A_N_91

I finally made myself a pullup bar. It was the first time I've ever done them and this was the results. Pullups-0 Reps Chinups-1.5 reps

This isn't a thread on what exercises to do to get more reps on pullups. I know to get better at them, I have to do them. But my question is, what should I do to build up the strength. Right now everyday for 30 minutes I do negatives, static holds, and cheat reps for chinups. Is that good? What should I do for the pullups? I can't even pull myself up an inch.

madman911

All those things you are doing are good ways to build up strength, but doing that for 30 minutes everyday is going to overwork those muscles. You won't gain strength that way. You need to let muscles rest after you've worked them; that's when they get stronger, during the rest period. Best thing to do are pull downs on a pull down machine, but if you're just working out at home and don't have access to one of those, here's what I'd suggest:

1. First, try to do a pull up with all of your might. It's important to try every time you hit the bar, because one of these days you're going to suprise yourself by doing one.

2. Static hold of a pull up at the top position, chin over the bar. Hold until you can't keep your chin over the bar anymore.

3. Do negatives. 3 Sets of 10, lowering yourself as slow and controlled as possible, fighting gravity all the way.

4. Do a hang for as long as you can until your grip fails. This is a great way to build up forearm strength and grip strength, which are also crucial for pullups.

Go ahead and do a couple of chins, but don't focus on them. If you can do pull ups, your chin abilities will likewise improve. I'd suggest you do this routine twice a week, no more than that. In no time, you should be able to do at least one pullup.

Check your form. A lot of people use too much arm in their pullups in the beginning. You need to let your back do the work. It's hard to get the feeling for it at first, but you kind of need to lean back a little as you lift yourself and feel your lats contracting, bringing your shoulder blades together as they do so. Try to find some videos online of people doing pull ups and look at how they're back works during the movement.

Hope that helps some.

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A_N_91

Ok, on the static holds, how many sets should I perform? I'll do the negatives also. I can't hold a pullup with my chin over the bar for more than 5 seconds but I'll keep working on that so I can do good negatives. Also, I was thinking of starting with underhand chinups/pullups first because it's easier than overhand, then work to overhand.

Is this good for doing it M-W-F?

EDIT-When I do the chinups, my core gets really tense and sometimes it bothers my lower back? Most likely it might be because my max is only around 1-2 reps and I'm pushing myself too hard. Because I don't think it's my form.

dukebrown

Put the bar low enough to stand through the whole movement and use progressively less legs in the movement

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madman911

Chin-ups and pullups will work your core too. If you're core conditioning isn't great, you can feel it in your abs quite a bit. Never heard of lower back pain, that's a new one on me, but if you're abs are particularly weak, I could see how the lower back could be strained. Seems to me you need to build strength all over. How is the rest of your routine? Do you do squats and deadlifts? These are the two most important compound exercises for building a solid core. They'll do more for you than any amount of crunches or sit-ups can.

I would be okay to start the routine by doing a couple of chins, but spend most of your time working on overhand pullups. Chins work your back, but they add a lot of bicep into the movement and hit the lats in a very different way, promoting thickness rather than width. If you want a wide, powerful back, it's the pullup that'll get you there, not chins. If you can only hold the static position for 5 seconds, I'd recommend you shoot for 5-6 holds of however long you can.

If you can find a training partner or assistant, another thing to try are assisted pullups. Have your partner take hold of your legs while you do your pullups, so they can give you just enough assistance to complete a rep. You just have to communicate well, so they provide only the minimal amount of assistance necessary.

3 times a week should be okay. But make sure you are not sore from the previous workout. Always give a muscle enough time to completely heal before damaging it again.

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A_N_91

I'm doing bodyweight workouts only but I do have a bar with some weight. It's too light for deadlifts, but I might be able to do some squats with them ATG. Right now I basically do bodyweight exercises 5x a week but I don't hit failure often, maybe on the last set.

I do only squats because doing bodyweight leg movements is kinda limited especially since my roof is low and I can't do plyometrics. So I do the squats 5x a week focusing on breathing and going down as possible.