each rep with intensity.
Session 2
Lat Pulldown 3 X 6-8
The lat pull-down is a great exercise to strengthen the lats. Stay in the 6-8 rep range as you attempt to increase the load.
T-Bar Row 3 X 6-10
Progression: Keep adding weight and reps.
HOW TO DO A PULL UP WITH CORRECT FORM
- Get into a dead hang position, which means you are hanging down completely straight, arms extended, scapula relaxed. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Activate your scapula by pulling them down and back (retract and depress your shoulder blades). This will put you in a position to use your lats and arms to pull you up. Skipping this step can lead to instability.
- From there, use your back (focus on your lats) to pull your body up in a straight line. Your arms are there to assist you, not do all the work.
- Keep your chest up and shoulder blades retracted as you pull up.
- Get your chin above the bar. Then slowly lower back down to a dead hang with your arms fully extended and repeat.
PULL UP FORM TIPS:
- Everything should be done in one fluid motion. Dead hang -> Scapular Activation -> Pulling Yourself Up...it's all one smooth movement.
- Don’t cheat. Unless you are doing Crossfit, don't kip or swing your body. It's better to do 5 strict pull ups than it is to do 10 flailing ones.
- Use a full range of motion. Again, it's better to do 5 perfect reps than it is to do 10 half reps.
PULL UP TEST Comparison
- Make sure you have a pull up bar that is high enough so you can fully hang (ideally with your legs straight).
- Using the correct pull up form that we went over above, do as many pull ups as you can.
- Record your score.
Remember, these are full range of motion, strict pull ups. No cheating.
Test Results:
Here are the average number of pull ups that teens and adults (both male and female) can do. See how you stack up!
Teens:
- Boys 13-18: 3-8 is average. The older you are, the more you should be on the higher end.
- Girls 13-18: 1 pull up is average.
Adults:
- Men: 8 is average, 13-17 is considered above average.
- Women: 1-3 is average, 5-9 is considered above average.
Test Again Every 1-2 Months
After you’ve trained for about a month or two, test again to see your progress.
Why can't I do pull ups?
There could be a number of reasons why you can’t do a pull up, including it being completely mental. Some common causes are;
-
Overweight
-
Weak biceps
-
Weak grip strength
-
Weak back strength
-
Injury
The good news is you can do it if you set your mind to it. Training to do pull ups is simple. The other good news is there are tons of pull up variations, meaning there is definitely a regression of the exercise you can start doing now. Follow the progression guide above and you will achieve your first pull up before you know it!
Pull Ups Muscles Worked
Let’s take a look at the anatomy of the muscles worked with a standard pull up. This is just good to know, plus it should help with mind-muscle connection.
Primary muscles (movers):
- Latissimus Dorsi (largest muscle of your back) - primary mover**
- Biceps Brachii
- Brachioradialis and brachialis (forearms)
- Infraspinatus
- Lower Trapezius
Secondary muscles:
- Rear deltoid
- Rhomboids
- Levator scapulae
- Pectoralis Major/Minor
Stabilizers:
- Rotator Cuff Muscles (infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor)
- Triceps
- Obliques
- Erector Spinae
Importance of Grip Strength
Grip strength is a major factor for pull ups. Even if your back and arms are strong enough to pull you up, if you don’t have the grip strength (and grip endurance), you won’t be able to do sets. Therefore, working on your grip strength will directly improve your pull ups.
Here are other things you can do to improve your grip strength.
Benefits of Pull Ups
The pull up is one of the most important upper body exercises that you can do, and the benefits are endless. It doesn't matter what workout program you are running - bodybuilding, calisthenics, powerlifting, etc., - pull ups should be included in your workout program.
It’s an essential exercise for;
- Building upper body mass
- Increasing pulling strength
- Improve athleticism
- Increase grip strength
This applies to all fitness levels, and it works for all fitness levels because of its incredible versatility.
If you can’t do a pull up, then this should be one of the first things you aim to master in fitness. There's a reason it is included in every fitness test (i.e. Military). It is a clear indicator of overall strength, as are push ups.
What are pull ups good for?
The pull up is one of the most effective compound exercises for strengthening and building back muscles, which includes your latissimus dorsi, trapezius, erector spinae, and infraspinatus.
