No matter how many pull-ups you can do right now, you CAN do more pullups just by doing what I’m going to show you in this video. The key to performing this upper body exercise is to know how to be efficient in the movement and use all the muscles that you have at your disposal to get the job done. Here, I’m going to give you four pullup tips that will work for everyone watching, to do more pullups than you’re doing right now. This applies to those who can do 30 in a set, all the way to those that can’t even do one.
The key is to start by realizing that the exercise has a built-in mechanism for getting anyone to perform it at the level they are capable of. The pullup has what I call, a built in mechanical drop set. This means, that you can either do the concentric part of the rep (pulling your body up to the bar), the holding part (keeping your chin above the bar), or the eccentric part (lowering your body down from the bar). The important element of this is that we are all stronger eccentrically than we are isometrically than we are concentrically. This is ironic since the part that most of us focus our efforts is on building our strength to pull.
What we should be doing instead is focus on what we are good at. Focus on building your strength in lowering from the bar or holding yourself in a position either above or below the bar. This will carry over to your ability to pull up to the bar eventually. As you build your eccentric and isometric strength, your concentric pulling strength will follow along.
The best part is that you can start focusing on doing this in your very next back workout or pull-up workout.
The next thing we all can do to instantly increase the number of pullups we can do in a single set is to simply look at our body mechanics when doing the exercise. Are you creating what I call energy leaks during the movement. If so, do you know how to fix them?
Start by looking at the lower body. Do not cross your legs behind you when doing the exercise if you struggle to do them right now. This will tend to create total body looseness that creates laxity in the body and allows a dissipation of the force that should be used to pull your body up to the bar. Instead, place the legs in front of you and lock our your knees by tightening your quads. Point your toes down to engage the posterior chain and calves. Squeeze your glutes as best you can and tighten up your abs.
All of this will have the combined effect of creating more tightness through your body so that when you pull down through the hands and direct effort into the bar, it will efficiently transfer to lifting your body up rather than leak out through all of these areas that you are not focusing on.
Speaking of the pulling of the hands down, these energy leaks apply to the upper body as well. Do you just pull straight down when you do pullups? If so, you may want to try this. Try to pull your hands inward towards each other and down at the same time. I realize that they will not travel towards each other since they are locked in place by the grip on the bar. But what this will do is engage the chest muscles as they are in the same position of the finish of an incline bench press.
Once again, this creates more trunk rigidity. Add to this the engagement of the core muscles and you’ve plugged two more important and common energy leaks that will allow you to do more pullups guaranteed.
Finally, are you not doing as many pull-ups right now as you’d like because you’re being undermined by a weak link in the kinetic chain that isn’t even your lats? You can fix this by varying your grip during the exercise. Taking a narrow overhand grip will engage more of the forearm muscles like the brachioradialis and brachialis. Going traditional width will hit more of the lats. Going super wide is going to engage the teres major which is known as a lat assistance muscle. If you are weak in any of these muscles then you will be held back from the number of reps you can do because the link in the chain is flawed.
Don’t always focus on what you are good at when it comes to grip width. Switch it up and you’ll start to improve your weaknesses, and in doing so, unlock, your ability to do more reps right away.
If you find these tips helpful and want to put the science back into all your workouts and exercises, be sure to visit athleanx.com via the link below and check out the full workout plans and meal plans. Start training like an athlete today and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish quickly with your training.
For more videos on how to increase pullups and how to do your first pullup, be sure to remember to subscribe to our channel here on youtube via the link below and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.
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Chris Wright
*NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY* – Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached!
https://giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/4-tips-more-pullups
If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…
I tried twice and won lol
@Ulaş Erdağı I won two times, but the program you can win is the same (NXT Anabolix) so… keep trying because the program is great, I really enjoy it!
Do these band supposed to be stiff or do they get broke in first Walmart brand
Ah man, I have a newborn and can’t watch all the time when that bell rings. Maybe next time! I enjoy these videos!
Whenever you post my day gets filled with knowledge and hope that I can attain the physique I dream about.
Thank you for letting a lot of people like me reach their goals
Thanks for reminding me why it’s best to keep your legs straight during pull-ups rather than bending the knees. I always knew it made it easier, but I wasn’t exactly sure how. Also, thank you for showing how you can have energy leaks through the way you grip the bar. With thorough explanations and knowledge like this, I can always count on you to teach me how to work smarter and not harder.
Now my workout routine is 28 hours a day, thanks man!!
Always time for more face pulls..
@Craig Bigbee period
Thank you, Jeff; I’m enjoying the gains!
