AFSCRossfit Pull up Guide
Getting that ever illusive first Pull Up seems miles away. Unless you are a tree climber, or professional mountain climber you probably don’t spend a lot of time lifting your own bodyweight from a dead hang. Even if you can pull a truck that doesn’t necessarily mean you can do a pull up either. And let’s not even get started on if you are heavy set like myself. Bodyweight definitely does matter when it comes to a pull up so in my brothers immortal words:
“Get less Fat, or get more strong” David Millings circa 2014
Weight really does count. So you have a couple of routes to success for this. This guide is going to map out a work out routine that can help you attack your Pull Ups from an exercise perspective but if you would like to loss a kilo or two then BOOK IN with our nutrition team can certainly help you with accountability and Nutrtion.
Let’s cut to the chase and deal with the muscles. You are going to be targeting the Lats mainly but also the rhomboids and traps. Basically all the muscles that work around the shoulder blade as well as your biceps (AKA the Swans). We are going to use a range of angles and grips to help us get a well rounded routine to encourage strength to increase and maybe get a little growth in the muscles. A big muscle will be a strong muscle (Sometimes) so don’t be afraid to get a little bigger in pursuit of that first pull up.
A little caveat before we dig in. If you follow these routines once a week you will get to a pull up a lot slower then if you hit them 3 times a week. However life is crazy for all of us so the idea of this plan is to give you the tools and you implement them as needed. I would recommend at least 1 day rest between the workouts. That could mean complete rest , or a change to cardio or a push day in the gym. Some call this active recovery.
Week 1 & 2 -Alternate the days as needed to get 6 sessions in before moving to the next phase.
Day 1
Ring Rows / TRX Rows
Low Bar Scapula Pull Ups
Dead Hang
Bicep Curls
Day 2
Dead Hang
Low Bar Pull Ups
Banded Pul l Ups
Bicep Curls
Week 3 & 4
Day 1
Dead Hang
Scapula Pull Ups
Low Bar Negatives
Banded Pull Ups
Day 2
Dead Hang
Low Bar Isometrics in 3 positions
Bicep Curls
Week 5 & 6
Day 1
Weighted Scap Pull Ups
Jumping Pull Ups
Bicep Curls
Day 2
High Bar Isometrics in 3 positions
Ring Rows
PHASE 2
Once we have got those basics we should be pretty close to a pull-up. This next part of the program moves into performing Pull Ups either with a band or starting to work your newly found strict pull ups.
We are going to perform the following program with a band. Make sure the band tension means that the reps are hard but manageable.
* Day 1: 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
* Day 2: 4, 3, 3, 2, 2
* Day 3: 4, 3, 3, 3, 2
* Day 4: 4, 4, 3, 3, 2
* Day 5: 4, 4, 4, 3, 2
* Take a day off
* Day 6: 5, 4, 3, 3, 2
If at any point you can do a strict pull up feel free to add them in at the beginning of each set then finish the set with a banded pull up.