What man doesn’t want a strong, wide back like that of a silver back gorilla? And what women doesn’t want a defined, beautiful, v-shape back?
-
Strengthen Your Biceps, Forearms, and Shoulders. In fact, many will agree that pull ups and chin ups are the best bicep exercises you can do.
- They will help you build incredible grip strength. Way underrated.
- Increase shoulder stability and core strength! As those are your stabilizing muscles when performing pull ups.
- Improves upper body explosiveness. This will lead to improvements in all areas of your fitness as well as competitive sports.
- Burn a lot of calories. They're difficult so they will get your heart pumping like crazy, allowing you to burn more calories (and thus fat) and boost your metabolism.
-
Easy To Progress On. When a strict pull up becomes too easy, you can progress by adding more reps, lowering rest time, doing harder variations or adding more weight to your body (weighted vest or weight belt).
-
Many Variations To Choose From. Furthermore, each variation creates different stimuli on your muscles, which is great for increasing strength and total muscle development.
-
Improve Your Posture. Pull-ups strengthen the entire back which is essential for healthy posture.
The above is not an exhaustive list of benefits. We could really go on and on about why they're great, but we will leave it at that. You get the point.
PULL UP VARIATIONS
All pull up exercises will be a vertical pulling motion, so pretty much all the same muscles will be worked no matter what variation you chose.
However, there are differences in which muscles are being activated more and the intensity of the muscle contraction depending on the variation you choose. For example, a wide grip emphasizes the lats more, while close grip involves the biceps more.
By recruiting the muscles equally, you will have more well-rounded strength, and it will help you become resilient to injuries and overuse of the muscles.
Grip Variations
- Pronated (overhand) vs Supinated (underhand) Grip: Overhand grip is going to be more difficult than an underhand grip because your biceps are in a less optimal position that is difficult to produce maximal force. Note: Overhand is considered a pull up. Underhand is a chin up.
- Neutral Grip: This is a grip where your hands are facing in towards each other. This would be considered middle difficulty, between overhand and underhand grip.
- Switch Grip: This is where one hand is facing in (underhand) and one is facing out (overhand). This is like a standard deadlift grip. This is not a typical grip for pull up exercises, but it is a way to change up the angle of how you are hitting your muscles. Just be sure to switch which hand is over and under evenly.
Grip Width Variations
You also have to consider the distance between your hands as this will change the stimulus on your muscles.
Close Grip:
Standard Grip:
Wide Grip:
The wider your grip the harder the pull up will be as your lats are getting less help from your arms.
14 BEST VARIATIONS OF PULL UPS:
Let's have a look at our favorite variations. We have put them in order of easiest to hardest.
The main purpose of doing pull up variations is so you can hit your back from all angles. Thanks to these variations, all you need is a pull up bar to get a great back workout in. For the minimalists out there, this should be music to your ears.
These variations can also be used for an advanced progression plan!
1. Chin Up
- Grip: Supinated (Underhand)
- Hand Position: Shoulder-width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on the bicep, teres major, middle back
2. Switch Grip (aka Mixed Grip)
- Grip: Under/Over (like a deadlift)
- Hand Position: A little further than shoulder-width
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on arms and lats
Note: Be sure to switch your grip each set so you train your body evenly.
3. Mid-Grip Pull Up
- Grip: Pronated (Overhand)
- Hand Position: Slightly less than shoulder width
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on Inner lats, lower traps, and pecs.
4. Close Grip Pull Up
- Grip: Pronated (Overhand)
- Hand Position: Centered and together
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on biceps, Inner lats, lower traps, and pecs
5. Neutral Grip Pull Up
- Grip: Neutral (Facing in towards each other)
- Hand Position: Slightly less than shoulder width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on latissimus doris, trapezius, biceps
Note: We didn't have a standard neutral grip pull up bar to demonstrate on this day, which would have been easier than the parallel bars. The closer your hands are to each other, the easier it will be.
6. Wide Grip Pull Up
- Grip: Pronated (Overhand)
- Hand Position: Half-foot to a foot wider than your shoulders on both sides
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on the latissimus doris, trapezius, rhomboids, external obliques
7. Commando Pull Ups
- Grip: In/in
- Hand Position: Stacked - body perpendicular with the bar, directly underneath.
