View Full Version : Need help with strengthing my back
Just started The Cube this week. Absolutely loving it but I just don't have the strength yet to do pull ups. What exercises can I work into my workouts to help me gain the strength to eventually do pullups? Any help from the community will be greatly appreciated.
Just started The Cube this week. Absolutely loving it but I just don't have the strength yet to do pull ups. What exercises can I work into my workouts to help me gain the strength to eventually do pullups? Any help from the community will be greatly appreciated.
Pull downs on a machine, use different grip varations, bent over rows, db rows, hammer curls, and barbell curls
Just started The Cube this week. Absolutely loving it but I just don't have the strength yet to do pull ups. What exercises can I work into my workouts to help me gain the strength to eventually do pullups? Any help from the community will be greatly appreciated.
Pulldowns on the cable machine and Pulldowns with bands helped me in the past get my strength up to be able to do pull ups.
Also negative pull ups. Get something to help you up in the bar like bench, get up on the bench and bar with your chin already over the bar you slowly come down to full stretch. And than do the same thing over and over again. It's like the opposite of a pull up.
Here is a video that explains it better https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vw0P8EVwQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Hg-rCJwDY
Swolepez
03-09-14, 10:15 am
Like Brasil said: negatives on pull-ups
And like J Wong posted: pull-ups with resistance bands
smoothballer
03-10-14, 7:57 am
Agreed with Brasil and J Wong. The only way to get better at pull-ups is to do them in some form. Nothing compares to them and I am in the same boat and use these techniques
rshelton242
03-10-14, 9:46 am
You can do inverted rows knees bent, working towards inverted rows legs straight, flexed arm hangs, Band assisted pull ups worked as a progression until you can do pull ups.
Getting a blend of assisted pullups or negative pull ups and higher reps like 10-12 reps per set on a lat pulldown will be ideal. Feel the high tension plus get enough work in to build up the area... best of both worlds
Alpha Bench
03-11-14, 10:40 am
Getting a blend of assisted pullups or negative pull ups and higher reps like 10-12 reps per set on a lat pulldown will be ideal. Feel the high tension plus get enough work in to build up the area... best of both worlds
Couldnt agree more.
mritter3
03-11-14, 12:31 pm
Assisted pullup machine is good, jump up to pullup bar and pull yourself up is also good...pull downs, bent over rows...once your able to do 1 just build from there...even if your dOing 20 sets of one...eventually the reps will come
AJ Roberts
03-11-14, 3:50 pm
Back in college I weighed about 280lbs and could do one pull up. Started doing negatives and static holds as long as I could and quickly progressed to pull ups. Even at my biggest (320lbs) I was able to do sets of 12.
rbowman91
03-12-14, 4:01 pm
Just started The Cube this week. Absolutely loving it but I just don't have the strength yet to do pull ups. What exercises can I work into my workouts to help me gain the strength to eventually do pullups? Any help from the community will be greatly appreciated.
do negative pullups slowly until you can start pulling yourself up.
TheVegetarianStrongman
03-12-14, 10:29 pm
I'm a big advocate for grip development as well, especially for exercises involving the back, ESPECIALLY for pull ups! In addition to the solid advice from the other forum members I would throw in some static axle bar holds and plate pinches, get those hands strong enough to hit your back as hard and heavy as possible!
Good luck!
KettleBellFreak
03-16-14, 11:30 am
I'm a big advocate for grip development as well, especially for exercises involving the back, ESPECIALLY for pull ups! In addition to the solid advice from the other forum members I would throw in some static axle bar holds and plate pinches, get those hands strong enough to hit your back as hard and heavy as possible!
Good luck!
I agree, my grip used to fail like a mofo when I started pull ups. Hold yourself up with cannonball grips for 4x15 seconds for a few weeks. Those hands and forearms won't be scared of that bar ever again.
Also focus or your form during pull ups. I got looser with form a they got easier, but you have to consciously make your lats shoulders and traps pull you up, this is not a bicep and shoulder movement.