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5 Exercises to Improve Pull Up Strength

5 Exercises to Improve Pull Up Strength

Written by
February 4, 2015
Updated April 11, 2018

Onnit Pull Up BarPull ups are a basic bodyweight movement, yet they are an intermediate movement for most trainees. Starting out, the thought of pulling your entire bodyweight can seem like an impossible task, but it should be something everyone can do.

Personally, I believe pull ups are one of the most important exercises in a routine, and I recommend them to everyone.. Forget bicep curls; show me a guy who can do pull ups and I guarantee you his arms are yoked up.

Find a bar that will support your weight, anywhere. Doesn’t matter where, just find one! This is one piece of equipment that needs to be in your arsenal, I am a big believer in bodyweight training, but the one piece of gym equipment you need is a pull up bar. So, find a way to get one, whether it’s in your house, in a park, or even on a tree.

Now that you have a pull up bar, there are tons of strategies and methods of assistance to get your chin over that bar, but not all of them are helping you to get stronger.

Here we will learn where to begin and which alternatives are worth your time; get ready to improve your whole body with these 5 exercises to improve pull up strength.

Exercise #1: Negative Pull Up
Exercise #1: Negative Pull Up

Negative pull-ups are a popular progression exercise used to help develop strength for the full pull-up. The exercise involves only performing the lowering phase of the standard pull-up, starting in the flex hang and moving into the dead hang position. This portion of the exercise is less difficult than the pulling phase and will help develop the muscles and skills necessary for progressing to the full movement.

Exercise #2: Static Hold Pull Up

Exercise #2: Static Hold Pull Up
Static holds are great because they force you to recruit the proper muscles. If you don’t actively retract your scapulae and try to rely on your arms to do the work, you won’t last long. They’ll also help strengthen the lower traps , which can assist with posture and ward off shoulder issues.

Exercise #3: Top Half Pull Up

Exercise #3: Top Half Pull Up
Starting a pull up from “halfway” with your elbows at 90 degrees is much more manageable than starting a pull up from a dead hang. If you can’t quite get that strict pull up yet, then do reps of half pull ups, starting halfway up, completing the pull up, then lowering yourself halfway back down for the next rep.

Exercise #4: Bottom Half Pull Up

Exercise #4: Bottom Half Pull Up
This is the opposite of the top half pull up. Once you are sufficient at the top half pull up you can move to the bottom half pull up. Start from the bottom at a dead hang. Pull yourself up to parallel and then back down to the start.

Exercise #5: Pull Up

5 Exercises to Improve Pull Up Strength
Grab a bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width, with your hands facing away from you. Hang all the way down. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Slight pause lower yourself all the way back down. Go up, and really concentrate on isolating your back and biceps. Don’t swing!

Fitness motivator and body sculptor, Bryan Clemons Jr., has a natural aptitude for helping individuals achieve their utmost physical shape and condition through the creation of a strong abdominal core. Notable for his clients’ full body transformations, Bryan’s own innovative techniques allow him to meet the body sculpting requests of men and women in a process of thirty days. Acknowledged for his work ethic, Bryan continuously focuses on maximizing results and has mastered exercise programming through his diverse experience with numerous clients. As a former Equinox personal trainer, Bryan worked with several professionals in the South Bay area where he gained knowledge of workout programming. Bryan’s custom exercise plans are distinguished by rapid weight loss, pronounced muscle definition, and vast improvement in overall physical performance. Bryan is certified with the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
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