Hands up if you've ever stood beneath a pull up bar and felt, in a word, intimidated? I know I can't be the only one. While I workout regularly, I've always viewed the bar with a certain amount of dread, with the voice in the back of my head telling me that there's no way I could achieve one. That's why, at the beginning of the year, I decided to conquer my fears head-on and give pull ups a go.
My January fitness goal was simple: to try and improve my upper body strength enough to be able to do pull ups. And I wasn't just determined for aesthetic reasons, either - while stronger, more toned arms are always a bonus, a history of backache made me determined to strengthen my lats, help my posture, and ease my aches and pains. So, where to begin?
A quick look on TikTok for techniques did nothing to quieten my fear. My feed was filled with video after video of muscley blokes effortlessly doing pull up after pull up without so much as a wobble. Of course, there are videos of women doing pull ups, but not as many, which made me wonder if it's harder for women to nail the bodyweight exercise.
Interestingly, my observations were correct - there's actually a physiological reason why pull ups are tougher for women. While they are achievable, research shows that we're somewhat fighting against biology. According to researcher, author and scientist, Dr Stacey Sims - and as she highlights in her Diary of a CEO interview - at puberty, women's centre of gravity drops from their chest to their lower abdomen area as their hips widen. Meanwhile, men's centre of gravity stays the same, meaning for women, tackling the monkey bars, pull ups, or any workout moves that require upper body strength and grip is tougher.
Bottom line? This challenge was going to be tough, but I couldn't wait to get stuck in. To see how I got on in just two weeks, keep scrolling. Keen to read more about the most effective bodyweight moves for home workouts? Find out how MC UK staffers got on trying planks every day, goblet squats every day, and strength training every other day here. While you’re at it, do read up on the benefits of good morning exercises and what happens when you complete push ups every day, too.
I've always wanted to master pull ups - so dedicated my January to building my strength
What is a pull up?
In short, a pull up is a bodyweight exercise that involves pulling yourself up from a hanging position using a bar. As the personal trainers I spoke to for this piece explain, your knuckles should be facing away from you and your arms should, ideally, be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
FYI, the move is different from a chin-up (which is where your knuckles are facing towards you and your arms should be slightly closer together).
The two moves deploy different muscles, too - where chin ups rely on your biceps, pull ups are all about the two latissimus dorsi muscles in your back, better known as your "lats". Sounds simple, right?
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How to do a pull up with correct form
The secret with pull ups to take it slow and steady, share our experts, building up to a straight pull-up. As personal trainer and Crossfit Level 1 coach Bryony Sinclair suggests, it's a good idea to try exercises that'll build the strength in your back, shoulder and arms before getting started on the pull ups.
These included:
- Using a lat pull down machine
- Bent over rows
- Bicep curls
- Dumbbell pullovers
- Press ups
- Tricep dips
- Ring rows (using gymnastic rings or a TRX).
“You also need to factor in strength training to focus on biceps, shoulders and upper back which are crucial the beginning and end ranges of pull ups,” she goes on.
Alongside this, it's important if you're a beginner to take a staged approach to pull ups - they take time and practice to master, you see. As Gill Erskine, co-founder and director of WildStrong explains, using adaptions is a great way to build confidence and strength for what she admits is a challenging move.
She advises the following adaptations:
- Hold a passive hang: Try 30 seconds with feet supported and later unsupported.
- Hold an active hang: Engaging your shoulder blades for stability.
- Practise rows: These strengthen your pulling muscles.
- Try foot-supported pull-ups: Use a suspension trainer, bar, or even a chair to mimic the movement while offloading some of your body weight.
- Try negative pull-ups: Start at the top position (using a chair or a jump to get there) and lower yourself slowly to build eccentric strength.
- Try band-assisted pull-ups: Use resistance bands to help lift your body weight through the movement.
- Try bracket or pincer training: Work on building strength at the top and bottom of the pull-up range, progressively meeting in the middle.
I went in straight away with the resistance band option. Sinclair helped me get my feet into the band as this was surprisingly tricky. I also had to think about engaging my core to stop myself swinging under the pull up bar! The added benefit of using bands is that you can track your progress easily. “You can reduce the resistance the stronger you become”, she said.
What are the benefits of doing pull ups?
