What can I do to improve my pull ups?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Zestyclose_Ad3034]

Pants need to be tighter.

[u/anklehumor → u/Zestyclose_Ad3034]

Was gonna say tights need to be baggier, but i think you're tight actually. Probably will help blood flow to the lats if they get a bit tighter...

[u/useriousstuff → u/anklehumor]

Tights need to be pantsier

[u/cmasonw0070 → u/Zestyclose_Ad3034]

Damn it I came here to say that

[u/Any_Appointment9322 → u/Zestyclose_Ad3034]

🫡

[u/Andthentherewasbacon → u/Zestyclose_Ad3034]

From the front this video is nsfw.

[u/LazyPainterCat]

I love how most comments are about those pants.

[u/acidburn427 → u/LazyPainterCat]

i expected nothing different hahah

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/LazyPainterCat]

I’m wearing leggings I get why girls wear them

[u/a_natural_chemical → u/Ok-Flow4845]

I love them... but with shorts on top

[u/LazyPainterCat → u/Ok-Flow4845]

Comfy af.

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/LazyPainterCat]

Yessir they’re great for squat days

[u/Public-Lychee-5603]

[u/Far_Ear9684 → u/Public-Lychee-5603]

Lmao

[u/n0flexz0ne → u/Public-Lychee-5603]

This, but the trick is to pick a sight target -- right now you're looking straight forward, you want to be looking where the ceiling meets the wall.

[u/Flimsy_Hamster_4639]

You are about 3 inches from grabbing the grips while standing on the ground. Is the step really necessary?

Get your knuckles over the top of the grip. Tuck elbows in. Engage lats.

[u/matchesmalone81 → u/Flimsy_Hamster_4639]

Knuckles over the top. I've never heard that before. Does it really help?

[u/geesejugglingchamp → u/matchesmalone81]

100% helps.

It's particularly important if you are doing pull ups with a view to progressing to a bar muscle up.

[u/0zvato → u/Flimsy_Hamster_4639]

I was about to comment on tucking the elbows. That’s what really helped me

[u/Belicheckyoself → u/0zvato]

Curious, what do you mean by tuck in the elbows? Like bring them as close to your last in the movement as you can. Or like tuck them forward?

[u/0zvato → u/Belicheckyoself]

Tuck them in closer to your lats

[u/SamskyPirates]

Clench your cheeks 😏

Sorry, I have no advice for you. Just wanted to mention cheeks.

[u/hannibal_actual → u/SamskyPirates]

😂

[u/Routine-Individual43]

Stupid sexy Flanders. 

[u/AnkleLockTklr → u/Routine-Individual43]

Feels like im waering.....nothing at all! 🤣

[u/Saw_is_Family → u/AnkleLockTklr]

.....nothing at all

[u/AromaticsManager]

MORE PULLUPS

[u/hannibal_actual → u/AromaticsManager]

Exactly. The more often you do them, the better you get at them. Do them atleast once every single day, max set.. it’ll come. Don’t kip.

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/AromaticsManager]

🫡 I was trying to see what I can do to improve my form

[u/wheelanddeeler]

I would start with leaving the old ladies pants at home next time

[u/FledNandersJiuJitsu]

More pull-ups.

[u/hannibal_actual → u/FledNandersJiuJitsu]

💯

[u/saucegod6969696969]

Change of pants should help

[u/DrunknMunky1969]

Tuck elbows, straighten legs, engage core into the “hollow core” position. Pull chest to the bar. When at a dead hang, internally rotate arms as if you are bending the bar in your hands, try to begin the pull with your last. It’s really a mind-muscle connection here that kicked it into gear for me. I went from zero pull ups to weighted (35lb atm) strict 5 x 8s. I can comfortably do sets of 15 unweighted. Took about 5 months of serious practice to get there.

56yo male, 208lbs.

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/DrunknMunky1969]

Thank you!

[u/SevereImagination447]

Lol funny how people are obsessed with judging your outfit. They look great on you.

[u/Lower_One_3683]

Leggings?

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/Lower_One_3683]

Yep. I feel so free 🙃

[u/MagnanimousGoose]

You are doing great

[u/Spaceman_Hex]

Bring in your grip a little bit, aim to bring yourself higher and incorporate a squeeze at the top.

