Strict Deadhang Pull ups have never been easy for me. Some people can just walk up to a bar and pull. Me? Nope. I have to really work on them. And I know I’m not alone. Lots of ladies think they will never achieve a pull up.

There’s good news ……..you can do a pull up. Bad news? You have to work on them. It won’t happen by working on them one day each week.

So if you are like me and struggle with pull ups, here are some things I have learned over the past few years:

– Don’t use bands if you want to achieve a strict pull up. It helps you in all the wrong places.
– Don’t use a pull up machine.
– Do lots of hanging leg raises, flex hangs and negative reps.
– If you have someone spotting you, get them to spot you by placing their hands on your waist as you pull (not your feet).
– Deadlift, deadlift, deadlift
– Handstands
– Hollow drills
– and spend time just hanging from the bar…….and hang some more
– install a pull up bar at home…..and then use it

I have hit a plateau on my reps lately so I am starting to focus more on grip strength and longer hang times.

Here is an example of a workout I’ve started doing recently:

10 minutes of Mobility (bridges, arm bars, crawling, cossack squats etc) to get loose

Bent Press Flow to get those lats firing

Then:
1 Pull up, hold at the top, hang from right arm, hang from left arm, 1 hanging leg raise. Repeat.

I usually pair a set of the bar work listed above with set of cossack squats and bridges.

Hopefully this will help you too on your journey to earn your first pull up or increase your reps.