in my opinion. Wide pull ups are a must for back development. Don't cheat with ur legs, keep m stable. When going down go slowwwwww. Don't forget to do full range of motion. It's okay if you can only do 1 now, just keep trying and in a while you will be able to do a lot more. FORM IS EVERYTHING!
I can relate to the first part, I'm good at pull ups. Some ppl I know say "only because you weigh less than me you can do more pull ups than me" but it's a strength to bodyweight ratio and body composition thing. Fair enough you have more weight to carry, but naturally you should have more muscle to compensate. If body fat is holding you back then you lack conditioning. And what about the skinny guys who can't do pull ups to further prove the point that it's a ratio thing.
People who say "you can do more pull-ups than me because you're lighter" are just making excuses to disguise their weaknesses. If you were to say the same thing about a lift that they were strong on, they'd tell you the same, but somehow pull-ups are different.
yeah you will get lots of results, your body doesn't have scales to mesure the weight, it can only feel stress and tension. This applies for every single body part.Emilio Almeida
6'2", 185, still can do 4 or 5 pullups on a good day at age 73. Always start back workout with 4 sets of pullups and 4 sets of chin ups. May have stop with the chin ups, getting some tweaks in my biceps.
Plan for newbs like me from 5:28: 1. Start with inverted rows 2. Kneeling lat pulldowns, gradually increasing in weight 3. Start on bar with ecentric only rep (i.e. hold chin above bar for 5-6 seconds, slowly lower) 4. Do reps with assistive band 5. Do pull ups!
Please listen to my story.I am 20 years old and I did my first CHIN UP 3 months ago and I hadn't been able to do any until then.I was watching pull up videos and I was collecting necessary informations for beginners for about a month.That is when I said to myself:"It's time".I made a pull up bar and put it in my shed.First day I trained,second day was a rest day.Basically I trained every second day.I started off with doing half pull ups and chin ups.I assume you can at least do top motion of pull up.When I got tired,next thing I did were pull up negatives (1 set) and then chin up negatives (1 set) and you do it until you get tired.And the last thing I did was pull up hang and then chin up hang.Basically all you should do is to grip the pull up bar and hold until you get tired (first pull up and then chin up).Repeat until you can't hold it for more than 10 seconds or you can set your limit based on your current strenght.That's it.After few days you should notice that your forearm got stronger and you have more endurance while doing pull up hangs.After some time you should be able to do your first CHIN UP and when you reach about 4 or 5 chin ups in one set you might be able to do your first pull up and for me pull ups have become easier than chin ups since then.Remember - Train every second day! (Rest time between sets should be between 1.5 and 2 minutes and drink a little bit of water between sets)
The problem with that is there is not enough volume, if one can only do one rep at a time.... Inverted rows and negative-pullups (jump to get up, or whatever) in combination works well. Adding scapula raises (from hanging position, not using arms) that he shows in another video can help too.... If one goes with band-assisted pullups only, then the muscle needed at the bottom of the pull isn't improved as well/quickly as it can be with slow negative pullups, since bottom is when band is assisting the most. If only using lat pulldowns, then it ignores a lot of the stabilizing/secondary muscles. (Though each of those two can help.)
I love pull-ups. They're my favorite exercise. I hold more pride in the fact that I can do 30 dead hang pull-ups with full ROM than that I can bench twice my bodyweight. No exercise has made as huge of a difference on my body than weighted pull-ups and chin-ups.
+MrTheSlash3r to be honest, yeah, even the deadlift. With deadlifts, sure, you'll get strong, but it might not give you that aesthetic of a look. It's worthwhile to do both though, but I'd definitely emphasize getting stronger on pull-ups and being able to attach weight. I started seeing big differences when I started doing that instead, since deadlifts only did so much for me.
Pullups? Chinups? Who cares? I can't do either of them. 2021 edit: Only now took a gander through the shitstorm comments under this one. I'm no longer overweight and can do a max of 15 chinups and about 8 pullups. (only started practicing them a few months ago) My max pushups is 60 and the longest I have ever held a plank was for 10 mins. A lot has changed since I wrote this comment as a joke half a decade ago.