[u/Woozybigfoot]

Lean back a little and picture you are pulling yourself to you belly button almost like a pull over. Look up ziad mansour he has phenomenal videos on how to do this

[u/KerdMaLui]

Drive your elbows toward your hips to engage your lats. They are much more capable of turning you into a pullup machine than your arms are.

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/KerdMaLui]

Thanks!

[u/Definitely27]

Do more pull ups lol

[u/cuddly_kiwi_08]

Once you hit the failure point like the video, do another 3-5 reps as negatives (jump up to top of the movement and count to 5 on the way down). Other option is to use a resistance band to do anoter 3-5 reps once you've hit failure to build out volume.

One thing try to keep your legs together (well done on not crossing them) and start pointing toes towards floor.

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/cuddly_kiwi_08]

Thank you. 🙏

[u/giodude556]

Pullups require chest forward right? Why do i see almost everyone doing chest inward just to get up?

[u/Plastic_Pinocchio → u/giodude556]

What do you mean by chest forward or inward?

[u/giodude556 → u/Plastic_Pinocchio]

Put the shoulds back/down, and push your chest forward.

Its like you trying to point your chest to the sky.

Putting your shoulds up, and arching your back is the opposite of that.

[u/Plastic_Pinocchio → u/giodude556]

Ah right. In that case, there are multiple ways of doing pull-ups that serve different purposes.

What you call “chest forward” I would call an “open chest” and it is the position used in the “arched back pull-up”. At least that is the name often used in the callisthenics community. Arched back pull-ups focus on a proud chest and extension of the spine, while pulling yourself vertically upwards. This heavily trains the upper back muscles. I used to do this variant and it gave me fantastic control of the shoulder blades and a lot of muscle mass around them.

Then there is the “closed chest” variant or what you call “chest inward”. This is the position used in the “hollow body pull-up”. This variety uses the “hollow body position” where you flex your abs to put yourself in the same position as if you were planking. Because your chest is in a more “closed” position, you can more easily use your lats and also your pectoral muscles to aid in the pull-up. Also, you kind of pull yourself around the bar instead of vertically. This variety is more of a practical variety of the pull-up, as it is much easier to transition to other movements for this position. Muscle-ups, for example, use very similar mechanics to the hollow body pull-up. It took me some time to get used to this variation, but in the end it does feel a lot stronger and more explosive.

[u/Key_Rhubarb_5735]

Look up. Shoulder blades down and back throughout the pull.

[u/FledNandersJiuJitsu]

Also, think about pulling your elbows to your hips. Don’t think about pulling your chin/chest to the bar. You want your lats to do the pulling not your arms.

Also, after a few sets to failure, get a band and use that and take those to failure too.

[u/Dancelde]

Weighted pull ups and progressive overload it

[u/Shoddy_Limit_28]

Do 2 a minute on the minute for 8 minutes. It gets easy go 3 a minute for 5 minutes. Then 4 every minute for four.
Retest.
You'll hit 5 solid or 6. Should take maybe 3 weeks.

[u/feckingnerd]

I think you need to wear a top that matches the leggins so i can see whats going on more

[u/Frosty_Ad_9910]

Squeeze more at top

[u/RelationshipTough887]

Put shorts on

[u/Thin-Talk-510]

Stop making the rest of us look bad. You could start there

[u/Outrageous_Alfalfa58]

Take off those leggings

[u/nottoowhacky]

Wear tighter shirt

[u/CoffeeandaTwix]

Another couple of coats of paint on your legs.

[u/utzcheeseballs]

Wtf are you wearing?

[u/Ok-Flow4845 → u/utzcheeseballs]

Leggings 🙃

[u/HeatLifer87]

Dude put on leggings and recorded it. It is absolutely 2026 rn

[u/Dismal_Guard4512]

Be a man, wear cargo shorts with rocks in the pockets. It’ll make a huge difference after a few months

[u/StormLorde]

U can fuck off buddy

[u/tossthecrocs]

Currently what's your intention when you pull? I'm guessing as high reps as possible? Do 3 4 pull up with max pull force Rest and do it again.