The Best Exercises To Improve Your Pull-Ups

Pull Ups are one of the most difficult exercises to master. They are one of the main compound exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and require you to be strong enough to at least be able to support your own bodyweight. Weighted vests and belts can come later but first you need to master the exercise and be able to do around 10 reps of strict form with relative ease.

This classic exercise strengthens your back, arms and shoulders using only your upper arms to lift up your entire bodyweight. If you struggle to do pull ups then there are some exercises you can do in order to prepare your body to be able to do them properly.

These two exercises will help improve your mobility and make sure your joints and muscles can perform the movements with no issues and reduce your risk of injury.

Wall Angels

Start standing with your feet wide and your head and back flat against a wall. Bring your arms out to your sides at shoulder height and bend your elbows 90 degrees, keeping your shoulders, arms, and the backs of your palms lightly touching the wall. Slowly raise your arms overhead, extending arms into a wide 'V,' staying in contact with the wall. Bend your elbows and slide arms back to the starting position. Do 2-3 sets of 15 reps.

Reverse Plank

Sit on the floor with your legs extended and feet together. Put your hands under your shoulders, fingers pointing backward. Keeping your arms straight, tighten your glutes and raise your hips so your body is straight from ankles to shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds.

It’s also important to build up your back and biceps strength. These three exercises are back and bicep focused so will help increase their strength and endurance.

Lat Pulldown

Sit at a lat pulldown station, pick a moderate weight, and grasp the bar using an overhand grip. Without moving your torso, pull the bar to your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 1 second; then slowly return the bar to the start. Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Alternating Dumbbell Row

Stand holding a pair of medium-weight dumbbells. Fold at your hips and lower your torso until it’s nearly parallel to the floor, the dumbbells hanging at arm’s length. Pull the right dumbbell straight up to the side of your torso, lower it and repeat with the left. That’s 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Negative Pull Ups

Use a small box and jump up to the top of a pull up move. Then as you slowly count a few seconds, extend your arms and lower your body down to the starting position. That’s 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 8-10 reps.