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on biceps, traps, lats.
8. Slow Down Pull Ups
- Grip: Overhand
- Hand Position: Standard (Shoulder-width or slightly more than shoulder width)
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on lats, traps, biceps, rhomboids. This one works all the same muscles as a standard pull up (so your entire back) but it does it with more eccentric contraction. Thus, this is a great movement to develop strength and endurance in your pull up game.
9. Behind the Neck Pull Ups
- Grip: Overhand
- Hand Position: More than shoulder-width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on lats, traps, rhomboids major and minor, pectoralis, biceps, teres major.
10. Lean Back Pull Ups
- Grip: Overhand
- Hand Position: More than shoulder-width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on lats and core.
Note: It will be very hard to get your chin over the bar on this one, but it will still be effective if you can not.
11. Pull Up Rows
- Grip: Overhand
- Hand Position: More than shoulder-width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on lats, forearms, shoulders, erector spinae, rhomboids, teres major.
12. Typewriter Pull Ups
- Grip: Overhand
- Hand Position: More than shoulder-width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on lats and arms
Note: For this one, pull up to one side, so your chin is above the bar and near your hand. Then staying above the bar with your chin, move along the bar to your other hand, then return to the starting position. It's similar to an around the world pull ups.
13. High Pull Up
- Grip: Overhand
- Hand Position: Shoulder-width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on lats, biceps, forearms, traps, core.
Note: For this one, you can start by kipping (as seen in the pic, that was done with kipping pull ups). As you develop strength, try to perform high pull ups without kipping. This movement will directly help you gain strength and correct form to perform a muscle up. It's a muscle up progression exercise.
14. Plyometric Pull Ups (and Clapping Pull Up)
- Grip: Overhand
- Hand Position: Shoulder-width apart
- Primary Muscles Worked: Emphasis on the latissimus doris, trapezius, rhomboids, external obliques
Note: For this one, perform the pull up similar to a high pull up, you want to explode up so you can remove your hands from the bar (above the bar) then catch the bar on your way down. It's a very explosive exercise and the best back plyometric exercise you can do. As you develop strength for this, try to clap your hands together above the bar.
More Advanced Pull Up Variations:
If you are getting really strong, you can start to try even more advanced pull ups, such as:
- Archer Pull Ups
- Muscle Ups
- One Arm Pull Ups
- L-Sit Pull Ups
- Towel Pull Ups
How to incorporate variations into your pull up routine?
At a bare minimum, you should be doing pull ups at least once a week for 3-5 sets. While strict form are always a go-to, you can mix in variations as you see fit.
Now, if you want to really emphasize pull up training, the best routine will involve more variations and thus more sets. To do this, you can spread out your volume across the week.
For example, the first session you could do:
- 3 Sets Wide Grip
- 3 Sets Standard Pull Ups
- 3 Sets Chin Ups
- 3 Sets Commando
- 3 Sets L-Sit Pull Ups
Then, on the second session that week you could do:
- 2 Sets Wide Grip
- 2 Sets Standard
- 2 Sets Chin Ups
- 2 Sets Behind the Neck
- 2 Sets Offset (each side)
- 1 Set Clapping Pull Ups
- 1 Set High Pull Ups
Note: If you are adding pull ups into your regular routine, the above is likely too much. So, adjust as needed and don’t worry so much about having the perfect plan, just get out there and do some pull ups.
OTHER EXERCISES TO BUILD STRENGTH FOR PULL UPS
In addition to the pull up progression plan above, you can train for pull ups with other resistance exercises. The following exercises work as a progression to pull ups because they build strength in the same muscles used by the pull up.
- Lat pulldowns
- Single arm rows
- Barbell rows
- Bicep curls and other accessory exercises for arms.
- Deadlifts
Essentially any pulling exercise will help to strengthen your muscles for pull ups. But the best way to build pull up strength is by actually doing them!
6 PULL UP CHALLENGES
Let this be a bit of inspiration before you begin…
Pull up world record: 4,321 pull ups in 24 hours. Set by Mark Jordan, a 54-year old American from Texas.
