Pullups are the premier test of upper body and relative strength, but most people struggle to eke out even a few reps. The reason isn’t just weakness. Most people who are bad at pullups have either poor shoulder and upper back mobility, are overweight, or both.
Here’s some simple advice that will get you off the pullup-struggle bus and get your chin above the bar for more than a leg-kicking set of 2 reps.
Two Pullup Buzzkills
Before we talk training, let’s address two common pullup performance issues that cut the music before the party gets started: poor shoulder and upper back mobility and being too heavy
If you have mobility issues in your shoulders and back, it will limit your ability to get your arms over your head, which, in turn, limits your ability to use your lats (latissimus dorsi if you want to be a nerd about it). That kills your pullup efficiency and strength. Being too heavy, well, makes just about everything harder. Take a look at this article to find out if your shoulder mobility is holding you back.
On the “too heavy” side of the coin: If your waist measurement is greater than half of your height, you’re likely too heavy. It’s time to lose weight.
If you have either issue, realize that your pullups will likely stagnate. You won’t improve your pullups until you improve your mobility and/or drop the pounds.
Pullups from the Ground Up
Pullup performance is heavily dependent on the abs and the position of your hips and torso. A solid pullup is essentially a moving plank; the abs are rigid, aligning the hips and ribs into a good position.
This positioning efficiently transfers force through your body while also ensuring that your lats, the main pullup muscles, maintain enough length to hoist you.
Train your pullup position with planks and hollow body holds. See the videos above for demonstrations and add both in your core training once or twice a week: Do 2 to 3 sets of 20- to 45-second holds.
Hangs and Eccentrics
It seems counterintuitive, but the worst way to do more pullups is by trying to do more pullups each set. Instead, build capacity in the two pullup positions, build strength with eccentrics (lowering), and let your brain fill in the rest.
Dead Hangs
Pullup position one is the dead hang or bottom position. Your arms are fully extended and you’re maintaining the plank position. Do 20- to 30-second holds, dropping before fatigue kills your grip.
Flexed Arm Hangs
Position two is the flexed arm hang with your chin above the bar. Keep your core rigid and maintain the plank position, even though you’re going to shake like you’re running a jackhammer. Do 15- to 20-second holds, again dropping before fatigue kills your grip and before your strength fails.
Eccentrics
Start by jumping up into the flexed-arm position, then lower yourself as slowly as possible down to the dead hang position. Let go of the bar, shake it out for a few seconds, and then do another rep.
Do eccentrics in sets of 3 to 5 reps of 3 to 8 seconds.
Accumulating Volume
As hangs and eccentrics build your capacity, you’ll build pullup skills by accumulating volume one day each week. If you’re wondering, “Man, I can only do one pullup at a time, how in the name of Toby Keith am I going to accumulate them?” the answer is one at a time.
You’ll do 1 to 3 pullups at a time throughout the day or a gym workout. Wait until you’re completely rested between sets and stop before accumulated fatigue diminishes your form. Track how many reps you do so that you can track volume from week to week.
Don’t be a hardass about this. If you start out doing sets of two or three, but you struggle to keep up with that many reps per set, back it down a rep or two. Quality execution is the most important variable.
Putting It All Together
See the tables below for a one-month pullup plan. It incorporates everything discussed above and it will definitely help you improve your pullups.
Day 1
Hangs and Eccentrics (Complete all sets of one exercise before moving on to the next)
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
| Dead Hangs | 3 reps, 20 seconds | 3 reps, 20 seconds | 2 reps, 30 seconds | 3 reps, 30 seconds |
| Flexed-Arm Hang | 3 reps, 15 seconds | 3 reps, 15 seconds | 2 reps, 20 seconds | 3 reps, 20 seconds |
| Eccentric Pullups (lowered slowly) | 3 reps, 3 seconds | 3 reps, 3 seconds | 2 reps, 4 seconds | 3 reps, 5 seconds |
Day 2
Total Volume
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
| Pullups | 1-3 reps, as many sets as possible | 1-3 reps, as many sets as possible | Decrease volume by 10% | Try to beat volume from 1st 2 weeks |
Core
Done once or twice per week at the beginning of a strength training workout (Complete all sets of one exercise before moving on to the next)
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
| Plank | 2-3 reps, 30 seconds | 2-3 reps, 30 seconds | 2 reps, 45 seconds | 3 reps, 45 seconds |
| Hollow Body Hold | 2-3 reps, 20 seconds | 2-3 reps, 20 seconds | 2 reps, 30 seconds | 3 reps, 30 seconds |
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