Pull Up Progressions

How to work your way up to a pull up or chin up

As a fitness professional, it’s always irked me that I’ve never been able to ‘get good at’ pull ups and chin ups. Now, I know, I know — physiologically it’s a lot harder for women in comparison to our male counter parts because our center of gravity is in our hips rather than our upper body; but still, I don’t like not being able to do things lol!

That said, I’ve made it a mission of mine to work on my pull up game! I can probably eeek out one to two if I’m fresh but there’s so many ways to strengthen the same muscles without having to do a proper pull up! Here are some of my favorite regressions from a full pull up that I am currently utilizing to help me build the strength I need to improve!

Isometrics and eccentric Reps

Holding that very very top position of a pull up for as long as you can is a great isometric exercise to get the muscles used to holding tension in that position! What I like to do is hop up to the top of a pull up position, hold it for as long as I can, and then release down as slowwww as possible!

Utilizing a band

The second exercise variation I like to do is completing pull ups with the assistance of a band! This makes the movement easier and more manageable to complete by counteracting the weight of the body while also allowing me to still get reps in!

Using a band to perform accessory pull movements

If completing a pull up with the band is too advanced, or if you just want to add in additional work to those muscles, I love grabbing a long band and completing pull down movements that mimic a pull up! We are continuing to prime the same muscle groups that need to be strengthened in order to advance while still completing a similar “pull” motion compared to a pushing variation!

I hope this little guide was helpful and inspires you to start your journey to perfect pull ups with me! These are some of my favorite ways to train them — what are yours??