How did you get to the point of doing your first unassisted pullup?

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gyp5012
gyp5012 Posts: 122 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I want to be able to 10 pullups but I can't even do 1 right now so I want to know what helped you overcome this feat?

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  • MiloBloom83
    MiloBloom83 Posts: 2,723 Member
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    My 15 yo son bought a used pull-up bar at Goodwill. He put it up in the door way between the kitchen and the living room. Watching him do sets of 20(he's athletic and in shape) inspired me to try my hand at them. It was a struggle. I could only do one, no matter what grip. 3 months later, I can do six with an underhand grip, 5 with a parallel grip, and 2 with my nemesis, the overhand grip. So, the secret is have a place to do them, and keep trying. Some days i feel awesome, and some days they are a struggle. But keep at it.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
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    The only way to get better at pullups is to keep trying them! Use an assisted band as needed, and focus on negatives. Pullups are a great exercise for negatives.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Negatives and band assisted pull ups.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Just keep doing them. Negatives, assisted with a band. I also did chin-ups before I could do pull-ups. I am still working my way back up after my pregnancy but slowly getting there.
  • Ejm189x
    Ejm189x Posts: 33 Member
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    I bought a bar and could do a chin up but not a pull up. I did yayog for a few weeks and tried again - I could do a pull up! Kept with bodyweight stuff and now I can do 3 in a row. Huge achievement for this weakling lady who had given birth only 3 months prior :smiley:
  • gyp5012
    gyp5012 Posts: 122 Member
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    Thank you all for the tips! I'll start with some negatives.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,618 Member
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    I always start my clients on inverted rows. Let them know what it feels like to pull up their own bodyweight. And then just keep doing more them eventually transitioning to assisted pull ups (I let then hang and I push them up)

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
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    I started with inverted rows! That's awesome to see that recommendation pop up. I then went to assisted pull-ups using bands and slowly, but surely, I stopped needing bands. Took me a long time. But I am not sure there is any quick fix for this. As a note, I started off with reverse grip, not realizing how the different grips actually work / use different muscles...causing me to to get a little discouraged. So when I got myself remotivated, I went straight for hanging start, fulling extended wide grip to pull up.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    Taking all of this advice! @gyp5012 this is my NYR as well! Good luck!
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    peaceout_aly wrote: »
    Taking all of this advice! @gyp5012 this is my NYR as well! Good luck!

    It's my 2017 goal too!
  • gyp5012
    gyp5012 Posts: 122 Member
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    peaceout_aly wrote: »
    Taking all of this advice! @gyp5012 this is my NYR as well! Good luck!

    Thank you! Wish you the best as well! @peaceout_aly
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    This isn't really going to be helpful at all, but losing about 60 lbs was enough to get me to 3 straight pull ups.
    (I did some cardio and circuit training style workouts during this time, not really training for strength back then.)
    Like I said, not helpful. Although lighter body weight does help, because, you know, there's less to pull-up..
    Ok, I'll stop now..
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Assisted pullups (I just used a band) until I could do real pullups. Amazing, I know!
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    I did what scooby said to do in his video. And it worked. I took me freaking forever to be able to do them, but you'll get there.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/pullups-for-total-beginners/
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    assisted machine, then negatives (where you put a box or something under the bar, jump up into chin or pull up final position with your head up above the bar - hold it for a few seconds, then sloooowly lower yourself down back onto the box.)

    then one day I could magically do them.

    And now I can even do them with a weight belt on and weights dangling between my legs!
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
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    gyp5012 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the tips! I'll start with some negatives.

    This! It took me a year of trying and i did condition my whole upper body in that time but I got there in the end, mainly with negatives. Also having a bar to have a pop at each time I walk past at home!
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    This probably won't help anyone here, but I started by doing pole pull-ups as conditioning work for pole dance. The first day I couldn't lift my feet off the ground, with more time and practice I could left my feet off the ground but my head wasn't above my hands, and then one day I was able to pull all the way up and get my head above my hands. Then I tried to do a regular pull up and I was able to do it with no assistance. It didn't happen overnight. In fact it took a a long time to get to being able to make it half way bc I had no upper body strength in the beginning. The main thing is to keep at it. I kept doing it as conditioning work to get better at pole and that work paid off.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V1wrg22509w

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