The pull-up is the most important exercise for an ectomorph. Period. But it’s also one of the most difficult exercises for anyone, especially the ectomorph. Because of our long arms, the pulling motion is much longer than that of other people, although we have the advantage of being lighter too, which is an advantage after a few weeks of practice.
Right now I’m able to do 8 consecutive pull ups, and I’m going to help you get there too.
- Dead hang or not? For a “proper” pull up you need to start from a dead hang, meaning your arms are completely straight. And then each time you come down from the pull up you need to straighten your arms again. This is how I do pull ups now, but in the early days it can be difficult to do even one pull up this way. If you’re in that camp do not feel bad for doing half pull ups; pull ups where you don’t fully extend your arms. Just remember to eventually make the transition once you’re comfortable with the exercise.
- Where? You can complete pull ups in loads of places – gyms, on trees, at playgrounds…but I’m a big believer and fan of door gym pull up bars. These are ingenious devices that lock in place between the frame of most doors and then provide you with a bar to do pull ups and chin ups. And the one I have also works on the ground for more intensive push ups and as an assistance for sit ups, which is neat. If you want to do pull ups in the comfort of your own home get a door frame pull up bar (mine was like $30, so it’s not like they break the bank).
- Position? Pull ups are done by lifting yourself up with your palms facing outwards. Don’t mistake them for chin ups which are when your palms face inwards. Cross your legs like an X to stop them from flailing around and always be looking forward so your neck isn’t caught in an awkward position.
How To Make Pull Up’s Easier
- Breath at the bottom. Pull up. Breath. Pull up. Breath. That’s how the process should go. As you’re coming down from the pull up, or at the very bottom, release a big breath. Then, as you’re coming back up, draw in the breath.
- Practice. Bah, I hate giving this advice because it’s so cliche, but it’s just so damn true. The first attempt I made at a pull up rewarded me with a single rep, and it wasn’t a very good one. After a few days I could do 3-4 at a time. And then just a few weeks later 8 is a common result. You will be rewarded for practice. Just keep going.
- Pump some music in the background. The White Stripes or Cage The Elephant usually works for me. Try to do pull ups in time with the music, and just lose yourself in the process, or better yet, lose focus on the pull ups themselves. Then the pain won’t be as prevalent.
How To Make Pull Up’s More Effective
- Go slower. The slower the better. I could go and do 10-15 quick pull ups right now. But the problem is, by doing so you’re relying too heavily on momentum, so after the first couple of reps it’s simply wasted effort, or at least is more akin to a cardio workout than it is to one designed to build muscle and strength.
- Dead hang it up. Start from a dead hang, and always go back to a dead hang. This will kill your arms the first few times you try it, but it gets easier. Seriously. The dead hang position is proper technique, so make it a goal to achieve it.
- Use a weight belt. This is an advanced tip that I’m not even using yet. But common advice is that once you can routinely do 15 pull ups it’s time to put on a weight belt to make each individual rep more difficult. This is because as an ectomorph intensity is more important that quantity.
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