How to Progress into a Pull-Up

Here at Hilton Head Health, fitness is more than just weight loss. Fitness is about building physical and mental strength. Fitness is about discovering a better you. Fitness is a way to show yourself  "I can." What better way to show yourself  "I can" than building the strength, stamina, and dedication to complete a pull up?

Progressing to a pull-up varies from person to person depending on body-type and current fitness level. Having said that, the muscles used in a pull-up are the exact same for everybody; Latissimus Dorsi and Biceps being key. A great place to start with this progression are these three exercises below:

Bent Over Row:

The bent over row teaches you to keep proper spinal alignment. It also strengthens the Biceps, Lats, and other upper back muscles.

Lat Pull Down:

This exercise very closely mimics the movement of the shoulder joint in a body weight pull up.

Body Row on TRX:

This row begins to train your body to control itself while working the shoulder joint. This is important for making your nervous system smarter and creating synergy in all the muscles in your body .

There are always more exercises that can be done to build up to and improve the pull-up, but this is a great place to start.