Do More Than One Stinking Pull-Up

Im still haunted by my 6 grade gym class !t the beginning

o" the semester# all the students took part in a physical
"itness test Part o" the test included a $isit to the old chin-up
bar I remember standing in line ner$ously kno%ing I %as
about to embarrass mysel" &ou see# I %as a "at kid My
mom tried to tell me I %as big boned '(od bless you# mom)#
but I kne% I %as "at !nd looking at that bar# I kne% there %as
no %ay I %as going to be able to pull up my pudgy *6+-
pound body %ith my %impy **-year-old arms
I %atched all the skinny kids bust out pull-ups like they %ere
nothing ,&eah#- I thought# ,pull-ups are easy %hen you only
%eigh ./ pounds- Maybe (od %as trying to humble me that
day because the person right in "ront o" me in line %as a girl
0ot only that# she %as a prepubescent athletic machine I
stood and %atched her crank out pull-up a"ter pull-up I lost
count o" ho% many she did
th
,Okay# Mc1ay#- the coach said# ,youre up-
I summoned all the positi$e thinking I could at that moment I
con$inced mysel" that I could actually bust out 2 or / pull-ups
3ith my ne%"ound con"idence# I 4umped and grabbed the
bar It %as o$er be"ore it e$en started I put up a good "ight#
but gra$ity and my "at middle school body beat me that day I
couldnt e$en do one stinking pull-up
5$er since then# I$e made it a goal in li"e to be able to do
pull-ups 6ots o" them To me# the pull-up represents the
ultimate test in "itness
The Benefits of Pull-Ups
The pull-up is a strength-building dynamo In 4ust one pull-up#
your body calls upon the "ollo%ing muscles7
8ingers
8orearms
9iceps
Triceps
Shoulders
9ack
:ore
0ot only %ill your strength increase dramatically "rom pull-
ups# but your upper body %ill become bigger and more
de"ined Moreo$er# the strength you deri$e "rom doing pull-
ups %ill help you impro$e your per"ormance in other
e;ercises like the bench press or o$erhead press
How Not to Do Pull-Ups
Many men %ho ha$e trouble doing pull-ups go to the
assisted pull-up machine to help them crank the pull-ups out
Dont do it< its a useless crutch I" your goal is to do se$eral
unassisted pull-ups# youre %asting your time %ith these
machines "or a couple o" reasons7
8irst# a mental "actor e;ists %hen doing pull-ups 9ecause
you kno% the machine is helping you up# you probably %ont
e;ert as much e""ort as you %ould i" doing pull-ups
unassisted 3hen you "inally make the s%itch to unassisted
pull-ups# you may still "ind yoursel" unable to do any
Second# you dont use all the muscles needed "or real pull-
ups %hen using the machine 3hen doing real pull-ups# your
body has to call upon larger and smaller muscle groups all
throughout your body "or you to pull yoursel" up ! machine
%ont recruit as many o" these muscles Thus# %hen you
make the s%itch to doing unassisted pull-ups# you %ont
ha$e the strength needed to complete them
The Do More Than One Stinking Pull-Up
Routine
! "riend recommended this pull-up routine to help turn me
into a machine !nd guess %hat= It %orked In a month# I
%ent "rom doing one stinking pull-up to cranking out *+ reps
in multiple sets
So i" youre ready to start cranking out pull-ups# heres your
routine
I" you currently can only do one pull-up# start out by doing *>
sets o" * pull-up %ith a 2/ second break bet%een sets Do
the routine t%o times a %eek Once you can do t%o pull-ups#
begin this routine7
eek !" 6 sets o" > reps 2/ second break in bet%een sets
T%ice a %eek
eek #" / sets o" ? reps T%ice a %eek
eek $" 2 Sets o" 2 reps T%ice a %eek
eek %" ? Sets o" 6 reps T%ice a %eek I" youre able to do
more# go ahead 6ike I said# by this time I %as able to
increase my reps to *+
3hen you get to the point that youre able to do more than
*># its time to start adding %eight to your pull-up routine#
like the bad ass guy in the picture at the top
here to Do Pull-Ups
Many men dont do pull-ups because they dont ha$e access
to a pull-up bar @ere are some options7
Tree limb Some trees ha$e limbs that are per"ect "or
pull-ups 3hen youre out "or a run# 4ump up# grab on# and
start cranking some out
Outdoor gyms During the *AB+s# many parks installed
outdoor gyms along 4ogging trails The idea %as that you
could get a complete strength %orkout %hile 4ogging
Usually a pull-up bar is one o" the stations
(et a pull-up bar "or your house The last# and most
con$enient option# is to get a pull-up bar "or your door
"rame I recently bought the Iron (ym Pull-up bar and
ha$e been completely happy %ith it It 4ust "its right in your
door "rame and you dont ha$e to drill holes or do any
installation 3hats great about ha$ing a pull-up bar in
your door "rame is that e$ery time you %alk by it you can
crank a "e% out !"ter doing this a couple o" %eeks# youll
be doing more than one stinking pull-up