Learn how to massively improve your pull ups fast with these great tips from Jeremy Ethier.
How to Massively Improve Your Pull-Ups Fast (3 Steps)
“Pull ups are a great muscle-building exercise. But there’s a reason so few are able to pull off this impressive feat of strength and can’t do enough reps to truly maximize the muscle-building benefits of this exercise. In this video, I’ll explain why that is, how to improve your pullups, and then give you a complete pullup progression workout designed to quickly get you from 0, 2, 4, 8, or wherever you are. your pull-up journey: up to 10 pull-ups in a row and more. Yes, this is essentially a tutorial covering “how to do pull ups” for beginners!
“Let’s start by explaining why pull-ups are so difficult in the first place. First, with pull-ups, whether you weigh 150 or 300 pounds, that’s the weight you’ll have to overcome on each rep. Second, pull-ups aren’t just an exercise for your back. No matter how strong your larger back muscles or biceps become, if you have weak links in the chain, they will prevent you from improving your pull-ups. There are 3 steps to solve this.”
How to Massively Improve Your Pull-Ups Fast (3 Steps)
“The first step is to change the way you train your pull-ups to improve strength. If you currently can’t do any pull-ups or can’t do more than 4 in a row, we’ll use 2 other exercises to build your strength fast. The first exercise is the inverted rows. The second exercise that trains your body vertically (like the pull up) is assisted negative pull ups.”
“Once you can do 5-7 pull-ups in a row, you are ready for your pull-up progression. You are going to do sets of between 2 and 5 repetitions (at least 2 repetitions of your maximum effort). You’ll do one set, rest for 30 to 90 seconds, do another set, and repeat for a total of 20 reps. The goal is to comfortably hit a total of 30 reps in overtime. Next, get some resistance bands. Loop one around the top of a bar like this and put your feet on it. The band will exert upward force while you’re standing on it, effectively reducing the amount of resistance you have to overcome with each rep. Choose a band that allows you to do between 6 and 12 repetitions.
How to Massively Improve Your Pull-Ups Fast (3 Steps)
“So once you get to 8-9 reps in a row but can’t go past 10, you’ll just use the same routine as the 5-7 group but with more difficulty. For bodyweight pull-ups, add a 5-lb weight with a weight belt or dumbbell between your feet. For band pull-ups, switch to a thinner band or stick one foot out to decrease support.”
“The next step in improving your pull ups is to strengthen the common weak links in the chain. The first is the core; To better replicate the intense demands placed on the core from pull-ups, we can use what’s known as a long-lever rocker board. The second is the nether traps; We will use scapular pull-ups to train him.”
“Here is the game plan (i.e. THE chin-up exercise program suitable for beginners). Reference your current lifting ability and progress accordingly from there.”
How to Massively Improve Your Pull-Ups Fast (3 Steps)
0-4 pull-ups:
- Inverted Row: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Negative pull-ups: 5 sets of 5 reps (progress to dips of 5 seconds each rep)
- Long Lever Rocking Plank: 3 sets (try to hold for 60-120 seconds)
- Shoulder pull-ups: 3 sets of 8-15 reps (2-second hold in top position)
5-7 pull-ups:
- Pull-ups: sets of 2-5 reps staying within 2 reps of failure (target 20-30 reps total)
- Pull-ups with bands: 3 sets of 6-12 reps
- Reversed Row: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Long Lever Rocking Plank: 3 sets (try to hold for 60-120 seconds)
- Shoulder pull-ups: 3 sets of 8-15 reps (2-second hold in top position)
8-9 pull-ups:
- Weighted pull-ups: sets of 2-5 reps staying within 2 reps of failure (target 20-30 total reps)
- Pull-ups with bands: 3 sets of 6-12 reps
- Reversed Row: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Long Lever Rocking Plank: 3 sets (try to hold for 60-120 seconds)
- Shoulder pull-ups: 3 sets of 8-15 reps (2-second hold in top position)
“It can easily be used as a full back workout done once a week, or if you train twice a week, you can fit a couple of exercises into each day. While using this plan, you’ll also want to retest your max pull-ups each month and then move on to the next level as your strength improves.”
“Even if you can’t do any pull-ups right now, use this exercise, be consistent, and like many others have experienced in my previous pull-up videos, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your pull-ups increase. That is the true power of science.”
Video: How to Massively Improve Your Pull-Ups Fast (3 Steps)
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