Want to be able to do 20 pull-ups

greatm31
greatm31 Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
But I can only do about 1.75 of them (the second one craps out most of the way up). Any tips on getting there? Exercises that you'd recommend (since I can't do many pullups it's hard to fully work that motion)? I'm trying to lose ~20lbs too, so I imagine that will help (less to lift!)

Thanks!

Replies

  • ukulele2010
    ukulele2010 Posts: 126 Member
    Pullups are hard - no doubt about it. There are a couple of things you can do to help. You can use an assistance pullup machine if you have one at the gym (your mileage may vary). If you have a bar at home you can get some assistance by using elastic bands (the big ones for strength) around your knees to get some assistance. You can do negatives - that is, lower yourself slowly from top to bottom when you can not go up any more - you might need a chair under your bar to help you get to the right height. Since I have a bar at home I do pullups throughout the day so that when I am tired I give myself enough rest (I don't do this everyday...). And, of course, you can do pull downs on a machine as well - although I really have to say I prefer the above options much more. I can do 10 pullups - likely others can do many more...
  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
    20 pull ups is pretty hard, so it will take awhile to get there. I can 3x5x185 bench, 1x5x335 deadlift, 3x5x135 overhead press, 3x5x250 squat, I weigh 188lbs, and absolutely fresh can do 10-12 pull ups. You can do as the post above suggests. Also google progressive pull up programs.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Hi - I can only do 0.25 of a pullup but I am working through this you tube vid - hope you like it.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRznU6pzez0&feature=relmfu
  • ACepero79
    ACepero79 Posts: 711 Member
    I installed a pull up bar at home in the door way into my bedroom. Whenever I pass by it and I'm feeling saucy I crank out as many of those as I can. When I first installed it, I was lucky if I was able to do 2-3. I'm now able to crank out between 10-12 of those on the first try and a few less on subsequent tries.

    It would also make sense to determine which muscle groups are working the most in a pull-up and incorporate those into your routine.
  • Mighty_Rabite
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
    At the start of 2011, I also belonged to the group of those who couldn't do a SINGLE pull up. I remember when I was finally able to do one.. and then two..

    The best thing I can say for increasing your pull up counts is to just keep doing them, and keep up with your fitness plan in general. Weight loss helps a lot. I've made it as high as 27 pull ups (chin ups) before, and even as a kid I never achieved a pull up. Not until 2011 when I was 26 years old - so if I can make it, I say anyone can!

    Get up there and do however many you can un-assisted, and then when you burn out of those, use a chair and give yourself as little boost as necessary to complete more of them. Practice leads to proficient!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    UCB has the right idea. Just keep trying to do them, 2x per week. You'll get a little better each week and in no time you'll be knocking out 5,10 and then 20. They are difficult, but you will get there if you keep trying.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    UCB has the right idea. Just keep trying to do them, 2x per week. You'll get a little better each week and in no time you'll be knocking out 5,10 and then 20. They are difficult, but you will get there if you keep trying.

    HA HA...in no time you'll knock out 20? BS!

    if you have no excess fat and in super shape 20 is still TOUGH....

    its a good goal...when you get near 20 you will be in great shape but dont be fooled...it will take losing the excess weight and 6-9 months if you work real hard
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    UCB has the right idea. Just keep trying to do them, 2x per week. You'll get a little better each week and in no time you'll be knocking out 5,10 and then 20. They are difficult, but you will get there if you keep trying.

    HA HA...in no time you'll knock out 20? BS!

    if you have no excess fat and in super shape 20 is still TOUGH....

    its a good goal...when you get near 20 you will be in great shape but dont be fooled...it will take losing the excess weight and 6-9 months if you work real hard

    The guy I currently work out with couldn't do 3 when we started in Feb of this year. Now he can do 3 sets of 15 AFTER we finish doing either deadlifts or rows. He can do more if we do them first. I didn't say the OP would be doing 20 next week, I just said it's possible to go from zero to hero without magic. 6-9 months is no time. If he's planning on being fit the majority of his life, 6-9 months is but a flash in the pan.
  • charelg
    charelg Posts: 599 Member
    I can now do one and a half of pull ups :). I'd say strength training, p90 has a disc of a lot of pull-up exercises...push-ups and of course weight training...Good luck.
  • Troublemonster
    Troublemonster Posts: 223 Member
    Google the Armstrong pullup method. I used it to prepare for a PT test this spring after not doing any workouts for a year and a half due to a shoulder injury and laziness and in a couple months I went from barely being able to do one set of three to doing sets of 7 then switching to chins.
    20 is a big goal but it is attainable for some people.
  • Inforthelonghaul
    Inforthelonghaul Posts: 33
    UCB has the right idea. Just keep trying to do them, 2x per week. You'll get a little better each week and in no time you'll be knocking out 5,10 and then 20. They are difficult, but you will get there if you keep trying.

    HA HA...in no time you'll knock out 20? BS!

    if you have no excess fat and in super shape 20 is still TOUGH....

    its a good goal...when you get near 20 you will be in great shape but dont be fooled...it will take losing the excess weight and 6-9 months if you work real hard

    I would suggest, as many others have, practise, practise and more practise. I differ in that when you can do six to eight proper form exercises then add some weight, it need only be 1.25 kg, and build backup to your six to eight mark again then repeat. After doing weighted pull-ups body weight only ones will be a doddle. Remember to allow adequate rest so that the muscle can recover and repair.