+TKing677 Start with negative pull ups, or "women pullups". Negative pullups you jump to the top, then slowly go down. Woman pullups you find a low bar, keep your heals on the ground then do pullups.
+TKing677 Well why don't you try to get thinner then, not that im calling you lazy fat fuck that has no life and im not saying you must do them but you should be more positive about it, if you never try then you never will get thin. You can start off like i did, by pulling up then letting down slowly+ chinups i didn't let myself as down as i should, only half way and then when i got better i started doing them right and did them every day.
Thanks. When I was in the military, I was required to do both pull ups and chin ups as part of my fitness exams (Navy and Marines). It has been many years since these physical fitness test. I thought I would get back into it, but I was not sure if I remembered what a proper chin up and pull up is. Your video was very helpful, informative, etc. Thanks a lot.
Btw I love the kinesiology background you brought into this video. I just took kinesiology last semester in college and it's cool to watch exercises and actually understand how the body is functioning and why things work the way they do.
@@leomatsuoka7625 well you can't just assume I can tell you that you have not done anything useful with you're life because you haven't joined the army it's the same I compare myself to you
I just started working out with a friend as personal trainer, and he keeps insisting I do these every workout. Needles to say,I can't pull myself half up but I have the motivation to continue training until I can at least do ten of all of these. Thank you for the tips, it really helps.
If you can't do pull-ups, do negatives and focus on more back exercises like deadlifts, and all kinds of rows. If you do like 5 back exercises on back day(make sure they're all somewhat different) you'll reach that goal in no time.
These videos are great. It's been seven years (Since I retired from the Military) since I have really been in the gym. I hit 50 next summer and have decided as a goal to concentrate on my fitness more.
Lol! i like this concept.... big 200+ guys who are able to do muscle ups and great pull ups.... yet we have tons of Gym rats who claim to be "big" and have muscle but can barely do pull ups cause.... "they're too big and heavy". yeah i like what Jeff said.... Check ur body Comp BRO! ha!
those 200+ lbs guys who say they cant do pullups because the are too big hahahhh tell that to brock lesnar a near 300 lbs super freakish athlete he can do weighted pullups
hititdj Exactly, Brock Lesnar is a athlete who is doing compound exercises. While the gym rats are doing curls and bench presses. No wonder they can't do pullups.
***** But it's possible to understand what he said. Gym Rats usually don't care about strength per se. They care about getting bigger and getting a pump. While getting bigger can make you stronger, it'll not be proportionally if you don't focus on strength training.
this video has been one of the best over all holistic view how to do pull ups or chin ups and explained in a really down to earth fashion - plain and straight to the point - [this will help beginners and advanced body builders] well done Jeff - thanks very much
I'm so glad I found this video! I commented on one of Jeffs other videos saying I wanted this but didn't realise he already did it! Efficiency at its finest!!!
O M F G .... I remember when I first subbed to this guy, he had no where near a million fucking sub's, now he has almost 2 mill?!?!? WELL FUCKING DESERVED!
It took me a while to realise that you are a real expert. The more I listened and learnt the more I realised other trainers are not covering thanks for the safety oriented advise you're more or less my go to now
Seriously great attention to detail and very motivational. I'm getting so much more insight with all these videos and this is after 25 years of training.
When I started at the gym about 3 months ago, I trained on the last pull downs for weeks, increasing weight each week. And then I started substituting pull ups for certain sets and did a mix with lat pulls. Eventually I transitioned to only sets of pull ups. That's how i got started anyway. My personal goal is to reach 3 sets of 10. Right now I'm at 10, 8 and 7. Getting closer!
I weigh a 165lbs and just cranked out 5 pull-ups with 80 lbs attached to my weight belt and then 5 pull-ups behind my head. At 56 years old I feel pretty good :)
Spot on and one of the best 10 minute explanations of push ups/pull ups on the net. Not to mention the 'reasons why'. Thanks....and by the way im 50 and still knocking out big sets of dips/pull ups. Semper Fi!
