YES - Girls Can Do Pull Ups

Somewhere in a universe separate to our own, women are doing pull ups again, and again, and again... It’s the norm. They’ve not been talked out of it by other women - who think it’ll make them bulky, a concerned other half - who can’t do a pull up himself, or themselves - who don’t want to try and fail and look silly. They just do it. Because they can.

The pull up is a brilliant exercise. If you do it properly you can strengthen and tone the arms, shoulders and upper back, and to quote one of my clients from last week ‘how come my abs hurt?!’ YES - hanging off a pull up bar forces you to engage your abs! If you don’t do them already, you need to. If you can’t, I hope this helps...

The Perfect Pull Up

To achieve the perfect pull up you need to grasp the bar just outside shoulder width, keeping your head tall with your chin tucked in and shoulders locked and loaded (shoulders set down with shoulder blades retracted), pull through your elbows until your sternum (chest bone) is nearly touching the bar. Pause for a moment at the top and lower under control until arms are straight, but elbows are not fully extended (soft joints) and body continues to remain under tension. Repeat again, and again, and again.

If you’ve ever tried to do this you’ll realise this is difficult - NOT IMPOSSIBLE - I have several female clients who can do it - BUT you need to practice.

To quote Tony Gentlicore, the man who inspired my recent fascination with girly pull ups, “If you have the ability to grow a human being inside your body and push it out, you undoubtedly have the ability to bang out a chin-up.  And might I add:  in MUCH less time than nine months.”

To bridge the gap between a full pull up and not try these simple progressions...

The TRX Pull Up

The TRX is a great start point. Starting with the simple Inverted Row, walk your feet forwards so you can manage a challenging but controlled pull up and lower, and as you get better challenge yourself to move further underneath the handles until you’re parallel with the floor. Once you’ve championed the row (or alongside championing the row) try raising your feet up to get even further underneath. Even if you lower your hips in the bottom bit this will mimic the initial pull up phase.

---> see how to a TRX pull up HERE

I know the TRX is expensive. So why not take a look at the Z-Trainer HERE - this is what we use at The Fit Green. It’s a versatile bit of kit - not just for pull ups!

The Band Assisted Pull Up

Following on from the TRX, I like the band assisted pull up. Using a rubber band from Wolverson Fitness I will typically get my client to put their feet or knees in to support there efforts.

---> See how to do a band assisted pull up HERE

Being springy, the band helps them get out of the lower portion of the pull up which is the most difficult. And, without boring you about strength curves, allows them less support in the upper part of the lift when they are stronger, and more in the lower when you’re not. 

To further support their efforts I’m on hand to give them a little push from the knees so they can get their sternum to the bar, pause and I allow them to lower under tension using just their strength (and the support of the band). 

When considering rep ranges (how many reps to do?!) I’d urge you to challenge yourself, but stop just shy of absolute failure on every set. This will allow you to develop strength whilst being able to pick up a mug of herbal tea the next day. 

Similarly, I’d encourage you to do this exercise well regularly for fast improvement. This might involve getting yourself a pull up bar at home and giving it a quick whirl everyday or twice a day if uber keen. 

If you fancy this I’ve seen these door mounted ones to be a sound investment. Find them at Argos. Or other reputable retailers... See a door mounted pull up bar HERE

The Eccentric Pull Up & Isometric Holds

Following on from the band assisted pull ups, or even alongside the band assisted pull ups, you’d be smart to include some Eccentric Pull Ups (a contradiction in terms I think?!) and some isometric holds.

The eccentric, or lowering portion of the movement, where the muscle is lengthening under tension, is always stronger than the concentric (the shortening of the muscle or the actual pulling up bit) therefore to bridge the gap it’s effective to practice just the lowering phase.

To do this use a box or bench and hop up so your sternum is in near touching distance of the bar, pause and lower over 5 or more seconds. Repeat this five or six times and you’ve a pretty effective exercise. 

------> See how to do an eccentric pull up HERE

Again, I understand to many this is a HUGE ask. So to do this you can employ the rest-pause method. Do one eccentric pull up and rest 10 seconds, do another eccentric pull up, rest 10 seconds, do another eccentric pull up, rest 10 seconds... You get the idea! Do this for a total of five or six reps. Be warned, this is mean.

To conclude this cheeky little foray into pull ups I’d say when I started The Fit Green nearly four years ago most of the women I trained could hardly do a full press up. Now, the norm is to do full press ups rather than the knees down alternative. YOU CAN DO IT - if you want and you’re prepared to put the hard work in.

Like your piano teacher used to say, five minutes a day is better than one hour a week. Get a pull up bar in your house and do one rep every time you pass it. Better still dedicate 2 minutes once, twice three times a day and you’ll be amazing fast.

Let me know how you get on.