Ashley working on her pullups between clients
Here are some tips for improving your pullups from 0 reps to 5 reps. In the next article we will post some ways to get your rep total to higher numbers.
1) Get leaner - Most people that struggle with pullups need to get leaner. The math behind pullups is easy. You need to be able to pullup more weight than you weigh. For most people this involves getting stronger and losing weight. Ashley will tell you that one the biggest keys to her success was getting leaner.
2) Get stronger - The other half of the formula is about strength and having the ability to pull hard enough to get over the bar. Going from 0 pullups to 5 pullups is purely a strength event relative to bodyweight. Remember that strength is a skill and needs to be practiced a lot. For those that can't do 1 pullup yet then the more you can practice the faster you will get there. Putting a pullup bar in at home and practicing often is a good strategy.
3) Do eccentrics - Eccentrics are the lowering part of the pullup. To do eccentrics find a way to start over the bar by using a chair or bench to step up or have a partner lift you over the bar. Once over the bar try to lower yourself as slowly as possible. The goal is to be able to lower yourself for 30 seconds on a smooth even tempo. This is a trick that I learned from Charles Poliquin and once you can lower yourself perfectly for 30 seconds you should be able to do 1 pullup. Once you can lower for 30 seconds with a 25lbs weight between your legs you should be able to do about 5 reps. Eccentrics work great because you are stronger on the eccentric than the concentric which allows you to train your nervous system more effectively to produce strength.
4) Try bands - One of the arguments that I have seen people make against eccentrics is that they do not carry over into actually doing pullups because eccentric contractions require different firing patterns than concentric contractions. For this reason we usually incorporate bands as well. Bands are attached to the bar and the other end is looped around your knee or foot. The band gives you some assistance in getting up over the bar. The bands provide a lot of tension at the bottom which gives a spring like effect at the bottom. The one drawback of bands is that they do change the strength curve of the exercise making it very easy at the bottom and harder at the top which is the opposite of the way it usually is. With the bands we usually do try to work up to a sets of 10 reps. Once you can complete 10 with the band then you will go to a lighter band.
5) Focus on structural balance - One often overlooked area when trying to improve your pullups is structural balance. Structural balance is a concept that was introduced to me by Charles Poliquin and it involves making sure that your muscles are all balanced from a strength perspective. You are only as strong as your weakest link so if you have a glaring weakness it could be limiting your pullup performance. One easy thing to watch for is on your eccentric reps. If you have trouble being able to hold the top portion then you are weak in the muscles of the upper back. Specifically the rhomboids and lower traps. To remedy this you should do more rows to the neck, trap 3 raises, and rowing movements. If you have trouble holding the bottom portion of the pullup then you are probably too weak in the bicep. To remedy this focus on different forms of curls. Many people are weak in biceps movements with a hammer or reverse grip so make sure to add these in as well.
6) Don't cheat - When attempting to get a first pullup many people cheat and try to jump their way over the bar. The best advice I can give you is to do them properly without cheating because you will build strength much faster this way. The more you cheat the longer it is going to take.
In the next article we will go over some ways to increase pullups for those who can already do several reps.
No comments:
Post a Comment