You’d live in sewer for a year just for more subs lol
For anyone who may doubt it, I did Jeff’s pull-up challenge and it completely works. By just focusing on hanging myself from the bar and lowering myself with control (aside from doing doing push-ups and strengthening my abs, of course) I went from not doing pull-ups to being able to doing three in just a month. By the next month I was able to do nine.
@joe who?
@joe his PPL workout is really good. I’ve done it and really enjoyed them
How much do you weigh?
It took you a whole month to do just 3?
@Axhraf It depends on BMI as well. Going from 3-12 pull-ups after not working out for a very long time is pretty easy because I’m short and not overweight.
The inward pull is an interesting addition. Excited to try it out.
As someone that taught archery for years the principle’s for muscle pre-loading worked to prepare you for making the proper draw on the bow. Tightening the core helped in stabilization in aiming and at 58 years young I’m still able to do three finger plank pull-ups because of this type of training.
What’s a plank pull up?
wtf is a plank pull up? do u mean front lever pull up?
plank pull up?
thanks for the unsolicited flex man
I’ll be doing these as soon as I can get over this flu. Thanks for continuing to put out such great information for free, Jeff! Even if some of the stuff gets repeated between various videos there is always something new each time.
Flu doesn’t exist anymore bro.
When I’m I’m sick, I work out and it makes me get through it quicker. Keeps my heart pumping, sweating and the fuel from the protein shakes help me get better.
@SpaghettiNoob no please dont do that.
Absolutely timely advice for me. I am just getting the hang of the isometric hold and eccentric parts, looking to incorporate the different grips for better gains. Thanks Jeff and happy holidays
I’ve changed it up since the last time we’ve had a vid on chinups, like 8 months ago.
Keeping stiff with arms a little wider has been really good, can hit 20 in great form, and I can now flex my lats!
Wowza
Extra tip – Try using a thumb over grip. It may feel weird at first for some people but once your used to it you’ll definitely feel a whole lot stronger.
PS – I used this tip mainly for weighted pullups and it really works.
As in thumb over the bar, or thumb over your hand? I’ve been more comfortable doing thumb over the bar (so technically not around the bar) but I’ve heard it’s not as good for pulling strength.
In earlier videos Jeff said that while this grip can help you make more pullups, it might hurt your forearm in the long run, so be careful.
Great timing, Jeff! I’m going to be doing pull ups tomorrow and I’m going to be sure to use one of these tips! Thanks, Jeff! Keep doing what you’re doing!
1 (0:48) – do isometrics / eccentrics (after reaching concentric failure)
2 (2:21) – stiffen the lower body by keeping the legs straight in front
3 (3:09) – pull down AND in (diagonal)
4 (4:13) – work every type of grip to strengthen the weakest link : narrow / standard / wide and pronated / supinated
W comment
I’ve been doing chin-ups for a month now and my body already looks so different from how it started. I can’t wait to see the difference that all these tips will make. I’m excited now, thanks for the info!
@kaja joko They should be able to cook garlic soaked chicken to within a half gram of targeted protein… not flex on the lady with a mullet wearing a flannel and birkenstocks
@kaja joko You like bingo wings?
@zabana 16 I was talking about too much muscles… never said anything against being fit. Learn to read bro
@kaja joko i dont agree at all
I almost always exclusively do slow pull ups and chin ups (five seconds up, hold a few, five seconds down for each type) for maybe two to four reps at a time. Always amazes me how just doing five regular pull ups feels like nothing. Gonna see if I can build more by varying the grips (narrow to wide) with the tips here.
Thank you, all your advice has helped me progress even further than I am use to. I would give up constantly but with your guidance it has helped me mentally and physically. My body has changed for the best over these past 5 months and counting, and I feel great. Happy New Years to you and everyone.
I’ve been working on adding more pull ups every month. I’m up to 30 consecutive pull ups. My back has gotten bigger (according to my wife). I do 4 sets of pull ups followed by 4 sets of chin ups twice weekly. I’ll try straightening my legs and pointing toes to see if I can hit 31! Here’s my best set so far. https://youtu.be/U7ey47nwqDQ
My pullups have gotten better, from my arms pulling a sack of potatoes to 5, spread throughout my workout. I’ve got a long ways to go, but I’ve also come a long way. Thanks, Jeff.
Love the stiffness part. As a gymnast, we are so used to staying tight and that’s why gymnasts are able to fly so high and do so many cool tricks. Same with cheerleaders. Being tight really makes a huge difference
gotta love the tight cheerleaders
When you say tight, do you mean just a tight core or making your legs tight or something else?