How to improve and progress in pull-ups?

Hello everyone,

We meet again today for a new article that could strongly interest you 😃

After writing an article a few weeks ago on: "How to do pull-ups at home (without a bar)today we're going to add to it by giving you some tips on how to improve and progress in one of the most difficult bodyweight exercises: pull-ups. pull-ups.

We've even created a training program for you at the end of the article so you can become a real machine no matter what your level 💪

We will discuss the perfect execution of this movement, the best equipment, techniques, training frequency and we will end this article with a program for 3 different levels.

Let's go! 🔥 

The perfect execution of the traction

Too many people perform the pull-up movement incorrectly, and this impacts the optimization of the movement and the results. For it to be effective, these 3 steps must be done correctly: 

1. Hand placement 
2. Execution 
3. Breathing 
   
   

Hand placement

The placement of the hands is essential because it will emphasize the desired area of the back. There are 2 different holds: 

• Supination grip 
• Pronation grip 
  

The "supination" grip consists of grabbing the bar and having the palms of your hands facing you. This grip will request enormously the biceps and the back while the "pronation" grip will engage mainly the back.

The placement of the hands will target the zones of the back, for a "pronation" grip in broad grip, that will request more the big dorsal what will have for effect a bigger width while the tight grip will make it possible to gain in thickness. 

Now let's talk about the execution 🔥

Execution

If you want to get the best results and become a real machine, the execution of the movement must be perfect, too many people "cheat" and do not perform this bodybuilding exercise correctly. 

To do this nothing could be simpler, at the beginning the arms must be tense, you must then pull so that the chin exceeds the bar. The whole of your body must be contracted: legs, abs, lumbar and gluteal muscles. You will now need to repeat this for the rest of your reps.

Tip: Control the descent and be explosive on the ascent.

Breathing 

Remember to breathe well during the movement: inhale on the way up and exhale on the way down. This will help you feel better during your sets!

What to do your pull-ups on?

The best is to have a pull-up bar at home or close to your home (street workout park) which will allow you to train in the best conditions. If you don't have adequate equipment, I invite you to consult our article on this subject. this subject.

Our pull-up bar is ideal because it is adjustable from 1m05 to 2m10, so it is adapted to any morphology and will give you excellent sensations during the effort.

Stability and grip guaranteed! 

Pull-up bar

Training technique

We will detail the best plan to implement according to your level. 

For the novice :

If you are just starting out with pull-ups and they seem unattainable, we recommend that you first perform negative pull-ups to get used to the movement, and then lighten up. The best technique for this is to have elastic bandsThe best technique for this is to have elastic bands, which will help you to perform your first repetitions correctly. At the beginning, the main thing is to anchor the movement in your mind, you will feel the sensations and you will be able to go deep inside yourself.

Elastic bands are also recommended for people who do a dozen pull-ups but can't manage to do the same number of repetitions in one set. They will help you improve your muscular endurance and allow you to do repetitions that would otherwise be impossible. 

Also, a good method is to start with Australian pull-ups. Gradually your back muscles will get used to the effort and you will be ready to start doing pull-ups with stretched or bent legs. 

For the experienced :

If bodyweight has become too easy for you, it's time to take it to the next level 💪

The best way to progress is to make your sessions more complex, this can be done in 2 different ways: work with gym rings or weight yourself down with a weighted vest or belt. 

The gymnastic ringswill create a certain imbalance in the execution of the movement, which will not only make the repetitions more difficult, but also work your muscles more deeply.

When it comes to ballast, work with a weighted vest or a weightedbelt will help you gain strength, muscle and explosiveness. You can read our blog article on this subject: "Why use weights to progress faster?"

Training frequency

In order to progress rapidly in traction, we advise you to train them at least twice a week, this will be imperative if you wish to see rapid results both in terms of performance and aesthetics. 

However, avoid overtraining yourself at the risk of having counter productive sessions, rest is also your best friend 😃

The ideal frequency would be to train 3 times a week every other day. This would mean training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  

We have put together a training program for you to follow, obviously it may change over time but it will be a good example to follow for your first pull-ups. 

Let's go! 

Pull-up training program

Remember to warm up well before starting to avoid any risk of injury. We recommend that you do a few wrist and shoulder rolls and 1 or 2 sets of about 10 pull-ups (body weight or with elastic bands) before you start training.

NOVICE TRACTION PROGRAM

INTERMEDIATE TRACTION PROGRAM

EXPERIENCED TRACTION PROGRAM

We hope you enjoyed this article 😃

Our pull-up bar will be the perfect equipment to progress in this exercise, it will also allow you to perform various exercises such as: the muscle up, dips, leg raises and many other calisthenics exercises... it is to be found on our store!

See you soon, 

Eric flag