How to Get Your First Pull Up Reddit

Getting your first pull-up feels impossible until it's not. You see people on Reddit doing sets of 10, 15, or even 20, and you're stuck, unable to even bend your arms. It's frustrating. You've probably tried just hanging and pulling with all your might, only to feel nothing happen. This guide cuts through the noise and gives you the exact, step-by-step progression that works.

Key Takeaways

• The single most effective exercise for getting your first pull-up is the negative pull-up, where you focus only on the lowering phase.
• Aim to complete 3 sets of 5-8 negative reps, with each rep lasting 5-10 seconds, before you can expect to do a full pull-up.
• Train your pull-up progressions 2-3 times per week, allowing at least 48 hours of rest between sessions for your back and biceps to recover and grow stronger.
• You cannot get your first pull-up by only doing pull-up exercises; accessory work like inverted rows and hollow body holds is mandatory.
• For most beginners starting from zero, achieving the first clean pull-up is a strength project that takes 8-12 weeks of consistent training.
• Losing excess body fat directly makes pull-ups easier; every 10 pounds of weight lost is 10 fewer pounds you have to lift.

Why You Can't Do a Pull-Up (Yet)

If you're searching for how to get your first pull up reddit, you're likely feeling stuck. You see progress everywhere but your own. The reason you can't do a pull-up has nothing to do with genetics or some secret trick you're missing. It's a simple, solvable problem: you haven't built the specific back and bicep strength required to lift your own bodyweight.

Think of it like deadlifting. Nobody walks into a gym and pulls 225 pounds on their first day. They start with the empty 45-pound bar and slowly add weight over months. A pull-up is the same concept, but the 'weight' is your body. You can't start at 100% of the load; you have to build up to it with progressions.

Most people fail because their approach is wrong. They try to conquer the pull-up with brute force, yanking on the bar a few times a week and hoping for the best. This doesn't work because it fails to create a progressive overload stimulus. Your muscles aren't being challenged in a way that forces them to adapt and get stronger.

Another common mistake is focusing on the wrong muscles. A pull-up is primarily a back exercise, specifically for your latissimus dorsi (lats). Many beginners try to pull with their arms, gassing out their smaller bicep muscles instantly. The goal of the progression below is to teach you how to initiate the pull with your back and build the raw strength to finish it.

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The Methods That Don't Work (And Why)

You've probably seen or tried a few popular methods that promise a quick path to a pull-up. Most of them are inefficient or build bad habits. Understanding why they fail will help you focus on what actually works.

Kipping and Jumping Pull-Ups

Kipping is a technique that uses hip momentum to bypass the need for strength. It's a skill used in CrossFit to perform more reps faster, not a tool for building foundational strength. Doing kipping pull-ups to get your first strict pull-up is like learning to cheat on a test before you've learned the material. You aren't building the strength you need.

Jumping pull-ups are slightly better but still flawed. You use your legs to jump up, skipping the hardest part of the movement (the initial pull from a dead hang). You get some work on the top half of the rep, but you never build the strength to get yourself there from the bottom.

The Assisted Pull-Up Machine

This machine seems like the perfect solution. It uses a counterweight to make you 'lighter'. The problem is *how* it helps. The machine provides the most assistance at the bottom of the movement and the least at the top. This is the exact opposite of what you need. The hardest part of a pull-up is the initial pull from a dead hang. By getting the most help here, you never develop strength where it's most critical. It becomes a crutch that is very difficult to wean off of.

Lat Pulldowns

Lat pulldowns are a great accessory exercise for building your back, but they will not get you your first pull-up on their own. In a lat pulldown, your body is fixed and you're moving an external weight (a closed-chain exercise). In a pull-up, the bar is fixed and you're moving your body through space (an open-chain exercise). This is a completely different neurological challenge. Use lat pulldowns to supplement your training, but do not make them the main focus.

The 3-Step Progression That Actually Works

Forget everything else. This three-step progression is the most reliable path from zero to one. Focus on mastering each step before moving to the next. Your goal isn't just to 'do' the exercise, but to own it.

Step 1: Dead Hangs & Scapular Pulls

Before you can pull, you must be able to hang. This step builds your grip strength and teaches you how to activate your back muscles.

• Dead Hangs: Simply hang from the pull-up bar with your arms fully extended. Your goal is to build up to 3 sets of 30-60 second holds. If your grip fails at 15 seconds, that's your starting point. Rest 90 seconds between sets.
• Scapular Pulls: While in a dead hang, keep your arms straight and pull your shoulder blades down and back. Your body should rise an inch or two. This is a tiny movement that isolates the initial activation of your lats. Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps. This teaches your brain to start the pull with your back, not your arms.

Step 2: Negative Pull-Ups (The Game Changer)

This is the most important exercise in your journey. You are significantly stronger in the lowering (eccentric) phase of a movement than in the lifting (concentric) phase. We use this to our advantage to build strength through the full range of motion.