Try these pull up challenges after you master the pull up. Record your scores and see how you improve over time.
Be sure to warm up before you attempt any of these challenges.
1) 1 Minute Pull Up Challenge (Beginner to Intermediate):
See how many strict pull ups you can do in 1 minute.
2) 5 Minute Pull Up Challenge (Intermediate):
See how many strict pull ups you can do in 5 minutes.
3) 10 Minute Pull Up Challenge (Advanced):
See how many strict pull ups you can do in 10 minutes.
4) 100 Reps Pull Up Challenge (Intermediate to Advanced):
Time yourself to see how long it takes you to do 100 pull ups with correct form.
5) Weighted Pull Ups Challenge (Intermediate to Advanced):
Test your 1RM on weighted pull ups.
6) Dead Hang Challenge (All Levels):
See how long you can hang onto a pull up bar at dead hang. If you have a strong grip, try this with one arm too! Test on both sides.
Pull Up FAQs
Will pull ups make me bigger?
Absolutely. Pull ups are the most effective bodyweight exercise for building upper body muscle mass and strength, as they are very challenging.
In fact, even among big lifts, pull ups land on top for building up the lats and biceps. They put a lot of tension on your upper body muscles. By doing pull ups on a weekly basis, you will build an impressive back and arms.
And just to reiterate, once the standard pull ups become easy, there are many ways to increase the difficulty so you can continue to progress and build muscle...
For example, you can:
- Add more reps
- Lower rest time
- Do more sets
- Do a more difficult variation
- Add weight to your body with a weighted vest or belt.
All of these methods will allow for progressive overload.
What is a pull up progression plan?
A pull up progression plan is designed to help you build the strength and endurance needed to perform your first pull up. Essentially, the plan begins with easy regression exercises, and then works up from there with selected pull up variations and assisted pull ups.
The regression exercises will have a progression to them as well. Meaning, they will get harder and harder, until you are able to do a proper pull up. Some of the regression exercises will also prime you, so that you develop good pull up habits.
Some things to keep in mind:
- If a regression exercise is too easy for you, you can skip it and start from a point in the progression plan that makes sense for you.
- If you are still struggling with an exercise, keep at it for a week or two more until you get it.
- Conversely, if the exercises become easy quickly, advance at your own pace.
Who should follow a pull up progression plan?
Easy answer. Anyone who can’t do a pull up with correct form.
If you can do a pull up, but not as many as you'd like, then keep working on strict pull ups. Do at least 5 sets of near-max reps 2 times a week. You can also incorporate some pull up variations into your training.
Finally, if you can do proper pull ups for a fair amount of reps, start adding weight to your pull ups and try some pull up variations, as this will allow you to continually progress and hit your back muscle fibers from all angles.
How many reps and sets should I do for pull ups?
Pull ups are like any other exercise. You'll typically want to work in a 5-20 rep range.
Whichever rep range you choose, be sure that you are challenging yourself in that rep range. To increase the difficulty, add weight with a weighted vest or weight belt.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO PULL UPS?
If your goal is to improve your pull ups, then you should be doing them as often as you can. Just be sure your muscles have recovered from the previous session.
At a bare minimum, train pull ups once a week.
Can I do Pull Ups Every day?
This really depends on your fitness level. If you are just starting out, your body will need more time to recover. So, ideally, you’d do pull ups when your muscles have recovered, which would likely be 2-3 times a week (every couple days).
The great thing about pull ups is that you can progress quickly. If you can do just 1-2 pull ups now, don’t be surprised if you can do 10 in a few weeks. Once they start getting easy, change up your tempo, rep scheme, rest time, etc. Aim to keep increasing the difficulty this way.
If you have a high fitness level right now, standard pull ups won’t tax your body as much and you will be able to do them more often. That being said, it would be more beneficial if you increase the difficulty instead of doing the same standard pull up rep scheme every day. And if you were to do this, it would make you sore and your muscles would need time to recover. Thus, you’d be doing them 2-3 times a week just like a beginner would.
Be sure to sleep good, eat good and drink a lot of water so you can recover optimally.
Related Content:
Sam Coleman
Author