FIRST PULL UP
Everyone would love to be able to do a pull-up. It is a fantastic expression of strength - moving your whole body up through space to victoriously get your chin over the bar. There is nothing quite like knowing that if you were hung off the edge of a cliff - you might be able to save yourself.
Not only does it look awesome, feel awesome and could potentially save your life. But it is a great way to develop your pulling muscles (back/biceps) and can encourage fat loss. So if you want to lose weight - setting yourself the performance goal of doing a pull-up can be a great catalyst to action. After all, a lighter person is easier to pull up!
You may think - I will never be able to do that! We are telling you now, it is entirely possible and achievable. But it is tough and it requires a lot of graft.
Again, we have a tried, tested and proven method to getting that first pull up. The timeframe to success will vary from person to person based on how strong they currently are and the amount of time they put into getting better.
In other words - if you work on this 5 times a week, you will progress significantly faster than someone that does it 1 time per week.
The workout could reasonably be performed every day, as the stress of the training is measured so that you can recover appropriately. People that follow this pattern will progress at the highest rate. Ideally, you want to perform and progress the workout a minimum of 3 times per week.
Points of performance.
Start in a hang position. Shoulders pinned down from your ears and arms fully extended above. Your feet should be together and slightly forward - this will switch on your lower abs and help you get tight.
Pull up so that the chin passes over the height of the bar. Pause for a second.
Control yourself down back to the starting position, with elbows fully locked out.
Note how the body remains rigid throughout.
WARMING UP
Before you kick into gear, you need to get the body warm. For this, we recommend the rowing machine or a ski erg, as these have a pulling/upper body element to it. This will better warm up the back than say a run or a cycle.
Spend 5 minutes raising your body temperature and increasing your heart rate.
THE WORKOUT
ELEMENT A
MIDLINE/GRIP STRENGTH
To build the support structures of the exercise.
SUPERSET
1a.) 10s Hollow Hold
1b.) 10s Dead Hang Hold
5 sets with 60s rest in between
*Hold each position as tight as possible, do not be passive!
*If you can complete comfortably, increase the holds by 5 seconds for each exercise/set.
* A strong grip/midline is if you can comfortably hold each position for 30s whilst keeping super tight.
ELEMENT B
MUSCLE ACTIVATION
To fire up the target muscles.
A.) Scap Shrug
6 sets of 2 reps
OR
3 sets of 5 reps
*60 seconds rest between sets.
*3-second hold with the shoulders pinned back and arms fully extended.
B.) Row Hold
3 x 15-30s
*60s rest between each set.
ELEMENT C
UPPER BACK STRENGTH
To strengthen the prime mover - In a session, perform only one of the stages below (They increase in difficulty) - Only when you can complete a stage, should you proceed to the next one. Start at the start and don’t skip any stages.
STAGE 1 - Ring Row
5 sets of 5 reps
*90s rest between each set.
*3s hold at the top of the movement.
*Take 3s to lower your body down to the starting position.
*If you struggle to hit 5 solid reps on each set, scale back to 3 reps and build up session by session.
*If/when this becomes easy, performSTAGE 2instead.
STAGE 2 - Over Bar Holds (Overhand)
5 sets of 10 second holds
*90s rest between each set.
*If you struggle to hit 10 solid seconds on each set, scale back to 5 seconds and build up session by session.
*If/when this becomes easy, performSTAGE 3instead.
STAGE 3 - Negative Pull up
5 sets of 3 reps
*120s rest between each set.
* Take 10 seconds descending into the hanging position.
*If you struggle to hit 3 reps on each set, scale back to 1 rep and build up session by session.
*If/when this becomes easy, perform STAGE 4 instead.
STAGE 4 - 5 Point Negative Pull Ups
5 sets of 1 rep
*120s rest between each set.
* Take 5 seconds pausing in each of the 5 positions
*If/when this becomes easy it is time to test your pull up.