Zero to Hero: Pullups
Dearest Reader,
Recent personal physical fitness achievements have encouraged me to share the little I have learned to whoever wants to dedicate some of their time to my premature wisdom. Until recently, I had ignored the immense value of the pullup. Nevertheless, in a matter of 4-weeks, I could say I mastered the ability to perform 10 consecutive strict pullups. I often found myself frustrated as I first sought advice from YouTube fitness professionals and their simple advice to “just do more pullups.” Of course, doing more pullups is what everyone wants to do, but for the average joe, the first couple reps are the hardest to achieve, especially with good form. In light of the constant frustration, I would often find online, I decided to do things my way and keep track of things I did and what effect they had on my pullups. Here is a list of the items and instructions of the things I myself performed that aided me to be able to perform 10 pullups.
- Get Your Own Pullup Station
The only way to get better at something is by doing it every day, or at least often. Many of us go to the gym to lift weights, sweat, and go to sleep hoping to wake up a little stronger the next day. However, as we give it our all at the gym, the thought of doing pullups does not land in our minds, and if it does, we convince ourselves not to fool ourselves in attempting to barely perform a couple. One needs to understand that doing pullups is an art and as such, it needs time and dedication. It would be complicated to introduce pullups to a normal routine at the gym, for one would be drained of energy by then, or if performed initially, it would affect the rest of the workout.
Owning your own pullup bar or rack would greatly influence you into doing more pullups at any time during the day. Whether you decide to do pullups before or after work/school or throughout the day is completely up to you. Whether you perform 100 pullups in 1 hour or 5 hours, you will get the same results for the most part.
- Get Lifting Gloves
Those who are no strangers to the church of iron know how proud one gets when their callouses are firm and rough. They reflect the effort and pain one puts into their hours at the gym. Nevertheless, I found callouses hindering while doing pullups. Although my callouses relieve the pain of my hands as I lift my whole body upwards, there were times when my callouses could not handle the stress and ripped. Ripped hands sure are painful signs of hard work and dedication that some athletes could be proud of, but I exclude myself from such group. Having ripped hands forced me to stop performing pullups for 5 days. Since then, I bought a pair of lifting gloves that I use only when I feel my hands can no longer sustain the stress, often after performing 60 pullups or whenever I feel my hands are more moist than usual, you will know what I mean once you get into pullups.
- Chalk
I often avoid wearing gloves while doing pullups, so I usually use chalk. Chalk does a great job at keeping your hands dry and reinforces your grip on the bar. Chalk greatly diminishes the chances of ripping your hands, thus you will have no excuse to keep getting better at it. Although chalk keeps your hands dry, you will get to a point where even though your hands are dry due to the chalk, your hands will feel a stinging pain that will want to make you stop. Once you get to that point but you can still pump some more reps, that is your cue to start wearing your gloves. - Get Resistant Bands
Pullups are uniquely the hardest exercise there is in the book. A 200-lbs man can more than likely deadlift his bodyweight 3 to 5 times, yet can barely perform 2 pullups if not properly trained. It is completely normal for people to not be able to perform pullups with ease. However, by introducing resistant bands to your routine, you will be able to build up the strength to eventually perform pullups without them. Resistant bands are usually sold in sets and their resistance varies according to the thickness and color of the bands. Use the resistance level of each band according to your abilities. Even if you can already perform 5 to 7, a resistance band can allow you to focus on specific parts of the pullup such as the pulling part (concentric), the lowering part (eccentric) or maybe simply your grip strength.
- Progressive Growth
Dedicate 30-45 minutes to pullups alone. Whether you have your own pullup bar, or you are using the one at your gym, the method will remain the same. If you cannot perform 5 clean and strict pullups, use a resistance band. Choose the resistance band that allows you to perform 5 to 6 pullups. Once you have picked it, wrap it around the bar and perform 2 to 3 repetitions 10 times and make sure you take 3 to 5 minute breaks in between your sets. Doing this will sure feel monotonous but they will aid you to become stronger. Make sure you perform strict pullups with the resistance band and put a lot of emphasis on the eccentric (lowering) part of the pullup. Also, do not let the number of reps I am prescribing you fool you. After a couple sets, you will be plotting a way to get out of this, but I know you are better than that. This method can also be implemented by someone who cannot do a single pullup. Pick the resistance band with 35lbs-85lbs resistance level and do 1 to 2 pullups 10 times.
Links:
Squat Rack/Pullup Station
This is the link of the squat rack I use to perform pullups. When I bought it, it was worth $100, but its price has gone up since then. However, the quality of the material is good and the assembly process is easy.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HYQP72O/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kevishka82-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00HYQP72O&linkId=fd1ac62f9278e9bb9ee6038bf03f9f8b
However, if you don’t have the room or funds for this item, here is a link of some pullup bars that you can attach to your door frame. However, before you buy it, you should inspect your door frame and see if it looks sturdy enough to handle your weight. Also, just so you know, the downside to having a door frame pullup bar is the brief range of motion it provides.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YQUP7Q/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kevishka82-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002YQUP7Q&linkId=bcfdb25eb8d51edfea9aad48e3b00592
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EJMS6K/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kevishka82-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B001EJMS6K&linkId=488b2e2d58640085d41472ce1321c5c3
Lifting Gloves
Lifting gloves are essential to keep you in the pullup game especially when your hands cannot handle the stress anymore. This set of gloves allow you to have a solid grip on the bar.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XM0M8O6/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kevishka82-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00XM0M8O6&linkId=a5891fb66ef9cc899d77cbe4f0758146
Resistance Bands
Here is the set of resistance bands I currently use. So far, the purple resistance band is my favorite for everything, ranging from pullups to warming up and stretching. However, if you are very new to pullups, get the whole set so it can aid you as you progress.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078JNPPMT/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kevishka82-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B078JNPPMT&linkId=3f602d741a0a3c3a166dcda8e0fc75a1