First Pull-Up, 3 days
For anyone who cannot do a single pull-up yet: nothing here asks for a rep you do not have. You need a bar to hang from and three sessions a week, each led by one step of the ladder – a dead hang, then scapular pull-ups, then slow negatives. Give each step around two weeks; when it stops being hard, move every session one rung up: negatives, then band-assisted reps if you own a band, and then your own first clean rep. Most people need two to three months of steady practice, and some need longer.
- Level
- Beginner
- Goal
- Gain strength
- Days per week
- 3 days/week
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Equipment
- None
Week at a glance
First Pull-Up A
The hanging day: hold the bar until the grip gives out, then the row and the hollow rock build the shape you hold in a pull-up. Once the hangs stop being hard, move this session up to scapular pull-ups.
3 exercises- Dead Hang4 sets × 20 secRest 1:30
Take an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders, hang with straight arms, and end the set when the grip starts to slip.
- Inverted Row4 sets × 6–12 repsRest 1:30
Set the bar at hip height to start. The more upright your body, the easier the pull.
- Hollow Rock3 sets × 8–12 repsRest 1:00
Press the lower back into the floor before you move; if it lifts, tuck the knees in and rock a shorter shape.
First Pull-Up B
The shoulder-blade day: short pulls from a straight-arm hang teach the shoulders to carry your weight, and the superman builds the back that holds the line. Once these pulls come easily, move this session up to slow negatives.
3 exercises- Scapular Pull-Up4 sets × 5–8 repsRest 1:30
Hang with straight arms and pull the shoulder blades down and together; the elbows stay locked and the body rises a few centimetres.
- Inverted Row4 sets × 6–12 repsRest 1:30
Set the bar at hip height to start. The more upright your body, the easier the pull.
- Superman3 sets × 30 secRest 1:00
Lift the arms, chest and legs together and hold; keep looking at the floor so the neck stays in line with the spine.
First Pull-Up C
The lowering day: step up to the top and come down as slowly as you can – this half of the pull-up is what builds the half you do not have yet. The row and the push-up balance the session. Once five slow lowerings feel steady, loop a band over the bar and start the assisted reps.
3 exercises- Negative Pull-Up4 sets × 3–5 repsRest 2:00
Step off a chair or a box to the top position with the chin over the bar, then lower yourself as slowly as you can.
- Inverted Row4 sets × 6–12 repsRest 1:30
Set the bar at hip height to start. The more upright your body, the easier the pull.
- Push-Up3 sets × 8–15 repsRest 1:30
Hold one line from head to heels and lower the chest to the floor; put the hands on a bench if that line breaks.