As Erskine explains, pull ups are “a fantastic strength-building exercise”. She lists off loads of benefits, including improved grip, bicep, lat, upper back and rhomboid strength.
Not just that, though, but research shows that pull ups can enhance your posture, reduce back and shoulder pain, and boost core stability, not to mention enhance grip strength and improve your functional fitness and ease at which you can do daily tasks.
Case in point: this (albeit fairly old) 2003 study concluded that pull ups can "significantly increase upper body strength and fat-free mass and decrease fat mass and percentage of body fat" in women. Not bad.
How long will I need to train to do a pull up as a beginner?
Erskine says that eight weeks is a great length of time to achieve your first unassisted pull-up - quite a short time frame, if you think of the number of muscles the move engages.
If you're keen to conquer your first, she suggests the following plan:
Weeks one to two:
- Passive hang with feet supported: Try three sets of 20 to 30 seconds.
- Rows: Try three sets of eight to ten reps using a low bar or suspension trainer.
- Scapula pull-ups: Try two sets of ten reps to build shoulder control and coordination.
Weeks three to four:
- Full bodyweight passive hang: Try three sets of fifteen to 20 seconds.
- Foot-assisted pull-ups: Try three sets of six to eight reps. Use a chair or suspension to reduce load.
- Negative pull-ups: Try two sets of three to five reps, lowering as slowly as possible (aim for five to ten seconds).
Weeks five to six:
- Active hangs: Try three sets of fifteen to 20 seconds, focusing on engaging your shoulder blades.
- Rows: Try four sets of ten to twelve reps with controlled form.
- Band-assisted pull-ups: Try three sets of four to six reps, using progressively lighter resistance bands.
Weeks seven to eight:
- Active hangs: Try to progress to three sets of 20 to 30 seconds.
- Foot-assisted pull-ups: Try three sets of eight to ten reps, reducing leg assistance.
- Negative pull-ups: Try increase to three sets of five reps, focusing on a controlled descent.
Do remember though - as Sinclair says, “there is no specific time frame - it depends where your baseline strength is, how often you train, your diet and many other variables.”
Are there any negatives to trying pull ups?
As with any new exercise, it's important to listen to your body and make sure you're not overdoing it. As Sinclair shares: “Shoulder problems and elbow tendinitis are the most common pull up injuries. Building up slowly and ensuring plenty of rest between the days you train pull ups will reduce the overuse risk.”
She adds that you might see videos on TikTok of Crossfit and functional fitness athletes “kipping” or using swinging movements in a pull up, but advises against this for beginners. “They have their place but for an everyday gym goer wanting to build strength, strict, controlled pull ups are far more beneficial.”
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I tried push ups for two weeks - my verdict
During the two week challenge, I kept things simple, aiming for two lots of five pull ups every time I worked out. After speaking to the experts above, I decided to use a resistance band - mainly because I was new to the workout move, but also because I knew it'd help me to maintain proper form while pulling my bodyweight above the bar.
In all honesty, it was tough going - pull ups aren't for the faint-hearted. But I also found them incredibly rewarding and felt a difference in strength by the second week. It goes without saying that I felt the move in my upper body, but I was also surprised by how much I felt the move in my core (you really need this engaged for stability).
Needless to say, though, I wasn't confident enough to go without the band - which isn't surprising, given that the PT's we spoke to for this piece advised that it stereotypically takes around eight to ten weeks to build up to a pull up from a beginner level.
Will I be continuing on my pull up journey? Almost certainly. I've set up my own pull up bar at home and have my trusty resistance band ready to go, too. I'm aiming to try a pull up without the band by week four, and will be incorporating the other upper body exercises that Sinclair suggested so that I don’t become too fixated on the pull ups (and therefore too impatient with them).
While I have a long way to go – let's just say I'm not going to be following my kids onto the monkey bars anytime soon – the challenge was a huge confidence booster for me. I realised that it was about so much more than pull ups - I knew my upper body strength wasn’t what I wanted it to be and the ambition to land a pull up has been the impetus to do something about it. As Erskine told me: “The journey to pull-ups is rewarding, but the real goal is building strength and confidence in how your body moves.”
While this was initially a two week challenge, I'll be continuing on my journey to achieving an unassisted pull up - and I can't wait to see what I can do in a few months time.
Health writer Katie during her pull up challenge
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