The push up challenge thread got me thinking about pull ups. We have a bar in the basement, but I can’t even do one.
What’s the best complementary exercises to get started? Should I just keep doing negatives until I’m strong enough to pull up?
How long is this going to take? I’m currently 10-ish pounds over my “happy weight” and I haven’t been working out much and definitely not doing any strength work.
negatives are your friend.
If you have access to weights -
lat pull downs
rows (seated cable or bent over)
Go to a local climbing gym.
Negatives and just simply hanging there with straight arms would help. Also I would guess that chin ups target much of the same muscles and are much easier IMO.
Try to do these things multiple times throughout the day at 50% of your max effort vs making it a work out event. It’s the “grease the groove” methodology I linked in the push up thread. Check that out if you have a minute or two.
Abs and back help too.
If you have any of those stretchy physio bands, tie them around your hips and to the bar. It will act as a mild assist on the way up and down.
Negatives are your friend.
Go to a local climbing gym.
I didn’t even try doing pull ups when I was climbing lots. 
Go to a local climbing gym.
+1…should have included this as well since getting started bouldering is what made me realize I needed to seriously build up some vertical pulling strength.
Thanks all - I’m going to use this as my accountability thread. It’s been a life-long (since I was 13/14) goal - time to actually execute.
Plus I’m fat and lazy - I need a little motivation.
What is a negative?
What is a negative?
Starting at the bar, lowering yourself down to where your arms are straight. Or - what you do after you’ve done the “pull up”.
What is a negative?
Jump up to the bar and hold yourself in the finish position of a pull up. Slowly, sloowwllyyy, lower yourself down until you’re at the starting position.
Jump up again and hold yourself at the bar, rinse and repeat.
Even when I do regular pull ups, once I’m tapped out, I’ll do a few more negatives to really feel the burn.
What is a negative?
Jump up to the bar and hold yourself in the finish position of a pull up. Slowly, sloowwllyyy, lower yourself down until you’re at the starting position.
Jump up again and hold yourself at the bar, rinse and repeat.
Even when I do regular pull ups, once I’m tapped out, I’ll do a few more negatives to really feel the burn.
Jumping up to the bar and landing in a finish position sounds harder than a pull up to me. Short person problems and all… but maybe I will get a chair and try this when I cache out after only a few pull ups.
Learn to do a kipping pull-up and then progressively kip less until you’re doing strict pull-ups, in addition to what others have said.
Someone please post that CF pull-up GIF now. 
What is a negative?
Jump up to the bar and hold yourself in the finish position of a pull up. Slowly, sloowwllyyy, lower yourself down until you’re at the starting position.
Jump up again and hold yourself at the bar, rinse and repeat.
Even when I do regular pull ups, once I’m tapped out, I’ll do a few more negatives to really feel the burn.
Jumping up to the bar and landing in a finish position sounds harder than a pull up to me. Short person problems and all… but maybe I will get a chair and try this when I cache out after only a few pull ups.
Yeah, a chair or stool works just fine.
Grab bar, pull up.
Grab bar, pull up.
/thread
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Grab bar, pull up.
Which arm should I grab the bar with?
Five points to anyone who knows who this is without looking it up.
+2 on climbing. I got into it for a year or so, and significantly improved upper body and grip strength compared with my tri-related training. It’s fun too!
John Gill famous boulder rock climbing pioneer. Put up some of the test pieces at Jenny Lake I believe.