A Beginner’s 30 Days Guide For Pull-Up Progression Plan

Pull-ups are one of the toughest exercises to do, especially for someone who’s new to the world of fitness or has a significant weight to shed. The good news is that with regular practice and dedication, anyone can do a pull-up or chin-up regardless of gender and body type.

Among the areas that benefit the most from doing pull-up exercises are your arms, shoulders, back, etc. However, that’s not it! On a deeper level, pull-ups can give you the much-needed strength, muscle mass, and a stronger grip for other hard-hitting exercises.

As such, it should be a part of your workout routine no matter what kind of training you do.

Roadmap to the progression

Trainers at Oakleigh Gym suggest the following key things to remember in order to achieve proper form and progression:

1. Choose a comfortable place for a pull-up (pull-up bar).

The kind of surface you choose for pull-ups is crucial in building the hand grip and strength required to execute a perfect pull-up.

While readymade pull-up bars are easiest to hold due to their narrow width, there are other alternatives in place that may be rather challenging in the beginning.

In case you don’t have access to a regular pull-up bar, you can always go with a similar setting or equipment like a door frame, or any other house beam.A thick surface or bar is more challenging as it requires a stronger hand grip.

2. Start with dead hangs.

Since you may not be able to do a complete pull-up in the beginning, the right way to progress is by simply doing dead hangs.Better known as dead hangs, they not only improve your hand grip but also strengthen your forearms while giving your body a full-length stretch.

The idea is to gradually increase the duration of your dead hangs and spend as much time as possible on the bar. This will prepare your body to do multiple repetitions of a full pull-up at once.

3. Do inverted rows or horizontal pull-ups.

The next step to conquering your chin-up progression comes in the form of inverted rows or horizontal pull-ups.

As the name suggests, contrary to full vertical pull-ups, horizontal pull-ups are done using low-hanging bars like the ones used in callisthenics and gymnastics.

Also known as Australian pull-ups, they can be practised in three different ways and are:

• Pull-up bar at the belly button level
• Midway from the belly button level
• Chest level

By mimicking the motion of a pull-up on horizontal positions, you can simulate and improve the same muscles for higher intensity, as is the case in standard pull-ups.

4. Assisted pull-ups.

You might also take some assistance from an external source to achieve the desired pull-up progression plan.

This includes taking the help of assistance bands, placing an elevated surface beneath your legs, or having your gym personal trainer assist you during the pull-ups.

The purpose is to get acquainted with the movement and ingrain it in your muscle memory without becoming too dependent on the form of assistance.

Your ultimate goal is to learn and execute a pull-up without needing anyone.

5.Practice pull-up holds.

Next up, we have some plain and simple pull-up holds that are integral to beginners’ whole pull-up progression. In order to do that, simply hold and hang from a pull-up bar in different isometric or static positions. Two of the most common holds include the top and the middle position.

While the middle hold is much harder to maintain, the upper hold helps you keep your chin up during each and every rep, which is quite important in executing a perfect pull-up.

6. Go for negative pull-ups.

Similar to the holds are negative pull-ups, which refer to the downward movement of your body when you lower it down during an actual pull-up.

The benefit of including negative pull-ups in your pull-up progression plan is immense, as it builds strength and trains muscles while helping you get used to the entire pull-up motion with a pause.All you need to do is hold the bar from the top position with your chin up and slowly lower yourself in a controlled manner while fighting against the force of gravity.

As hard as it looks, carrying out a negative pull-up is just one step short of nailing a perfect pull-up.

7. Master perfect pull-ups.

Speaking of which, once you have mastered the initial moves and positions on a pull-up bar, you will be in a far better position to execute a complete pull-up.

But if you can’t do more than one or two pull-ups instantly, that is fine. Mastering a pull-up takes time and effort. So continue to follow this pull-up progression plan until you are comfy.

8. Try different variations.

To do so, you can switch between a number of variations that are possible. Standard grip, close grip, wide grip, overhand, and underhand grip are some of the most common pull-up variations you can try.

Remember, the wider the grip, the harder the pull-up. So, choose your variations carefully and within your capacity.

Conclusion

Training with pull-ups on a regular basis is one of the best things you can do for upper body mass and overall strength.

The best part is that pull-ups can be integrated with any workout routine as it is an essential yet basic exercise, much like push-ups.

Furthermore, they can be made easier as well as more challenging depending on the type of your body and stamina.

As far as the risks of injury are concerned, pull-ups are very safe as they are a lot easier and relaxing on joints than other compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.