    I currently do underhand pull-ups as part of my bicep programme, three sets of six reps with a 25 kg plate, one third of my body weight, so it works for me.
    The advantage of the pull-up as a bicep exercise is that it effectively works the muscle from both ends. Most other bicep exercises isolate any movement from the top of the muscle. The bicep originates at the scapula and inserts at the radius and deep fascia, in doing so it crosses two joints.

    Perseverance will pay dividends.
  • ThatMrs99
    ThatMrs99 Posts: 41
    Wow! Good luck to you. Many of these ideas sound awesome. I'd like to incorporate some of them into m routine. I'm currently working on increasing my push-up ability and would love to do at least 5 pull-ups!
  • stingrayinfl
    stingrayinfl Posts: 284 Member
    Top Military workouts has a program
  • SarahCW1979
    SarahCW1979 Posts: 572 Member
    I cant even do 1! If Im honest I can barely even hang on with straight arms :embarassed: Gonna try some of these ideas myself!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    negatives. do your 1 then jump up to the top position and lower yourself slowly and repeat until you can't do anymore than way, then break and do a few more sets like that 2 times/week

    or get a rubber band and wrap around the bar put your knee on it to take some of your weight away and do as many reps as possible
  • cldaugherty
    cldaugherty Posts: 28 Member
    I have wanted to try the assisted pull up machine at the gym I go to because this has been an "out there" "out of reality" goal of mine. I have two issues with the APU machine.
    1) I don't know how to use and too chicken to ask
    2) That area of the gym is where all the muscle guys are and I really don't want to be looked at in any what shape or form for interrupting their area, time, or equipment so I said to the heck with it.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Did 3 x 5 negative pullups four days ago and tonight the muscle soreness was still so much that I could only manage 3 x 1 negative rep. I am two stone overweight which will also have a lot to do with it.

    The soreness and weakness is not in the grip, biceps or lats. The part that is letting me down is I think the Coracobrachialis muscle, the muscles on the upper back of the arm (not triceps) which help the arm to pull up - where you feel the stretch on the downward part of a bent over row.

    Not giving up though!
  • greatm31
    greatm31 Posts: 8
    This is awesome, thanks for the advice! Yeah I know 20 is a high number, but that's why I picked it! I guess I imagine that doing a bajillion pull-ups are the ultimate sign of fitness. 6-9 months sounds pretty good to me. Anyway I'll post here when I get there!
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 627 Member
    I agree that getting to 20 from not being able to do 2 is going to take a while. If you focus on those muscles and workout heavy at the gym 4-6 days a week I think you can get to 10 within 4-5 months and get to 20 within 12-15 months. As others have said..its hard...and you have to focus on those muscles but really to get from 2 to 20 in 15 months is not very long. I mean thats a 1000% increase...try to do that with your bench press numbers. ;)
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/pullups-for-total-beginners/

    I was seriously slacking in this department a few months ago too. I think I'm up to about 10 now if I do them at the front end of my workout. I started off with chin ups and then switched to pull ups when those got easier. By the way the chin ups have been a huge boost to my bicep strength. I'm still keeping that in the rotation. Wait till you feel what these negatives do to your core. Your abs will be hurting for days.
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
    negatives. do your 1 then jump up to the top position and lower yourself slowly and repeat until you can't do anymore than way, then break and do a few more sets like that 2 times/week
    THIS! got me over the hump -- I was stuck on the resistance band ones for over a year -- 3-5 sets of 3 negatives, 3 times per week, ,for a month, and suddenly I could do it.

    I did my first pull up about 3 months ago.
    Today, I did 10 sets of 5! Once you get it, it's steady progress.
  • JesGilb
    JesGilb Posts: 30
    I cant even do 1! If Im honest I can barely even hang on with straight arms :embarassed: Gonna try some of these ideas myself!

    I'm right there with ya! lol
  • jkeeling39
    jkeeling39 Posts: 30
    You can also try this program:

    http://twentypullups.com/?q=content/training-program

    I'm currently working through it so I can't really speak to results yet. Sounds like you would be starting on Week -2.
  • Mighty_Rabite
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
    I will throw in a bone that increasing the pull ups does take some pretty good time. Between my first pull up and being able to hit 20 was right around a year if I do recall. P90X and its related workout sessions was huge in my growth in that area, especially the P90X One on One called "30-15"
    I have wanted to try the assisted pull up machine at the gym I go to because this has been an "out there" "out of reality" goal of mine. I have two issues with the APU machine.
    1) I don't know how to use and too chicken to ask
    2) That area of the gym is where all the muscle guys are and I really don't want to be looked at in any what shape or form for interrupting their area, time, or equipment so I said to the heck with it.

    1) generally there's a pad that you can pull outward, to where if you were hanging from the bars, your knees would rest on it. The weight you can select is the assistance, so you would be pulling up your body weight minus whatever is selected.

    2) the heck with them I'd say. They may be muscle guys but they weren't born that way and that doesn't entitle them to sole use of the equipment! ^_^

    Now get on that thing your next go-around :-P

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