• How to do it: Get your chin over the bar. You can use a box to step up, or jump up. Once your chin is over the bar, begin lowering yourself down as slowly and controllably as possible. Fight gravity the entire way.
• The Goal: Your initial goal is a 3-5 second negative. As you get stronger, extend this to 8, 10, and even 15 seconds. Once you can perform 3 sets of 5-8 reps with a controlled 10-second negative, you are very close to your first pull-up.

Step 3: Banded Pull-Ups (Used Correctly)

After you have a solid negative, you can introduce banded pull-ups to practice the full pulling motion. The key is to use them correctly.

• How to do it: Loop a resistance band over the bar and place one foot or knee into the loop. Use the *lightest band possible* that allows you to complete 3-5 clean reps. The band should help you out of the bottom, not rocket you to the top.
• The Goal: The purpose of the band is to help you accumulate reps. Your mission is to progress to a thinner band as quickly as possible. Don't get comfortable using a heavy band for months.

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Your First Pull-Up: A Realistic Timeline & Plan

Consistency is everything. A perfect plan performed once a month does nothing. A good-enough plan performed twice a week, every week, will get you results. Here’s how to put it all together.

The Weekly Schedule

This is a simple, effective template. Train your pull-up progressions on non-consecutive days.

• Day 1: Pull-Up Progression (Focus on Negatives) + Accessory Work
• Day 2: Rest
• Day 3: Accessory Work Only (Rows, Face Pulls, Core)
• Day 4: Rest
• Day 5: Pull-Up Progression (Focus on Negatives or Banded) + Accessory Work
• Day 6: Rest
• Day 7: Rest

Accessory Exercises You Need

Doing only pull-up specific work is a mistake. You need to build a stronger back and core overall. These are non-negotiable.

• Inverted Rows (Australian Pull-ups): This is the horizontal version of a pull-up and builds mid-back thickness. Set a bar in a squat rack at waist height. Hang underneath it and pull your chest to the bar. Aim for 3 sets of 8-15 reps. The more horizontal your body, the harder it is.
• Hollow Body Holds: A pull-up requires immense core tension. Lie on your back and lift your legs and shoulders slightly off the floor, pressing your lower back into the ground. Hold this position. Aim for 3 sets of 30-60 second holds.
• Bicep Curls: Your biceps are a secondary muscle in a pull-up. Making them stronger will help you finish the rep. Simple dumbbell curls for 3 sets of 10-15 reps are perfect.

What to Expect (Realistic Timeline)

This is not an overnight process. It is a strength project. Be patient and trust the process.

• Weeks 1-4: You will master dead hangs and scapular pulls. Your negatives will feel shaky, maybe lasting only 2-3 seconds. This is normal. Focus on form. Your grip strength will increase noticeably.
• Weeks 5-8: Your negatives should be feeling much more controlled, likely in the 5-8 second range. You can start incorporating light banded pull-ups. You might attempt your first pull-up and get halfway up. This is major progress.
• Weeks 9-12: If you have been consistent, this is the window where most people achieve their first full, clean rep from a dead hang. Your negatives should be 10+ seconds long, and you feel strong through the entire range of motion.

The Role of Body Weight

We have to be direct about this: your body weight is the biggest factor. If you are carrying 30-40 pounds of excess body fat, your task is exponentially harder. Every pound of fat you lose is one less pound you have to pull over the bar.

If you are significantly overweight, pairing this training plan with a modest 300-500 calorie deficit will accelerate your progress more than any other single variable. You'll be getting stronger while the weight you need to lift gets lighter. It's a powerful combination.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I try for my first pull-up?

Test yourself for a max pull-up attempt no more than once every two weeks. Testing too frequently leads to fatigue and mental burnout. The vast majority of your time should be spent on the progressions (negatives, rows) that actually build the strength you need.

What if I can't even do a slow negative?

If your negative is only one second long, that's your starting point. The intent to resist gravity is what builds strength. Jump up, and fight the downward movement as hard as you can. Next week, it will be 1.5 seconds. The week after, 2 seconds. Progress is inevitable if you stay consistent.

Are chin-ups easier than pull-ups?

Yes, chin-ups (palms facing you) are easier for almost everyone. They recruit more of your biceps, a muscle group most people have some strength in. Using this exact same progression to get your first chin-up is a fantastic strategy and a great milestone on the way to a pull-up.

My grip fails before my back does. What do I do?

This is the most common limiting factor for beginners. Your back muscles are huge and strong, but your forearm muscles are small. The solution is more volume. At the end of every single workout, do 2-3 sets of dead hangs to failure. This targeted grip work will quickly bring your grip strength up to speed.

I'm making progress on negatives but still can't do one rep. Why?

This usually points to a weakness in the very bottom of the movement, from a dead hang to where your arms are at a 90-degree angle. The fix is to add more scapular pulls to your routine and to really focus on an explosive start when you do your banded pull-ups. Think about pulling the bar to you, not yourself to the bar.

Conclusion

Getting your first pull-up is not a genetic lottery; it's an engineering problem that you solve with a clear, consistent plan. The path is paved with controlled negatives, smart accessory work, and patience. Stop randomly yanking on the bar and start training with purpose. Go hang from a bar today.