One of your older videos but the quality of the information never changes, awesome stuff Jeff. My backside is definitely not as good as my front side, I have some band work to do. Thanks a lot!
this is like 6-7 years ago, but i just saw a recent video where he told us NOT to have the arms to the side while doing pull ups.. but rather elbows facing outwards!
i usualy NEVER like a video but this man is teaching me so many valueable things i have to like the video and respect this guy to share realy usefull information to us for free!!!
thank you youre the best at explaining and very clear and precise I am 68 but need this work out seriously for lots of reasons so thanks again my helpful friend
'If we are big and struggling with our pullups we might want to start to looking at our body comp and looking at reducing all of that excess body fat'...love that bit. Good tips here. I am natty and do 5 sets x5 reps sets pulls and build up to 5 sets x10 reps non weighted and weighted pulls every year.
Dustin Quigley well think about it this way if you weigh 220 and bench press 200 and then do unweighted pull ups that’s instantly better than your bench press
Very helpful Jeff , I am just training the pull-up, I train split twice per week being 70 years old, I am using a strong band to assist over-hand sets of 6 reps 3 sets, many thanks.
+Manfred Bartels You have very little body fat i imagine. When I was twenty I weighed more than 205was very slim, I am 6'5". I am 55 now , I weigh 260 and struggle when I was 230 I could do more.
@@ronniekray1399 You do know that, since that comment, you're 2 years *closer* to his age, don't you? The older you get, the quicker time goes. People think that a 60 year old is twice as old as a 30 year old, but that ain't exactly the truth, as you'll find out sooner than you think, *much sooner* than you think.
After all of your videos I've watched I still have to say damn, you most probably got the best fitness channel on RU-vid. Love how you are scientific and have a gym but still are an advocate of bodyweight! The fact that you teach us about the importance of nutrition and that a vegan based diet opposed to popular belief actually can get you the results you want balance out your overall output perfectly. Please don't stop anytime soon
Hey ATHLEAN-X, I've seen people do pullups so the bar is behind the head/neck? Is this healthy for shoulders and does it has benefits over normal pullup?
From the future here and it’s crazy to see how much better his gym set up gets! That he can’t put his face above the bar in a pull up because the ceiling is so low is precious.
I love being a woman and being able to do both chin ups & pull ups. For my chin ups I can do 4 sets of 10 reps and for my pull ups I can also do 4 sets 10,8,6,5 reps. I am 4'8 and 95 lbs, love being a strong woman.
It is definitely not true that all big muscular guys can generally do Pull ups. Go, ask Markus Rühl if he can do pull ups. Not a single one! :-) I could not believe that too, but he states himself.
Hi at 57 I have finally found a work out program that I can understand and see the science behind it ... thanks thank and thanks again looking forward to seeing the improvements .. as they you are never to late to learn .. my body is in need of some good education
Holy crappers, Jeff, wow! I just discovered your videos recently. Excellent audio, video, delivery, content... love your angle of educated training with physical therapy analysis. I've heard "good form" over the years, but never with such a thorough explanation so we can all train smarter. So motivational! Thanks so much!!
Pull ups are something I have always struggled with. I used to be really overweight, like I got up to somewhere around 400 pounds. I'm 6'4", and the lowest I got down to was 249. I was running 5 miles in an hour and could do a few chin ups. I fell off that a bit, however, I have been working on strength training. I can do about 100 push ups in little over an hour and I'm doing some cardio workouts like Tae Bo. I can keep up pretty well with the Basic work out and I'm pushing for more. I'm currently about 320 pounds and can max out at about 13 push ups before resting on the floor between reps, and then I can usually crank out a few more. At the moment, I've been doing pull up negatives off and on, with the first negative being about a 6 second descent, and I'm working on clearing out a time in my schedule to focus more on increasing my push up set to 20 and my unaided pull up to one. I don't really consider myself to be out of shape, however, I definitely would like to boost my strength level. This video pointed out some key differences between pull ups and chin ups that I'll need to keep in mind, and I'll work on implementing both of them in alternate intervals in my work out.
nice video. my trouble is, I've been training now for 2 years and 5 months. I see a slight difference, and I am stronger, but not by much considering that time. I only have about 3 hours a week to work out, yet I know more exercises than I can do in that time. when I research by watching videos like yours I learn even more exercises. what exercises should I do when I am limited for time??
