Your Go-To Guide on How to Do More Pull-Ups

Pull-ups have always been a great exercise to do and you only need your bodyweight and a bar to do them. For those who can’t do a pull up yet, you may be looking to get your first one. For those who can, you’re probably looking to increase the number that you can do. So whether you can do one or 100, this is an easy to follow guide on how to do more pull-ups.

For this article we’ve made a workout to help you in your training. Check it out here.

Want to know how to do more pull-ups? Here are 5 tips

1. Dead Hang

Most people tend to skip this bit and go straight to the pull-ups, but being able to hang from the bar is an important step in increasing the number of pull-ups you can do. It is also fundamental to improving your grip strength. Without great grip strength, you can lose your grip fast, which will mean that you will do fewer pull-ups than intended.

Try to work on your dead hang by hanging from the bar with an overhand grip.

Hang for as long as you can. Then increase the time gradually. It’ll help you be able to hang from the bar for as long as you need to do crank out those pull-ups.

If you want to mix up the dead hang a bit, then add weights. You can wear a weighted vest or even just hold a dumbbell between your feet as you hang. There is also the option of one-armed hangs or even hang by your fingers. Yes, there are some people who can even do two-fingered hangs!

This will condition your grip strength and really get you used to hanging from a bar, so you can learn how to do more pull-ups.

2. Scapular Pull-Ups

Before you even try to do a full pull up, practice your scapular pull-ups first. This helps to activates the lats, which is what you need for this movement.

To do this from the bar. Depress your shoulder (sort of like a reverse shrug—your shoulders move downwards instead of upwards), without moving your arms. This will slightly raise your body. Return to your original position and repeat.

Doing scapular pull-ups will make your back stronger, while also increasing your awareness of the body movements needed for the pull-up.

3. Negative Pull-Ups

Negative pull-ups are a great way of increasing your pull up capacity. This exercise focuses on the part of the pull up where you lower yourself back down.

To do negative pull-ups, jump up from the ground, with your hands holding the bar above you, until you reach the top position of a pull-up. Then slowly lower yourself back down as slowly as possible. Try to do it for a count of 3 or 4 seconds, making sure this movement is controlled. Then repeat.

4. Assisted Pull-Ups

There is nothing wrong with using some gym accessories for help. Use resistance bands to help you get more pull-ups with some assisted pull-ups.

Wrap the band around the bar so it falls down in a loop. Place one foot in the loop while holding the bar above you. The resistance band should give you a springy floor to stand on. Then pull yourself up and lower yourself back down as if you were doing a pull-up.

The great thing about resistance bands is that they are versatile and come in different sizes. This means you can easily adjust the difficulty of assisted pull-ups by the size of the band you use. The thicker the band, the more supported you will be. You can also use two bands at the same time for extra guidance.

This is a great way to increase your muscular endurance. And if you are unable to do unassisted pull ups for more reps, just add a band to keep going.

If you have a pull-up machine at the gym, then you can use this too. While some machines differ, it will most likely give you a platform that you can stand/kneel on and adjust the weight depending on your preference.

5. Change Your Grip

There is the standard pull-up position that people use, but you can always change where and how your grip is. For example, you can make your hands narrower, wider, or even at an angle to help build up different muscles in your back and arms. This will assist in increasing your strength.

Some pull-ups machines will also have different grip handles so you can use them too.

Workout with Jefit

Jefit is a workout log app that can help track your progress. Whether it is to do more pull ups, or lift heavier weights, Jefit can record it all. If you need additional help, then why not join the Jefit community? Jefit offers a members-only Facebook page where you can learn from others as well as share your own wins, advice, and stories. Come and join the community now!

Did this article help you learn how to do more pull-ups? How many pull-ups can you do, and what’s your goal? Let us know!

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Emily Trinh

I'm Emily and I'm a freelance writer, powerlifter and occasional weightlifter.

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