Negative pull ups question

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alondrakayy
alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
First off, ow.

Second, will there be a point when I don't automatically fall down. I can't slowly go down like I see them do in the videos. Is that the whole point? To build up my strength to where I can go down slowly?

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  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    IF you can't jump and do a flexed arm hang, then you'll likely need to use assistance to get to that point before you start trying negatives.

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    You might consider downshifting to lat pulldowns, until you can control the descent on the negative pull-ups.
    If you lack that machine, try bodyweight rows. :+1:
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    You might consider downshifting to lat pulldowns, until you can control the descent on the negative pull-ups.
    If you lack that machine, try bodyweight rows. :+1:

    I am doing lat pulldowns and rows for this reason at the moment- I can't control my descent on negatives very well.
  • ttippie2000
    ttippie2000 Posts: 412 Member
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    Have you considered using a resistance band? I have a curcuit training routine I do at home with my wife where one of the stations is to hold under tension in an isometric or very slow negative pullup for 1 minute. I find that even if I don't need the band for the first circuit I'll definitely need it after the third. It has helped my pullups quite a bit.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I'd do lat pulldowns and then try negatives (before the pulldowns) once a week or so until you find you can do them. Definitely use a boost of some sort (a chair, a box, a band) to get to the top if you need it. Right now I stand on a box but still have to do a small jump to get my chin over the bar to start the hang.
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
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    ttippie2000 wrote: »
    Have you considered using a resistance band? I have a curcuit training routine I do at home with my wife where one of the stations is to hold under tension in an isometric or very slow negative pullup for 1 minute. I find that even if I don't need the band for the first circuit I'll definitely need it after the third. It has helped my pullups quite a bit.

    this....I use to do negatives in the warm up but still needed the band for the actual workout. Even try negatives with the band
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    alondrakayy wrote: »
    First off, ow.

    Second, will there be a point when I don't automatically fall down. I can't slowly go down like I see them do in the videos. Is that the whole point? To build up my strength to where I can go down slowly?

    you don't look terribly weak, going by your avatar. i'm wondering if you're just not as solid at stabilizing your shoulders and upper back as you could be.

    try googling something called 'scapular retraction'. a cable pulldown is a good way of getting the hang of that. once you've got enough strength in all the muscles around your shoulderblades - and you know waht kind of position/sensation you're looking for - the negative pullups might be easier.

    you can also hold the top position for a while - again once you know what you're looking for in terms of shoulder positioning and stability. static holds really build strength and they're a good way to start when you're just wanting to lay some groundwork.
  • gearhead426hemi
    gearhead426hemi Posts: 919 Member
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    Definitely try using bands or the pull-up assist machine if your gym has one. Another thing that can make it hard is a weak core. If you cant stabilize and control your core it can make even a regular pull-up or chin-up extremely difficult. Try adding a pull-up or chin-up hold and really squeeze your core through the entire hold. Go for 10-30 second intervals and rest for no more than 1 minute. All negative workouts like that are really hard so good for you for doing them. Best of luck!
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    This video looks like it might be helpful: https://youtu.be/F-e4mV0RN1o
  • buffgrl
    buffgrl Posts: 32 Member
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    +1 on those big stretchy bands that you can buy on Amazon that assist with pull ups, or the pull-up assist machine at your gym if you have access. You can also have a partner spot you at the feet, giving you just enough help to complete your reps until you are able to on your own. Another method is using some relatively solid object to kind of help yourself just slightly with your legs as you do your pull up, such as a jumping box. I worked my way up to being able to do 20 pull ups with body weight and now I add weight by holding a 25lb dumbbell with my feet as I do them and I got started with the assisted pull up machine at the gym. As soon as I worked my way up to being able to do 1 full body weight pull up, I left the machine and just started building from there. First I could only do 3-4 sets of 1. Then a week later I could squeeze out 2. Then 3...it also helps if you're doing other heavy back work like bent over rows, dumbbell rows, etc. which I also do. I'm female by the way :)
  • buffgrl
    buffgrl Posts: 32 Member
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    Oh yeah, I forgot to add- when pure strength is your goal, make sure you rest long enough in between sets to recover as much strength as possible before hitting the next set. Heavy sets in the 1-5 rep range will need at least 2-3 minutes to recover. After max efforts (1 rep), you may want to wait up to 5 minutes! Many people make the mistake of resting only 30-45 seconds- this is fine if you're doing light-to-moderate weights at higher reps, but if you try doing this with heavy weights you're going to hinder your progress. Another mistake to avoid is over-doing it and thereby ruining your progress. Don't work on pull ups every day, but start with 2 really good quality sessions a week with at least 2 days in between for recovery. Do 3-5 sets of pull ups, and 5 is plenty. Get yourself enough assistance to be able to complete 3-6 reps only, then stick with that until you can do about 8 with that same weight before moving the weight up. You can also vary the type of pull up, but I would hit the standard one first (palms facing forward) as this tends to be the most difficult to master. You can throw in a few sets of negatives afterward for good measure when you have finished your pull ups.
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
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    Things I've done over the last year to get me to pull ups (not all at the same time!)...

    - Rows - seated, single arm seated, dumbbell, barbell...
    - Lat pulls downs - single bar, double handle pulls, figure eight bar
    - Overhead press for shoulder strength and stability
    - Tricep work - cable pull downs, dumbells etc
    - Hammer curls
    - Lateral raises for shoulder stability and strength in the little muscles
    - Assisted dips
    - Bench press (because you need to work your front as well as your back or you end up all hunchy!) - barbell, flat, incline, dumbbell, single arm dumbbell on a Swiss ball
    - Band assisted pull ups
    - Negative pull ups for when I'm too tired to finish a set of band assisted ones

    I honestly believe there's a whole ton of stuff that goes into successful pull ups, and the best way to get them is a well rounded upper body routine.
    Mine were a bit of a surprise the other week... I thought I still needed a resistance band to help, but just had a go at one without and I could do it!
  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
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    Thank you all. I'm buying the resistance bands on Amazon today. I do have the assisted pull up machine at my gym but I'd rather do this with my body only with only minimal help... although the rest time suggestion does make me want to try it again. I only ever gave myself a 1min rest time between sets! So maybe that's why I never saw progress. I have almost all the back exercises suggested included in my plan and always have. Pull ups and push ups have always been my weakness though.
  • Aliebling
    Aliebling Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm late to this thread, but wanted to suggest if you're not already doing this that you work on chin-ups first - that's when your palms are facing toward you. Many people find them a lot easier, as they recruit your biceps more and not just your shoulders and back. Starting from zero, it took me about two weeks of doing negative chin-ups before I could manage a real one. Once I could do two chin-ups, I started working on pull-ups and it took me another week or so to get my first one.

    If you're not ready for that yet, try ring rows (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhlReCpAE9k). They work the same muscle groups as pull-ups and you can make them dramatically harder or easier by moving your feet to change how horizontal you are.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    Rows Do NOT work the same muscle groups as pull-ups.

    There may be some minor overlap, but it's not the same muscle groups.
  • jasonwest9111
    jasonwest9111 Posts: 91 Member
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    Remember - slow and steady wins the race. Nothing beats persistence!

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