Can’t Do a Pull-Up Yet? Here’s How to Get There

Pull-ups are one of the most powerful bodyweight exercises you can do. They build functional upper-body strength, improve grip strength, stabilise your core, and help you grow muscle across your back, arms, and shoulders. But let’s be honest: for many people, doing a strict pull-up feels impossible, even if you've been consistently training for a long time. You hang from the bar and try to lift yourself up and... nothing happens.

If that sounds familiar, that doesn't mean they're not achievable for you; you need to consistently work on these smart progressions to get you there.

The basics: Proper pull-up form

Before we get to the training tips, let’s go through a quick step-by-step of how to do a pull-up with correct form. Sometimes, engaging a different muscle or positioning yourself in a different way can make a huge difference.

1. Set up your grip. You want to grab the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from your body) with your hands slightly further than shoulder-width apart. If the bar is too high to grab by jumping, use a box or step to get into position.

2. Find an engaged hanging position. Once you're hanging, your arms and core should feel engaged, rather than like you're hanging limply from the bar. Think about pulling your shoulders back and down to engage them, brace your core for a punch, and squeeze your glutes.

3. Initiate the pull. Instead of just trying to pull with your hands, think about pulling your elbows towards your hips to drive the movement. Keep your shoulders back and down and your core tight.

4. Reach the top. Clearing the bar with your chin might be your first aim, but ultimately, you want to try to bring the bar towards your collarbone for maximum engagement of your back muscles. Pause at the top for a brief moment.

5. Slowly descend. Avoid the temptation to drop off the bar with speed and control your descent instead until your arms are fully extended.

6. Drop off the bar or repeat. If one rep is all you've got, safely drop off the bar or step onto the box. If you're ready for your next rep, repeat the process from step two!

Common mistakes to avoid

• Relying on momentum: Unless it's your goal to do kipping pull-ups or muscle-ups, swinging or kipping your way to a pull-up can reduce muscle engagement and increase your injury risk. It's also definitely not considered a "strict" rep if it involves a kip.

• Shoulder shrugging: Keep those shoulders down! When your shoulders end up by your ears, you can increase your injury risk and reduce correct muscle engagement.

• Incomplete range of motion: It's better to do two full reps than 10 reps where you're hardly clearing the bar with your chin or only lowering down halfway. Always aim for quality reps and a full range of motion.

• Neck strain: Avoid craning or overextending your neck just to clear your chin over the bar.

Pull-up progression exercises

No matter how close or far you are from being able to complete a pull-up, there are several progression exercises that will meet you where you’re at and help you get there. Try incorporating these pull-up variations into your routine 2-3 times per week to see progress.

Assisted pull-ups with a resistance band

• Loop a resistance band over the bar and place your foot (or knee) in the band to perform your reps. The band will reduce the resistance and allow you to pull your body up with greater ease.

• Use a thicker band (more assistance) at first, then gradually shift to thinner bands as you get stronger.

Isometric holds

• Use a step or box and jump or step up so your chin is above the bar (or your chest is close to it).

• Hold that top position, squeezing your back, for as long as you can. Repeat 3 times.

Negative pull-ups

• Use a step or box and jump or step up so your chin is above the bar.

• Slowly lower down with control, taking 3–5 seconds (or more) to descend. Do 3 sets of 8–12.

Pull-up shrugs or scapular pull-ups

• From a dead hang (arms straight), engage your shoulder blades and pull slightly upward — you’re “shrugging” without bending your elbows.

• Return to the hang position with control. This strengthens your lats and traps and gets you comfortable with the initial movement of a pull-up.

Accessory exercises

• Inverted rows under a bar or TRX — great for building pulling strength.

• Grip-strength work (e.g., farmer’s walks, dead-hangs) can improve your ability to hold the bar.

Commit to a strength training program

Aside from these pull-up-specific exercises, it’s also going to work in your favour to follow a strength training program. Pull-ups require strength in your arms, back, chest and core, and working on your holistic strength with a range of different exercises will make a big difference to your pull-up game.

Practice makes perfect

Don't feel discouraged if pull-ups feel insanely hard. They're not supposed to be easy and they take practice and consistency. Stick with it and celebrate every little sign of progression - you've got this.