Very Helpful Video! Displaying the differences in width-of-grip, and using the dumbbells to show us what you were talking about, really put it into perspective. Thank you very much!
Just because you can. i hate people who says things like: you HAVE to do 20 pullups/20 dips to do a muscle up. bullshit. a muscle up is something different thing than a pullup.
Try doing a mixed grip to build up your pulling strength, like how dead lifters do a mixed grip for their deadlifts. When I couldn't do pull-ups, I tried a mixed grip, one hand overhand grip and the other an underhand grip. It helped shift the focus and I was able to use my stronger side (underhand grip) to assist the weaker side (overhand grip) Hope this tip helps. If that's still too difficult, you can build your pulling strength on a cable machine doing lat pull downs and eventually move on to doing the pull-ups
@@natskar mixed grip pull-ups can cause you to develop muscle imbalances, just get a decent resistance band to lighten some of your weight and work your way up to a full rep.
Im 24 years old and recently I've been feeling sluggish at the gym; can this be due to my testosterone lowering? Or is it even lowering idk tbh. I miss going HAM or am i experiencing a plateau? Serious question so please serious answers anyone from the athlean fam
at 24 your natural hormone production levels are still high. If you work out regularly and are progressing strength-wise then it could be due to diet. If you are not getting enough calories in to fuel your increasing workload, then you need to get more calories in, i.e. eat more. You could also try some supplements also, i.e. pre-workouts like just some black coffee or some silly commercial pre-workout.
Neil McMahon It depends on your workout schedule. If you are like most people, you are overtraining, and would probably benefit from 3-4 days off. I am 60, and this has been my experience. Give me a few days off, and I am stronger than when I took the break.
Neil McMahon thank you to think of it i cut carbs to about 75g thats probably it. I have one rest day that can play a role im going to take 4 days off and see how i feel thanks
you either eat shitty foods couple hours before you workout, or you just need to rest more. eat good after your workouts. it helps. you can also run a little bit, it can help energize you a bit.
About 3 months ago, I couldn't hope to do a single chinup, let alone a proper pullup. But I used an assisted chinup machine to unload my weight, and gradually reduced the weight on that. I can now do about 3 good chinups, and 1 proper pullup. Same goes for dips: I used the same machine to do assisted dips, reducing the weight over time.
+George Mylonas Do what I do, I do 1 set of pull ups, 1 set of hammer ups, and 1 set of chin ups. I do that on upper body day and I've gotten up to 9 reps each set of perfect form, my goal is 15 on every set before I join the marines. If you do it like I said then you will train your back and arms in every way so you will be strong in all the muscles and be able to use them effecetively from different angles.
+Tiger Suphakonlee Its a muscle on your forearm. It is a secondary muscle in the pull ups. To train them directly you can do heavy hammer curls and close grip pull ups.
Do deadlifts, bend over rows& flys, inverted rows and shrugs (train your traps because the initiation of the movement is done by the lower traps!) After deadlifts I can do usually 5..7 pull-ups more. This is because the deadlift activates the lats. Don't give up I am 49 y.o. and a year ago I wasn't able to do them. Now they are one my four favorite excercise (the others are frontsquats, dips and deadlifts).
If you didn´t progress using that machine for so long stop it and do it the old fashioned way. Get a pull up bar and make slow controlled negatives and also train grip and arm strength with just hanging as long as you can, this way works 100% to progress when done regularly (like 3 times a week 3-5 sets and a few times the grip thing, just stop the sets before fail or you get elbow pain because compensating). I think the issue is these machines don´t train asymmetrical enough to get the proper functional strength in all muscles involved, nor do they push one to use the whole body contraction/activation of muscles like in actual pullups. Also make sure you can do chin ups first since it´s easier, if not do the above just with chin ups until you can do them and than go for pullups.
Thanks, Jeff! I’m about 40 days into Athlean-X after doing P90X for 12 years. Wish I would’ve discovered your program sooner. Perhaps I could have avoided major shoulder surgery.
