The Best Pull Up Training Plan

The following is the most effective pull up program I have ever found. 

I've tested this program within the military, seeing 30+ soldiers achieve their first taste of double digit pull ups. 

I've tested this with female clients, and see 15+ women achieve their first body weight pull up.

I've personally used this program to achieve 20 bodyweight reps, weighing over 230 lbs. 

Finally, this program got my favorite client ever, Trudy, to 17 full bodyweight pulls ups at 67 years old. 

The Program

You’re going to do pull-up training twice per week, which you can blend into your current workouts on days that make sense with your schedule. 

Day One

• Use the grip you most want to improve (neutral, underhand, overhand, etc.).
• You’re going to hit three 3 sets of pull-ups. Your first week you’ll pick a difficulty that allows you to hit 7 reps on the first set, stopping at 10 if you get that far. 
• For your next two sets, do as many as you can again, stopping at 10 if you get there.
• Now stay with this initial level of “resistance” until you can hit 3 sets of 10.
• Once you can get 3 sets of 10, you’re going to either add weight (with a weight belt) or go down one level of band help if you’re not hitting these at full body weight.*

*Bands are superior to an assisted chin up machine.

Day Two

• Choose a grip that’s different from your day one grip. If you’re doing overhand pull-ups on day one, you can use an underhand grip, a neutral grip, or a V-handle if you like - it doesn’t matter which, as long as it’s not the same. 
• On this day,  find a weight that’s challenging for 4 sets of 6 reps and stick with it until you can hit 4x8, then you’ll up the weight, or decrease the assistance. Just ensure you do so SLOWLY.
• When you get to your second week, if you hit 4x6 last week and think you can hit 4x8 this week… don’t. Instead, do 2x8 and 2x6. The next week do 3x8 and 1x6, then you can move to 4x8. The following week, make it a little bit harder and go back to 4x6. 

This isn’t a race. Slow improvements will serve you best, and if you’re able to make a small jump in performance and still have something in the tank that's preferred to making the single biggest jump possible. 

Important Tips:

• Bands are better than an assisted machine: The reason for this is called the strength curve. At the bottom of a pull/chin-up, you need the most help, so when you’re using a machine you have to set it for your weakest position. But that means when you’re in a stronger position near the top, you still have the same help you needed at the bottom. 

Because a band stretches, it helps you more at the bottom and progressively less as you come up. This means you get to work more in the areas where you’re capable of doing more work and, as a result, you’ll get stronger, faster. 

• Keep your form tight: Do not sacrifice your form to get in another rep or an extra pound. It’s a slippery slope and will pay off for a week or two before you realize you’re fooling yourself and missing out on the real progress you could’ve been making. 

I know this sounds simple, maybe too simple. Don’t let that stop you from doing it.

The vast majority of people who didn’t follow the program told me it was because it didn’t seem hard enough. Interestingly, none of them made half as much progress with a “harder” program… and all of them got smashed by Trudy.