How To Improve Your Pull-Up Routine

January 15 2014

How To Improve Your Pull-Up Routine

Still struggling to beat your pull-up record? Whether you top out at 5 or 50, you’ll eventually reach a point where you bottom out. This area, known as the plateau, is something that every serious bodybuilder and athlete faces. But there are ways to overcome this hurdle, and we’re going to show you how.

Why You Should Perform Pull-Ups:

• Works out shoulders
• Works out arms
• Works out core
• Doesn’t require any special equipment
• Pull-up bars can be purchased for as little as $20 bucks
• Uses your own body weight as resistance

Uh Oh! I Can’t Do Any Pull-Ups…

Some people completely avoid the pull-up bars because they are unable to perform a full pull-up. The bottom line is that you aren’t going to learn how to perform them unless you grab the bar and make an effort.

Even if you are currently unable to perform a full pull-up, you can still do negative pull-ups. A negative pull-up basically consists of raising your body just halfway to the top. Since they place less stress on the body, they are naturally easier to perform.

Max Yourself

As with most strength training workouts, the key to improving your pull-ups is to perform your body’s max reps per set. Continue raising your chin over the bar until your muscles are no longer capable of performing an other full pull-up, at which point you should drop and take a short rest for a few minutes.

Once you’ve caught your breath, grab the bar and max yourself to the limit again. You can expect to perform fewer reps on your second and third reps, which is perfectly fine.

Hang Out For a Bit

You might be surprised to learn that hanging from a pull-up bar is beneficial. If you’re still trying to beat your max reps, let your body hang from the pull-up bars for a while. It’s an easy way to improve your grip while encouraging muscle growth and definition in all of the right places.

Add Body Weights

Of course, there’s no better way to improve your pull-up routine than by adding body weights. Placing just 3-5 pound weights around your ankles forces your muscles to work overtime to raise your body. As your body grows accustomed to these weights, replace them with heavier ones.

It’s small things such as this that will greatly improve your pull-up routine.