Buzz
Here’s where I was at the start: In October 2018, I could manage one pull-up, and only on a good day. By November, I had done my second. In December, I pushed for a third and fourth. I reached five and six in January. February and March were tough, as illness, travel, and other life events got in the way, but I kept working when I could. By then, I had added my seventh. Now, I can do eight in a row, and I’m excited to keep progressing toward nine and ten.
Currently, I’m able to do eight pull-ups in a row, and I’m looking forward to reaching nine and eventually ten. I had to work hard for each one, making sure to persist through obstacles like illness and time constraints. But the journey has been worth it, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made.
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Understand the fundamentals
First off, hand placement is key. If your palms face towards you, you’re doing a chin-up. If they’re turned away from you, that’s a pull-up. These two movements are quite similar, but chin-ups tend to be easier, so you’ll likely achieve your first chin-up (or your next one) before you can do the same number of pull-ups.
Sometimes, gyms feature pull-up handles on different machines (check the top of the cable machine or squat rack). These handles might not always be straight bars; they could be parallel grips, giving you a midway option between a pull-up and a chin-up. I personally prefer the handles that are widely spaced. For pull-ups, your hands need to be positioned wider than for chin-ups, and this wider grip actually makes the movement a bit easier. Experiment with your hand positioning and find what feels best for you.
Next, understand what qualifies as a strict pull-up. When you reach the top, your chin must be higher than the bar. At the bottom, your arms and back should fully extend, with your shoulder muscles pulled up toward your ears. If you spot people at the gym cranking out numerous reps but only going halfway down, they’re not doing strict pull-ups, and you shouldn’t be impressed by their technique.
Kipping pull-ups are an entirely different beast. This movement involves swinging your body and using momentum to help propel yourself upward. I haven’t learned how to kip yet, but a CrossFit coach once told me that you should be able to do multiple strict pull-ups before even considering learning how to kip. I just want to clarify that kipping isn’t cheating—it’s simply a distinct exercise.
Don’t rely on one single trick to get you there
When people discuss how to achieve their first pull-up, or even their first few, the conversation often turns to everyone’s favorite method or most effective exercise. Some individuals swear by negative reps, where you start at the top and slowly lower yourself down. Others recommend band-assisted pull-ups, using an assisted pull-up machine, or doing ring or inverted rows from a bar. This question can spark passionate debates because everyone has their preferred approach, but plenty of people will admit that they tried one of these 'magic moves' and saw no progress.
I believe the truth is you need to incorporate many different exercises, not just rely on one. I found great success with a six-exercise routine from Jennifer Blake and Jen Sinkler, where assisted pull-ups take center stage, but they’re incomplete without the supporting exercises that accompany them.
Here’s what I mean. In the workout, the assisted pull-up is designed to help you with the bottom of the movement but make you work harder at the top (band-assisted pull-ups work similarly). The routine also includes scap pull-ups, which target the lower part of the pull-up motion. Furthermore, the authors emphasize the importance of Kroc rows (bending over to pull a heavy dumbbell up to your ribcage) to ‘build upper body mass.’ Essentially, it’s not just about practicing a single movement; it’s about building the strength necessary to support your own weight.
Stay committed and keep pushing yourself
When I started working on pull-ups seven months ago, I remembered the routine from Blake and Sinkler. I began by following the entire routine, but even on days when I slacked off and skipped some exercises, I made sure to keep the most important ones in my plan: a lot of assisted pull-ups and, of course, plenty of dumbbell rows.
This might be more of a female-specific issue, but I’ve noticed that my body doesn’t retain upper-body gains as well as it does lower-body ones. If I increase the weight I can squat, I can count on keeping that improvement. However, if I make upper-body progress and then let up on training, those gains tend to disappear. That’s why I committed to working on my pulling exercises two to three times a week, no matter what.
I also happen to have a pull-up bar at home, so I made it a point to do pull-ups throughout the day, even if it’s just a single rep as I pass through the doorway. (If you haven’t done your first pull-up yet, you can develop this habit using assisted or negative variations.)
Once you can do a few, it’s time to change your approach
If you’re only able to do one, two, or three pull-ups, it likely means that each time you perform a set, you’re pushing yourself to failure—reaching the point where you can’t complete another rep. This is one method of training your muscles, but it’s not the only one, and it might not even be the most effective.
Imagine you're able to do three pull-ups, but after completing one set, your arms feel completely spent, and you're unable to perform any additional reps. In this case, you'll likely not manage many sets of three during your session. When I faced this challenge, I could only handle one set of three each day, followed by singles or maybe a few doubles.
It might be more effective to focus on doing just one or two pull-ups per set. Although this won't lead to a large number of reps, keep doing assisted pull-ups, rows, and other related exercises. Now that I’m able to complete eight reps, most of my pull-up training is done in sets of five or so.
I’ve also started adding weight to my pull-ups. In the gym, look for a belt with a chain that allows you to attach a weight plate and let it hang between your legs. If you're training at home, load a backpack with books or dumbbells. At this point, I can do a pull-up with 18 pounds added, and soon, I'll be able to do it with my 30-pound daughter clinging to my legs. Wish me luck.
